The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-01-16

r,mcago our Texas boat can prosnea -
nutn' west OF Lake Superior. and bcnrs
s.e "noie way to Quebec, even to the roa.,
~ Eaoraoor via st. Mary's canal. one n,ils
s non seventeen feet deep, which cnst 81 :
o 49, the Welland canal which COST s,5
$1,000, and the I.achune canal: or the
wn nc ieNas steamboat can proceed TO New
sa vaM wa the Erie canal. IS: miles long.
70 rise and fan sSsis feet. which cost $50 !.
oVv,Vo and the Hudson river.
Much less than these stunepdors "A
vantases. all ready for us. ought to make
us anxious indeed. to ditch In low and soft
SUI our forty miles Of coastwlse canal.
90 niuch for our connection with the
nortnern part OF this continent. LIE, us
nov start our steamboat again from Hous.
III ,Vm anu reach the coast via She BRACES
s, ,eu. II only fifteen or twenty miles OF
otner side of our Texas coast we couhi
,9aen brownsville, he coal fields Of the
no Grande and Matamorcs In Mexico
inhabited by 100000 people. But the
coast or Mexico is Just as we'll adantel to
coastwise canal as ours, and when I
was there last was informed that the
Mexican government is contemplating n
NE, N IMPROVEMENT. This would connect
nia'anioros with Tampico and Tuxpan.
es>b~hh VIC N4NtT " marco Is nl-
ready pavigable TO point only some $50
miles from the great City of Mexico. To-
Gated some 1900 feet above sea level
only when We come to this last fact cnn
we nave complete conception OF tho
enormous system of continuous inland
navigation. the perfecting OF which rests.
as y were. on our fifty-iye miles OF coast
can but feel that We are in a measure
sesponsinle in Texas for the putting Of the
nnishing touch 10 that system which will
cover this whole continent west Of The
rockies. On us. 1t seems TO me. rest s. the
uuty OF opening this easy and relatively
costless connection by inland waterways
from the frlgid zone of this hemisphere
through the temperate in Texas aud far
into tho tropical through the Louisiana.
Texas and Mexican coast canal with the
grand harhor of the acurlshing city of
Houston standing between.
1t has been demonstrated time and again
In Europe that waterways are the n ost
ef[ectual factors to prevent the rentraliza-
tton of industries and consequently of
capital.
Since there they arc the means 20 over
come this tendency which We. of tie South.
nave already so many reasons to admit,
let us employ here the same means. Hence
when we have waterways at our disposal
to develop our own resources at home and
prevent to that extent this regrettable
Capitalization which is being effected,
away from us. every day to our greater and
moro lasting detriment.
When the people Of Texas have become
fully conyersaut with these facts, so soon
as they see what little remains for them
to do TO accomplish these results which
Will open I'D their many avenues TO pros
ncrlfN. they Will n0StnDrn a
talk about other matters They will 20
10 work and never rest until their rivers
aud coast canals free them from the ac-
tual monopoly of freighters throughout our
State. It is satisfactory to reflect, however
that the more waterways we secure the
more local freight will be furnished to
railroads. Let us have waterways TO de-
velop industry and railroads to develop
commerce Texas can not expect to be an
exception TO this general rule. Respect
fully, Paul Giraud.
Dallas JANUARY -, 1898