The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-03-21

pTONement Is spoken or IN the upper
Ohio valley. one minds eye centuries a
portrait OF the enterprIsing junior Sec
rotary OF the Pittsburgh Coal Exchange.
Captain ]. Frank Tilley. The captain
is man who would rather give you
yard on yard OF river Improvement ora
tory. than do almost anything else. AS
h!s friends well know, too, he can put
uD Il first class battle" At the request
Of the IntellIgencar. Captain Tllley has
contributed the following In his usual
vigorous style:
with reference to something about q
Free Monongahela" or ohio River
Improvements" the Biblical statement
There Is nothing new under the sum-"
applies with peculiar force. No one
doubts the necessity existing for free
Monongahela and no one doubts but
that the Ohio river needs q vast amount
of improvement to secure safe and con-
tlnuous navigation, or that the CON-
merce OF these rivers Justifies liberal ap-
propriations by the committee on rivers
and harbOrs, but these subjects have
been hashed and re.hashed until It is
impossible TO serve up dish that
smacks OF novelty, and yet the public
must be fed on this diet until 1t becomes
so strong that 1t cannot be resisted In Its
demands.
am glad to hear that the 1ntelllgen-
Ger is to make special effort TO educate
the people in this matter OF necessity OF
having free and improved waterways.
The idea OF toll gate, controlled by a
private corporation, erected across
national highway Of Interstate COM
merce, such as the Monongahela river
would be 1T for. Joking, were 1t not for
its great seriousness In that It threatens
to stife the life out OF an industry CIV
ing employment to thousands or per-
sons In mines, on steamboats, and in
offices, and furnishes warmth and COM
fort for millions OF people in the great
central valley OF this country.
These millions. sitting around their
comfortable fireSides, have hight TO get
their fuel as cheaply as 1t Is possible to
produce II and lay 1t in It's coalSheds,
yet II the consumer pays the tax" on
anything he uses. he certainly pays It
on this fuel which he uses. and It Is high
time the consumers OF coal understood
this and brought such pressure to bear
upon Congress as would secure free
Monongahela river and stop this direct
tax upon an article OF such common use
and SO necessary to the enjoyment and
comfort OF the rich and poor.
Apartment Inquiry.
Why has this tax. imposed by a pri-
vate corporation upon the commerce OF
the Ohio river. continued?
Mainly because the American people
are long suffering and party because
they are careless where small things are
concerned. but the time has passed
when fractions can be ignored, and our
continental dealings have reached such
enormous magnitude that very small
= .R.NR $40 a GkNT n
value, multiplied by 100000 or million,
becomes an important determining fac
tor In our trade relations. Although
the American people are long suffering
and q little careless, yet when they are
once aroused upon any subject they
speak out in no uncertain tones ana act
with such energy as TO oyerwhelm all
opposition and to secure the speedy en-
actment into law OF their settled convic-
lions. The difficulty lies in arous!ng
them.
1t Is safe to say that at no time In the
history OF this country has the subject
OF river improvements received the at
tentlon that Is now being given TO II.
Numerous conventions have been held
which have appointed permanent COM
mIttees to keep UP the agitation. The
commercial bodies OF almost every i'm
portant town or city on the banks OF the
Mississippi and Its numerous tributaries
have adopted resolutions calling Tor free
and improved rivers. What Is there
significant about this? Why, the Amer
lean people are becoming aroused.
When they are fully awake 10 the sttua-
ton and some OF the cobwebs OF indtf-
ference and ignorance OF things pertain
ing to navigation removed from their
eyes, let these cheese-parng statesmen
look out. II will take men OF Noad
gauge to meet the requirements then.
Grand schemes FOR river Improvements.
such as the one presented by our Grand
Old Man. will not be "irtdeseent
dreams" but will be practical Ideas
wrought into improvements that VIII DO
the greatest good to the greatest num-
ber The people will be, behind the
movement and Matthew Stanley Quay
will md many co-workers In securing
favorable legislation on matters per
tanning to the extension OF the interior,
Waterfront commerce OF the country.
II there were no Ohio river, would the
moor inhabItInG the section OF country
through which Il passes have coal 10
burn?" In tho first place. there
wouldn't be many poor. or rich either.
In that section OF the country. II there
was no river. The there explains the
presence OF the people. As some one has
said "Providence has kindly placed q
river alongside every great cityt" in the
second place, II the poor had TO pay the
freight rate that would obtain, In the
absence OF n river, they would have to
burn wood, or freeze, for the propensity
OF the average railroad to charge for
freight on portions OF Its road not par
alleled by a river is too well known TO
call for proof II Is one OF those things
which we take for granted. Our rivers
70 nd a caI l.
road freight rates. Let US guard these
national highways with q Jealous eye.
Who doubts that he subject OF river
improvements will become the most
popular of any brought to the auen-
lion OF the American people In the near
future? When we get through with
pensions and finances, what use VIII we
nave for our Legislators at Washing
ton? Why, they will have to meet 70
pass a river and harbor bill. and thae
will be the great question OF the day,
spend IL To the best advantage. No
money publicly expended, dare say,
brings back as much to all the people
as that which is expended In providing
free and improved rivers Tor all the
people, There Ia nothing selfish about
this. II Ia In line with the American
idea OF fair play. Talking about fair
play. IL Il fair play for the MononSahe!a
river to be in the clutches OF a private
corporation? Stick pin there.
How shall we educate the people on
these questions? Americans are great
readers. The newspaper men keep
their fingers on the pulse OF the worlds
progress. A few men are blazing
the way toward better facilities for
water transportation. The newspapers
will recognize these men as true apos-
ties OF pralseworthy movement and
we shall ind the, newspapers, as they