The herald., 1897-03-19

furnish ton of loading for a ship. An
acre of oranges win produce 300 to 500
boxes, or ten to fifteen tons Of freight.
1t costs rot to exceed 10 cents per bushel
to get Illinois wheat to Liverpool or
$3.50 per acre for the crop. 1t costs over
s400 for freight per acre to get our or
ange crop to market To get our wheat
to market costs an average of SIS per
ton from tide-water to Europe This is
nearly so cents per bushel, and to this
is to be added the cost of getting it from
the farm to tide-water by rail. The
time consumed in rounding Cape Horn
is an average of 1870 days, or third OF
year. Insurance for so long and
stormy a voyage adds another item TO
the cost of marketing our crops
With the Nicaragua canal open, the
time cost and risk of marketing our
crops would all be cut in two. II the
cost of marketing fruit by rail route be
compared it would be cut in three or
four. while the time would be some
what longer italian fruit is laid down
in New York by steamer for one-thiro
what it costs the Pacific coast producer.
BUT it is not the Pacific states alone
that are interested in the completion Oh
this interocean waterway One might
say they are not particularly interest
cd. as compared with other portions OF
the country. And here, perhaps, we
reach the milk in the nut of opposition
to the gigantic scheme. The locks at
the, cascades of the Columbia have JUS
been completed and are now open. This
makes that mighty stream navigable
to the Dalles, 200 miles from the sea
with another cut at the Dalles, this river
and its tributaries would furnish 100
miles of navigable inland waters.
So far no consideration of the great
central region of the United States has
been had in this article. The Missssip-
pi and its tributaries open up this re-
gion, which in territorial area, popula-
tion and wealth casts the seventeen At
lantic states in deep gloom of-shadow
Here are half the territory, population
and wealth of the union, penetrated by
the great Father of Waters and hisifam-
lily of streams, running from the gulf
of Mexico almost to the northern limits
of the country. stretching eastward in
Pennsylvania so far that the roar of
the Atlantic is almost heard at the head
waters of the Ohio, and branching north
westerly along the Missouri SO far that
a drop of rain is split in two on top OF
the Rocky mountains and one half runs
off by the Columbia into the Pacific.
while the other half finds it's way by
the Missouri and Mississippi into the
gulf of Mexico.
Let US get the Nicaragua canal open.
and with water communication we shaii
reach the utmost confines Of Alaska,
the head waters of the Columbia, the
whole west coast of North America, and
then on the other side all the Atlantic
coast and Europe, while the Mississippi
and its branches will again carry us
north to Canada, west to where we can
again look down on the Pacific water
shed, and east almost to the Atlantic
breakers. With the Chicago canal sys-
tenn completed so as to connect with the
Mississippi, and once more we reach the
great lakes and again secure water COM
munication with the whole northern
tier of states from Minnesota at Duluth
to New York at Buffalo, and all Eastern
Canada by the st. Lawrence.
Here is the real the only, solution of
the vexed question of railroad monop-
oily. No power can monopolize the broad
expanse of the oceans, the mighty sweep
of the Columbia, the far-reaching arms
of the Mississippi, and the great inland
seas, the chain of magnificent lakes.
Naturerhas endowed times nobest Off
spring" as Bishop Berkeley has named
our great country, with many rich bles-
sings. None of them outweigh in value
or Importance of any kind these mighty
rivers and oceanlike bodies of inland
waters, the lakes With these water
ways open, and connected by the Mica
ragua canal, railroad monopoly is i'm
possible Hardly more than 100 miles
square of territory can be found which
these means of communication do not
reach. Where they end many compet-
ing lines of road ramify, making COM
bines impossible.
Mr.. Cleveland's commission says the
canal will cost slS5, ,OOO, ,O0O Mr.. Menocal,
a civil engineer in the United States
navy, says s70,0O0,O00 will do the work.
Putting the cos. at the extreme figure
of the late Presidents commission, what
does it amount TO? The California leg
islature could get away with big slice
of it in supernumeraries' salaries and
roller-top desks for committee rooms
Seriously, the cost is a-matter of small
moment TO country like ours. The city
of Chicago, with that admira BILE enter
prise and unparalleled pluck which have
made her the great city she is, at this
time is planning a canal" really an
outfail sewer, which will cost s45 600 900