The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-12-31
THE PROPOSED INTER {
STATE GRAIN CANAL. {
, . Q . . . . Q . . . . 9 . . . :
nN W.

Dy Wac
D. " Blaine who is nothing more
nor less than a common. ordinary hu.
man re,ne although with . rhepomeu
sI mind some few years since evoiv-
cd the idea Of constructing a canal
from ihc Dakotts through Neorasra
Kansas. c,dahomo indian territory
and Texas to che Gulf Of Mexico Lat
tie VAS thought Of the proposition
when it was hesitatingly advanced
before a crowd Of loafers at coup.
try store by It's originator out the mat
ter sufficiently, aired m the local
press IN Kansas. Mr. Blaine's hon,
BY way of r'dicule and vi,uperation.
so0n become To be talked OF almost
as is Il were some paramount issue.
Since TINT tine scientific research
which IS ever alest with greedy manip-
nlators and thirsty minds prohed into
the proposition and today the inter
state grain canal plan has support
ers and influential friends in every
state and territory ,hroush which the
route is suggested and it has com.
mentNtors throughout The whole coun.
try.
The first question that instnctivcly
springs ur in the brain of the inahis-
tive one IS why should such water
way be made2 Put wnen the situs-
tion is Thoroughly compsehended the
idea at once passes from tho ocean Of
fallacy and hounds forth brilliantly
on a plain sea OF logic. The country
in which this canal is proposed to be
constructed is the greatest wheat be-
in the world Every year millions
upon millions Of bushels Of grain are
shipped from this portion of the TINT
ed States and no small porportion Of
this rast un0SIt Is sent to foreicn
countries
Then. the first and foremost point
IA favor Of the constructor Of the
canal seems to he that it world furnish
a medium for the transportation Of ;hs.
grain production Of the west to a sea
port market apd here is the nucleus
10 the story and The pith OF the argu
ment for the canal.
The transmriation latc question is
one that hls occupied more or less
conspicuous position before the peo
pie Of tie yesi for The last twenty
years. During all these years tn
country has had dro,nhs reform and
political movenants and. at divers
times. labor panics Ard yet the
states west OF the Mississippi river are
accredited With having produced Will
in these years cne.htih Of the wheai
raised in the United States
Chief among the things that have
led up to the proposition Of an inter
state grain canal is the enrrTous
transportation ratio which. beyond
doubt IS Dccasioned by the c)mbina-
ilon Of The railroads. Foi a lorg timo
legislatures have been coercel INTO
submission tc the schemes Of The rail.
road companies and the peorie have
been placed into an oppressed status
in that hey could effec, TO innoya-
tion with tho ,seisht OF trusts upon
iheir shoulders. 70 solve his problem
under existing conditions, II seems
that there Is no other course than TO
construo. canal through the great
wheat belt q the vest
AZ present fully cne-'hird OF the
value o. the wheat crop has to be
PAID out for its transportation to mar
ket. Figuring from Pratt lSas fair
estimate OF the rates is attasnable
From this point TO Gai. eslon. a DIS
tance OF SEQ miles the rate is 2E cent
per hundred. or ahovt Is cents pee
bushel TO st l,Mis, distance OF
less than COO miles, it is 80 cents per
hundred or fraction more nan /
cents per bushel 70 Chicago wh.oh
Is 500 miles tie rate is 90 cents per
hundred or Is vents per bushel, and
90 New York. a distance Of 1890 miles
ihe rate Is % cents per hushel. These
rates are exemplary OF the average
schedule Of tariffs throughout the
wheat belt. which is demonstrauye oil
the faot that, after the transpo rtatioa
IS subtracTed, there IS scarcely any.
thing LETT for the producer. Tn farm
er and shipper Of the west consider