Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-27

now next to nothing. That kind of
navigation is at war with this age. In
times past it was desirable, but there
is no comparison now with its desira-
bility at the time it was begun, for
now there are 100000 miles of railway
in the United States. Did you eyer
stop to consider the wonderful capa-
city of double-tracked railway of the
most improved character? There is
railway now, across the state of Hi
nois, recently improved until it's
grades are but twenty feet to the mile
and its curves but one degree. An en-
CINE will pull from the city of Burling-
ton to the city of Chicago 1,S00 tons
of live freight in ten hours time, at
total cost for power of merely moving
the freight of three cents ton for the
whole distance.
Better Have Helped Railroads.
"The cheapness with which an i'm
proved railway under the most favor
able conditions can now carry freight
is uncomfortable. In my judgment, if
the same expenditures had been made
in the Improvement of the railways of
the United States as have been vast
ed in the river and harbor bill, results
Infinitely more desirable could have
been secured. Freight rates on rivers,
Notwithstanding our expenditures, are
going up instead of down, while rail-
way rates are constantly on the de-
cline. When we began this system 35
or 81 years ago, railway freights were
three times higher in the United
States than they are today. River
freight is going up and railway freight
is going down. | remember in one or
the discussions here gentleman from
Missouri insisted that the improve
ments of the Missouri river was cor
receive and restraint upon the rail
way charges. We did not have before
us then the details which the chair
man of the committee has now given
us. What corrective influence was
there in this movement by river of
2lS,OO0 tons of sand a distance of two
miles upon railway freights in the
United States?
Congress Controls Naval Architecture
81 insist Mr.. Chairman that harbors,
when they have reached a reasonable
depth, when they have reached the
depth of thirty feet, should be content,
and the committees of congress and
congress itself, by its legislation
should so far control the naval archi.
lecture of the world
What says some gentleman, not
allow progress in ship building. Ger
tainly; but why not give our vessels a
little more beam and not quite so much
depth? Why not compel them to meet
present exigencies rather than force
the expenditure of hundreds of mil.
lions of dollars to meet the vagaries
of naval architects.
Coal Only Item.
There is not navigation upon any
of the rivers mentioned, excepting coal
and if you We're to add the portion that
the government pays in improvements
to the sum that the coal brings. it
could be transported in other ways
cheaper. We have an illustration of
one of these expenditures in the gen
| tlemans own state, | refer to the gen
tleman from Illinois, Mr.. Reeves. |
4 do not think it is in his district. the
| HenneDin canal. | am told we are
going to have the Hennepin canal in a
completed form after while. | do
not know whether it is to be in this
century or some other. We can con
sole ourselves. however, by the reflec.
ton that If We are never permitted to
travel upon it possibly our great, great
grandchildren will, and that it may be
in Gods providence worked out in
some manner to be beneficial to them,
Rises to Remark.
| Mr.. Reeves here interrupted to say:
Il merely want TO suggest that at the
time the gentleman voted for the Hen.
nepin canal | had not been honored
with seat in this body; that it was
a fixed fact before | came here, done
primarily in the interest of the far
mers of Iowa, that they might get their
| freightS to the lakes for cheap trans
portation.
Mr.. Hepburn replied as follows:
That is true; but | want to announce
now the melancholy fact that nearly
all the farmers of that day are dead;
but it is my understanding that the ca
nal is still incomplete and is drawing
annual appropriations from the treas
ury of the United States. | have nc
! doubt but that is to be an enduring
monument to the river and harbol
committee or the committee that
makes the appropriation: enduring
however, in the sense that appropria
lions are to be continued Indefinitely
An Instance.
MIR. Chairman, there is one other
matter that | want to scold about q
little, while am in the mood, and that
is the kindness of the committee il
regard to the new appropriations that
from time to time it makes. AS
have said, l think that but few of us
would cavil at the improvement Of
great harbors, those that already have
commerce or where there is prospec
tive need of improvement, not for the
accommodation of single man or O.
a single institution, bat in those local.
ties where multitudes have gathered
and where the trade of many is carried
on. have in mind an instance can
not vouch for all of its truth-where {
gentleman went to the city of the hon
ored chairman of the committee, seek
ing a site for some iron works. Dis
satisfied with the prices that he mus
pay for real estate, he went farther
along the lake to little village, &C
comodated by railway, and estab
lished himself there. and then blandl.