The age-herald., 1900-12-23

supremacy in the manufacturing world. The large expenditures by Canada on her waterways the intention of the Emperor of Germany to make navigable every river in his empire; Russla's vast projects for connecting the Black and the Baltic seas; Pittsburg's urgent demands for a free wa terway to the Lakes; the wonderful canal of Chicago, now merely doing duty as a sewer the greater ship canal through which will some day pass ocean steamers up through the Hudson into the Lakes and lash their hawsers to the piers at Duluth; and lastly, the grandest, greatest of all, our isthmian canal built and controlled by Americans, all prove the fallacy of such unthoughtful statements that "the use of inland waterways is thing of the past"
 Permit me, even at the risk of being a lit- tie tedious, to present in further confirma- tion the direct benefits to one single State from the constructions of canals The New York World of March 14 1900, contains cer- tain facts and statements furnished by John D. Herman. perhaps New Yorks greatest expert on questions of transporta- ton, which furnish food for thought and action. In an address delivered at Utica he uses the following language: What the canals have done in the way of creating wealth Is shown by the fact that the canal counties have over 80 per cent. of the States population and over 90 per cent. of its wealth. Up to the time when it was made free, the Erie canal had paid into the State treasury the whole of its original cost, the whole cost of it's maintenance and a clear profit of $42,599.71S. Even charging to it all that has been spent upon it, in- cluding the $7, 100000 squandered under AL dridge there remains to that canals credit in the State treasury books the handy sum of $20 000, 000" To these statements the World editorially adds: "This summary gives the very least of the services rendered by the canals. They have paid $S6O, 900 in freights to New York boatmen. They have built up cities towns and villages. They have created factories and multiplied employment for men. They have created wealth in incalculable sums, and they have maintained the commercial supremacy or the State and city. Let us make our grate- full acknowledgements to the canals and provide for their improvement"
 MT. Albert Fink, undoubtedly one Of the most trusted authorities upon the question of railroad transportation, stated that the railroads of New York State could afford to maintain and keep open at their own cost the Erie canal on account of its being such a regulator of freight rates"
 In an address delivered in 1898 at Tusca- loosa, Ala, Gen. Joe Wheeler, in speaking of this Warrior river canal and the impor- tance of opening up the Birmingham dis trict to tidewater, used the following lan- guage:
 '"To give some idea of the capacity of wa Ter IrdnSDOTtaJlOn, WOULD CdH dIlCheiOh to the fact that while the Erie canal in 1S97 was delivering 37, 900 bushels of grain in New York all he railroads which csntered there, including the four-tra cked Central, were delivering only 5000, 900 bushels. What stupendous fact is thatF'
 MT Ripley who made the survey for this waterway to Birmingham, officially states after investigation that "the coal transpor- tation from Pittsburg to New Orleans (three times the distance from Birmingham to New Orleans) 'by river is remunsratlYe at one-third of a mill per ton per mile In face of such facts, let any man, therefore, who values his reputation as thinker or as one who looks broadly and closely at things, beware how he either ignores or scoffs at Gods gifts of waterways to His people and of their real place and value In the development of eaFths resources and the betterment of humanity.
 If this be true of waterways in general of what value, therefore, would the open ing up of the heart of the coal and iron fields of Alabama be to America! Permit me to answer this question by stating that last year Senator Morgan of Alabama, Tn speaking of this proposed waterway, used the following language: "l regard the open ing up of the heart of the coal and iron fields of Alabama to tidewater at all gulf ports by means of free water transporta- tion of such vast importance to our whole country that place it second only In us national importance to the Nicaragua ca nal In fact, I practically regard this Wa terway to Birmingham as the upper arm of the Nicaragua canal I venture the as sertion that when these two things have been done by America that the results Will prove my statements"
 These words gentlemen, are statesinan- like and American, comprehensive Tn their grasp and far-sighted in their vision In presenting the claims of this Birmingham waterway to many men prominent In the financial, manufacturing and commerciai world I have invariably met the same views entertained by the distinguished Sem ator from Alabama. I feel fully justified after many such interviews in saying that they regard it as wise to so handle Ameri- ca's resources and energies as to prevent. as far as possible our different industrial centers from coming into injurious compe- tition with each other. They believe that there Is a point up to which reasonable competition quickens and benefits people, but that senseless and needless competi- ton injures It lowers wages, ln1uras cac- ital makes men diseontented, and in gen eral wastes the energies and res 'urces Of a people. They believe that the markets of the world are wide and profitable, anc that Alabama coal and iron should have an out let by a free waterway, open oll the year around never obstructed by ice, to rorts like Mobile New Orleans, Pensacola, Gal
 
 could take shipping for foreign markets. No other iron and coal district on the known globe lies so near the sea as does this Alabama district Its natural outlet, therefore, is down Valley and Warrior riv- CTS and out to the sea.
 MT James Bowron, first vice president and treasurer of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, is properly consid- cred an authority as to how America would be ben fted by thus opening up this dis , trict Tn an open letter to the New Orleans Times-Democrat in August, 1899, he ex- pressed himself to the effect that only by and through this waterway could the Ala bama district properly attain the position that was naturally due it. He says that although now transported by rail- Ala bama coal is carried 275 miles and placed alongside steamers at Mobile or Pensacola ton for ton and quality for quality, dollar for dollar, against English steam coal put on board ship at the various ports in the north of England, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Sun darland atc and this being the case, 1t Is