The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-12-02
THE AND O. CANAL.

John Perry Walker, retired officer
of the United States Army, in two
communications to "The Sun" opposes
the sale of the States interest in the
Chesa peake and Ohio canal. "Let
Maryland" be says. mot sell the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal, but com.
plete it, as Washington planned it, to
the Ohio, and let its terminus be Bal
timore instead OF Washington; then
cut a canal to the best and nearest
point on Delaware bay and strike thus
directly for the trade of the world. !"
Captain Walker is Of opinion that the
day of canals has not passed, but that
they should be maintained TO restrain
high rates on the railroads. In this
opinion he may be entirely right, and
probably is. New York owes her
commercial supremacy largely to the
Erie canal. That canal, except when
it is frozen over, will protect the grain
trade of New York from the advance
in railroad freight rates on wheat and
corn which is to go into effect in few
days. The State, in order to get the
best results from the Erie canal, has
just decided to expend SOL 100000
in deepening it so that larger vessels
can pass through.
But there is no kind of comparison
between the Chesapeake and Ohio and
the Erie canal possible. The latter
leads by short route direct from the
Lakes to the Hudson river, and it is
the property Of the State.
The Chesapeake and Ohio canal
was built mainly TO develop the coal
region of Maryland. II does not ap-
proach within ten miles of the coal
mine, and the other end lies outside
the State and not accessible to med
ern GOLFERS which could distribute the
ccal it brings. 1t requires a half dcz-
en- mules and four or FIVE men to trans
port by canal 100 tons of coal from
Cumberland to Georgetown in three
DAYS. What will the canal be worth
with railroad on each side of it upon
which half dozen men and one loco
motive can transport nearly 2 500 tons
from Cumberland to Baltimore in 20
hours? The dead body of the canal
has for many years been regarded as
valuable for the purpose Of railroad
construction. With the completion
of the Western Maryland to Cumber-
land that value, if not destroyed, will
be greatly impaired, for it Is not at
all lik ely IL at there will be any de-
mand for three parallel roads down
the valley of the Potomac within
stones throw Of each other. The
question for the Board of Public
Works to decide next Thursday is
whether it will not be best for the
State to realize what it can from the
wreck of this once great work while
there is demand for it. If, after
buying the States interests, the pur-
chaser should be able to acquire the
ether along with actual possession and
then build road on the towpath from
Williamsport to Washington it would
be new line of some IS miles in
length through a beautiful part of
Maryland, much Of which is wanting
in railroad facilities and the construc-
tion Of which would greatly add to
the taxable basis OF the State.
1t must be remembered that the
State does not own the canal. AsI
far as the State Treasury is concerned,
it is as valueless and unproductive az
a last years bird nest. The State is,
indeed, the majority stakeholder, but
it has had no voice in controlling the
property for fifteen years, and as long
as the Court of Appeals continues to
decide as it has been deciding, Mary
land cannot get control of the proper
ty of which it is nominally the chief
owner and upon which it has lavished
millions. In the meantime it is in the
position of second mortgage with
no power to foreclose ard of the hope
less holder of unproductive stock.
1t is probable that Captain Walker
) in error as to Washington's design.
1t was not to make canal through
or under the Alleganies to the Ohio.
1t was to make the Potomac river
up to Fort Cumberland, to
make tributary of the Ohio naviga-
lie and then connect the two by means
# "protage," or good road. 1t
night be magnificent scheme to con-
Iect the Ohio river and the Chesa-
'eake bay according to the dream Of
be canal convention at Washington ,
D 1928. But it is most improbable :
~. ,,v;,,.,o mn pstol ~onlH anoono in