The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-26
ROOSEVELT ARGUES FOR CANALS
As Means to Control Railway Rates
and Prevent Discrimination

| Albany, n. Y, Jan. Ex-Governor Roose-
velt, in transmitting to the legislature
| today the report ofthe New York Com
merce Commission appointed in 1898, and
the canal commission, directs especial at
tention to the way in. which the railroads.
and particularly the railroads of this
| state, discriminate against the city of
/ New York in the interest OF competing
/ ports The commission shows that the
differential agreement is made so as TO
| overcome the advantage which New
York would have under natural condi-
| tions as the cheapest route to foreign
markets for the products of the west, and
comments with especial severity upon the
New York railroads which have received
benefits from the state and yet partici-
pate in the discrimination, to the serious
injury OF New York.
THE commission" Governor Roosevelt
says in the message accompanying the
report, discovered that the question of
the canal was really the central ques-
ton around which hinged all others con-
cerned with benefting the commercial
development of New York or arresttng
the decline of this development. This is
immense Importance OF the canal and
the extreme unwisdom OF abandoning it
as an outworn institution. The commits
sion makes eight recommendations - to
legislative action. AS to seven of these
there can be no question, in my opinion.
Proper terminal facilities should be imme-
diately provided, as the commission out
lines. The act regulating the fees and
charges for elevators should be amend
ed The act limiting corporations de-
signed to navigate the canals TO a capt.
tai stock of $4,000 should be repealed"
The governor also directs attention to
that portion of the committees report
which treats of European canals. 1T
appears from this the message says,
that in the most highly developed por
lions of Europe there has been an i'm
mense positive and relative increase in
the. canal systems and in the traffic
upon them; so that the experience of
Germany, Russia, France, Belgium and,
in short, all the great industrial commu-
mites where canal work is possible Is that
it is desirable AMI profitable to keep up
the development of the canals as fast as
the railways are developed
at is alleged. however. that. owing to
Americas advanced position in the equip
ment and management Of her railways
as compared with Europe the problem
here is different, the canals being hope
lessly at a disadvantage, it being al
legged specifically that the railroads COM
petlng with the canals can now carry
freight so cheaply that under the cir
cumstances it would not pay to trans
port it along an artificial y waterway
through this state. This subject the COM
mission discusses at length. They come
to the conclusion, and fortify 1t by arti-
cles which are seemingly irrefutable
that If the canals are modified to meet
the requirements of the business of to-
day, freight can be transported upon It
for about one-third of the cost by rail,
and that so far as human foresight can
look into the future this result can be
guaranteed for at least a generation. If
the facts thus set forth are true. and
seemingly they cannot be successfully
controverted, it is a matter of vital i'm
portance 70 our state and to New York
City, Buffalo and the great cities be-
tween them, that the canals should be
put upon a really satisfactory working
n cic