The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1896-11-18
TORULE THE WORLD.
Governor MacCOrkle's Glowing
PrOphesy About the Ohio
Valley.

II
River Improvement Association
in the Chamber of Commerce dur
ing its session at Pittsburg, on the
Importance of improving the nat
,ural waterways tapping the Ohio
valley. He began with the decla-
ration that there is no section OF
the United States which possesses
such great natural wealth as the
Ohio valley, by which statement
he meant the territory constituting
the water shed of its tributaries
He maintained that all political
questions which concern the peo-
pie of the country had as Their
foundation stone, trade and com
merce. "Commerce," he said dom
mates the United States. Give us
a free outlet for our trade" he said
land we will dominate the world
Let the American reach out and he
will ask no favors i'll getting his
share of the worlds trade"
Governor MacCorkle declares
that as necessary condition for
expanding trade the great natural
arteries must be made serviceable
to mans needs by locking and
damming the streams so that trans
portation for products will enable
them to be placed in the worlds
markets in competition with those
of England. He said that every
trade route of the world is under
England's control, and her shotted
guns cover every ship of other
nations which send products to the
markets to compete with her. He
maintained that equally important
to the people of the Ohio valley as
the improvement of the Ohio was
the construction and American
control of the Nicaragua ship
canal, and the Ohio river and Lake
Erie ship canal. The completion
of these projects, it is asserted,
would give to the people who have
the greatest abundance and the best
quality of coal known to mankind
an outlet to the North by way of
the lakes, and to Central and South
America, the islands of the two
oceans, and Japan, China and
Australia.
The completion of these projects
will multiply the Industries of the
Ohio valley and give dominion to
its great industrious population
over the trade of the world, as it
dominates the United States. The
price of British coal at all thegreat
markets of the Pacific, South Afri-
ca, Asia and other points was given,
and the price at which Pittsburg
and West Virginia coal could be
supplied at the same points, if the
Nicaragua canal was built, estima-
ted. The difference was about 80
per cent. in favor of the Ohio val
Icy. The United States, the Gov
ernor said, should declare to the
world that the Gulf of Mexico is
closed sea and notify other nations
that it is going to maintain the
declaration. Concluding Governor
MacCorkle said:
"This is a world of commerce,
not warfare. Give us the iron of
Lake Superior, by means of cheap
transportation, and an outlet OF
our coal and the products of our
manufacture, and the smoke will
weave cloud wreathes around and
over Pittsburg, and the clangor of
her machinery will mingle with
the joyous song of the thousands
of workmen who will have employ
ment twelve months in year in
stead of six. We can supply all
our own needs and those of half
the world outside, if we have but
cheap transportation for the pro-
ducts of our hands and brains and
hills. We of the Ohio valley, the
seat of power in this vast empire,
have been too modest in Knocking
at the doors of the American Con-
gress, and have made no demands
for the recognition which we have
right to ask, not only for our
selves, but for the population Of
our common country. Let Con-
gress know what we have to offer,
and how small is the cost of max
ing these improvements in com
parison to the great profit they will
bring on the investment by the
Nation, and we shall reverse the
conditions which now exist as
regards the trade of the world"
/