El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-30
TpANsCONTINENTAL AIR LINE.
Recommended by General Long
street In his Annual Report.

In his annual report Railroad Com
missioner Longstreet recommends the
construction by the government OF an
airline across the continent. The report
has created considerable discussion.
In it ne says;
The annexation OF the Hawaiian Is
lsnds-the possible, probable control
of the Philippine au6 Ladrone Islands
must open up new trade relations OF
such growing proportions With them
rs to 80 materially increase the busi-
ness Of ali the bond-si1ed roads as TO
be we'll within the scope of rea-
SON 20 autic pate their ability at an
early date, 10 pay PRINCIPAL and inter-
est OF their debt TO the United States.
These new eastern possessions, with
Cuba aud Porto REQ, producing OPT
cal prod ucts-our annual demand Tor
which is to the extent of S225 900, 600,
about one third of our eutire Imports
will in few years be entirely furnish
I'D from these new possessions and our
own products taken in exchange, while
now our exports to these islands, be-
lieye, do not exceed SIS 10000 annual
ly.
Heretofore under former sway every
effort has been made to discourage
business intercourse with Americans.
Under the new order of things in these
islands every effort will be made to en-
courage trade with US, and when the
population is doubled in mum bers and
Increased ten times IN ability to pro-
duce and consume which Is not I'm I'M
reasonable anticipation, what, then
will Iour trade amount to. II Is
Almcs, impossible TO imagine. Less
than 100000 British colonists
In Australasia exchange products
10 the amount OF $3.50, 600, 900 annually.
Ii Is only reasonable TO suppose that In
n, few years the trade with our new
possessions will fully equal, If 1t will
not surpsss, all this, of which the
United STATES must and will control
the bulk. Furthermore, the vast
volumes OF wheat and other cereals
which now find their way from the
middle Western grains prairies to
Asia and other countries of the West
ern hemisphere via the Atlantic sea-
cOr.s. will, ia a very few years, reach
these same destinations via Pacific
s.xpcrts, and with this changed condi-
siou Will come vastly increased ton
mage and revenues TO II the trsnscon-
sinental lines.
The diversion OF bhis very traffic on
this idea is nov receiving the careful
attention and GOES derAtion of the
legislative and III iuag!rg officials OF
some CT the lea liug lines between Chi
oago, st. Louis, st. Paul, aud other
middle western grain centers AID the
Pacific slope, and therefore 1t seems to
me the interest the United States oss
in bond-side railroads, and especially
in the Central Pacific, should not be
scaled but that we have every reason
TO look for payment OF dollar for dollar,
principal and interest, loaned or ad-
vanced by the government originally
TO these corportious.
Itmay be timely just now to suggest
that the government construct and
operate a frst-class doubl9-track road
from Kansas CITY 10 San Diego, by air
line route. This will open the shortest
line, measured by the mao, from Bos-
soc. New York and Pr a1elphia to the
Pscti c1as., along an near the coal
fields II .ne East aud the West of this
SIDE o. she ko.sies, aud making the
di st j. e from the commercial CEN
ters - The Sl1dvicS Islands and the
Phil inns.
This it'll other lines now working
overhaul, may prove ample for the
wants of commerce of the Pacific coast
and the Oc'elt. holding trade and
travel within our borders pending the
experiment OF u canal through the
isthmus. An overland route from
Vera Cruz, Mexico, TO Acapulco, now
approaching completion, may be an i'm
portant adjunct TO our own overland
routes as commerce increases. The
home I'D vantsges o. an overland line
by the government will be 10 draw the
people nearer toy Their in interests
and sympathies, and will serve them
rs a safeguard against the monopoly of
corporations. AS trade increases it
may develop the i'm 1ortance of direct
and similar line to Seattle, Wash.
St. Louis is little south of the d.
rect line between New York and San
Diego, but the typographical features
OF the country indicate that possibly q
better route may be found from that
point. aud the bridge over the Mississi-
ppi River at St Louis may prove an i'm
portant consideration, A survey there
fora, by dicact lines should be made
from cach of these points"