The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-12
GRAIN TO GULF PORTS.

GRAIN TO GULF PORTS.
Were one unacquainted with the
country to inspect a map of the Unit
ed States he would be struck with the
avenues nature has provided for the
movement of the surplus great staples
of agriculture from the interior to the
sea coast, en- route to foreign ports.
The Mississippi river, stretching from
near the northern boundary to the
Gulf, with it's tributaries running out
right and left, leaving very little of
the territory between the Rockies and
the Alleghenies out Of reach of navi-
gable waters, makes it seem as If
nature had kindly provided beforehand
the avenues of cheap transit. Natural
ly he would have placed the great me-
tropolis of the nation, the gateway Of
produce out and products in, at New
Orleans, leaving to the cities on the
Atlantic coast the traffic of restrict
ed territory.
But nature did not take into account
the steam engine, the locomotive and
the roads of steel which men have
devised and built, with the result that
her design has been thwarted, and
contradicting all theories, the great
produce of the valleys of the Missis-
sippi and it's tributaries has moved
overland, by routes artificially and ex-
pensively constructed, and only very
limited quantity has moved down the
| great rivers. 1t was not without
struggle that the river surrendered it's
manifest destiny. Immediately after
! the war elevators were built at New
Orleans, barge lines were built for
! carrying the grain to the elevators
and New Orleans fondly dreamed Of
| the time when she should pass New
York as the great national entrepot
Had she done something more than
dream, had she not rested on her geo.
graphical position, had she shown a
1.-THE of the energy that New York or
| Chicago displayed, her dream might
have been something beside the bar
rem ideality' it was.
| But the railways traversing the ma
| ton from East to West, backed by
| the capital that centered in Chicago
and New York, overcame the natural
arrangement, and for years have held
| their grip on the produce OF western
| farms and the merchandise moving
back in exchange. The Gulf cities
| found even their legitimate cotton
| trade diverted by the railways that
pierced the South in all directions The
millions spent in the Eads system of
! improving the mouth of the MISSISSIPPI
| pi returned a meager increase of bus1-
ness on the immense investment, while
| Galveston dug her harbor out Of the
sands for a commerce that came not.
| Pensacola's magnificent harbor fur
| nished refuge for only a few vessels
| seeking cargoeS of Southern pine.
| The commerce of the great waterways,
| the pets and hobbies Of ambitious
statesmen, shrank instead of swelled,
while the traffic went athwart them.
| But if the mountain would not come
| to Mahomet, then Mahomet must, per-
| force, go to the mountain. If produce
| would not go down the river in boats,
| then it must go down by rails. So,
| in time, the. great natural waterway
| was paralleled by the steel rails. Gal
| weston sent roads into the North, con-
converging in New Orleans tapped the
| country east of the river Now we are
| witnessing the contest of rail with rail-
| Corn and wheat and farm produce, at
| tracted by the cheaper rates of freight,
| are pouring into the Gulf ports over
| the new lines In quantities that are
surprising the old east and west lines,
and making them realize that a strug-
gle for the mastery is on with antag-
onists more resourceful and alert than
were the rivers. In fact, they are
about abandoning the fight and yield
| ing to the Gulf roads the carriage Of
the produce of their tributary coun-
! try. New Orleans rises to first place
as a grain exporting port Galveston
| crowds her hard. In the first six
months OF the year the exports Of corn
show an increase of 100000 bushels,
and of this New Orleans gets 11,000,-
600 and Galveston 5000, 900 bushels. A
million-bushel elevator is projected at
the former city It Is probable that
we are on the verge of a revolution in
the currents of traffic that, if it do
not restore to the rivers their natural
position as carriers, will substitute for
them the railways, and the surplus Of
the farms of the great interior valleys
will find its way to Europe through
the Gulf ports. Inevitably the return
freights will come the same way. The
only thing that can prevent 1t will be
material cheapening of freights by
! the Eastern lines.
THE BONDED DEBT.
| To the Editor Of the Globe
Will you kindly inform your readers: First