The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-05
THE INTERCONrINENTAL RAIL
moan
RAIL

ROAD.
There has recently been published the re-
port Of the Insercocuusrtsl Railway Com
mission, iu seven volumes. TIE produo-
lion % this report has cost the United
States government about SSoeono The
government has only the report. ana the
commission. 20 show for ats expenditure:
aud il Win prohaeiy never have anything
else.
The scheme OF q great trunk line from
Chicago 20 Buenos Ayres. on which one
might make a continuous "trip between the
TWO cities in Pullman car. was one OF
the slitterins specialties Of the ''reci-
procity with Spanish-America" boom un-
der the late James G. Blaine. The prom
ise Of the boom was that we-that is, the
United States-should cultivate the very
closest relations with our Central and
South American neighbors, and grow rich
as a consequence. The Intercontinental
Railroad was to give quick communion
lion between the two continents. so that
the people of the far South would come
up and spend their money with us" The
building of the thousands of miles of rail
road necessary 10 connecting the two geo
graphical grand divisions would cost some
millions OF dollars; but, 10 paraphrase a
well-known quotation OF practical poll
tics, what are a few hundreds OF millions
among friends? The government could be
made to pay the cost, and that was all
that would be necessary.
The report of the commission estimates
that it would cost $l75.OO0,OOo to build the
connecting lines that would be necessary
to complete the proposed Interconunental
Railroad. Where would these links have
to be built? All south of the Mexican
border; that IS. on foreign territory. And
who would pay for the construction; would
the foreign states within whose territory
the lines were built pay each for its
own mileage? That may be conjectured
from the fact that the United States have
paid five-sxths of the cost of all of the
preliminary work, while the remaining
one-sixth has been divided among seven
other countries, and the further fact that
the proposed new construction would give
each of the southern countries from to
mercial needs of the country itself have
thus far seemed TO demand or the energy
of its people has been prepared to supply.
There is not much ground for question
ing that If the Intercontinental road were
built, this government would have to build
it, expanding it's money in territory that
is outside of it's control. And not only
would the United States have TO draw
upon the public treasury for the fund for
construction, but for maintenance also.
The section TO be traversed is sparsely
settled and unproductiye; besides our
Southern friends produce very little, If
anything, which we need that could not
with equal advantage and much less cost
be sent by ocean freight. The road would
be compelled to depend upon its passen-
ger business for it's earnings Would it
carry passengers enough 70 earn the in
terest on S175, 900. 900 or more? The question
| almost answers itself, in the negative.
This government has had enough expe-
rienee in the building of the Pacific rail-
roads to teach 1t a lesson; but the Pacific
railroads were within our own territory,
and there was a political if not com
mercial reason for their construction, both
of which are lacking in the case of the
Intercontinental scheme. 1t seems to US
money in this chlmerical enterprise, and
that it ought not to throw any more good
money after bad.