Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-03-08
THE NCARAGUAN CANAL.
AN ENTERTAINING LECTURE DELIVERED BY
GOV. ". A. MO0RKLE
At the Opera House Last Night-The Importance Of
the Canal to the Country, and TO This Sec
ton in Particular

For nearly two hours last night Gov
ernOr William a. MacCorkle held the
undivided attention of an audience
which comfortably filled the Opera
House, and which would have been
much larger if the weather had been
clvorable His theme was the Mica
ragua Canal, and he dweit principally
upon the benefit 70 the commercial in
terests of the nation, and particularly
OF the Ohio Valley, to be secured by
the completion Of the waterway to con-
meet the Atlantic and Pacific. He
showed a remarkable familiarity with
the project in all its details, and his
talk was frequently interrupted by ap-
plause.
Gov. MacCorkle began by saving
tiat he did not appear in his custom
cry role, as a manipulation of Kanawha
county politics. but TO make a talk
upon a matter of dollars and cents, in
which he was no more interested than
his audience. lie spoke of the pro-
/ gressIVe spirit OF the age. We are in
the height of our progress, but not in
the vigorous westward progress that
was true of a few years ago. The per-
sons who were attracted TO the West
then, are now vending their way to
/ the places of their nativity, in the
/ Eastern States, wherein lie unbound
/ cd possibilities for the acquisition of
wealth and fame
The speaker said he would discuss
/ the question from a geographical
point, and for the time being would
pose as a school teacher. The ques-
! ton was a vital one, a question Of dol
ars and cents He then pointed out
EnglanH and Europe upon his map,
and dwelt briefly upon the
EVENTS OF HISTORY
associated with the Mediterranean Sea.
/ The Mediterranean Of America is the
/ Gulf of MEXICO. He made a cOmpari-
son between the two seas. Nations, he
said have been made great by the eX-
! tent of their commerce. The Gulf has
more nayigable waters flowing into il
/ than the Mediterranean. The direc-
| ton of rivers also has an important
1 bearing upon commerce. Rivers flow
/ ing east and west flow in the same
| latitude. while rivers flowing north
and south carry all the products of all
| the different attitudes. The Mediter-
ranean Sea made the Old World, yet
the Gulf has twice the area of that
body of water. The Lord made this
country. and made it the greatest OF
/ His handiwork.
He has designed that all the COM
merce of the Atlantic and Pacific
| should pass through this country and
/ bv this country. This the speaker
proved by means Of his map. and apt
! Illustrations. Col has designed that
/ the very currents of the ocean and
winds OF the air should come by Amer
lea
We have a large proportion of the
! tillable land of the globe. So far as
physical conditions are concerned, the
people of the United States are es-
lpecially favored. in that everything
needed i'm civilization is to be found
within the borders of the country
Brazil is seventy times larger than
Ohio. a vast empire, in which every
thing is found, owing to the different
degrees of latitude everything but
manufactures. The Creator intended
the factories to be in the Ohio Valley
He contrasted the Mississippi with the
rivers of South America. 1t drains a
large territory, passing through a
country where cotton, corn, and wheat
grow. coal. iron and other metals are
found. ard the banks of the streams
are dotted by busy workshops, which
convert the raw material into the fin
|ished product.
THE ADVANTAGES
of the Valley of the Mississippi and
contiguous streams. in all the varie-
ties of products, in all that makes the
highest civilization, are eQualled no.
where else on the globe. 1t was in
tended that the Gulf of Mexico should
be the central sea not only of America
but of the commerce of the entire
world.
In America we make and have
everything we need. In Europe condi-
tions are generally different. Eng
land indisputably controls the COM
mercial situation. her only competition
being the United States of America
The price of farm products is fixed in
Great Britain. This has been done
simply by Selling the avenues of com
merce. and controlling and dominat-
inc them. To-day, with the eye OF
almost commercial omnipotence, she
has attempted to seize the only avenue
which is not already in her possession
She maintains her control by force.
Governor MacCorkle pointed out
the Importance of the Suez Canal to
Ifbecommercial supremacy of England
Britain stole Gibraltar. and then Nal
IA thereby controlling the Mediter-
ranean She did not want the canal
built She hooted at De Lesseps
nroiect but when it was consummated
She stepped into the market and
bought it. The canal was guaranteed
Inv treaty to all the nations, for all
time. as a passage for their ships, yet
England placed a warship there and
efectuallv blocked passage to assert
her ownership.
There is but one thing needed to let
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