The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-27
HOUSE DISCUSSES
 LAKE ERIE CANAL Is To Extend from PittSburg to
 AShatabuIa COST NEARLY S40,000,000 Mir. Williams Contends No Benefit Will Come to Rates Unless Proposed
 Canal Is a Free
 Waterway.
COST NEARLY S4O,O0O,OOO

Washington, February 26.-The death of former Speaker David B. Henderson was the subject of appropriate action in the House of Representatives when, after the transaction of less than days business, resolutions ofo regret and esteem were adopted, and adjournment taken as a fur ther mark of respect
 Several bills relating to the District of Columbia were passed, one incorporating the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
 During the consideration of district leg islation MT. Sims of Tennessee made a severe arraignment of the form of the district government. It was unAmeriean nnrepublican and undemocratic. He ad- vocated suffrage for residents of the dis trict.
 After brief opposition by Mir Shackel- ford of Missouri. a bill was passed giv- ing national charter to the National Society Sons of the American Revolu- tion.
 The Dalzell bill to incorporate the Lake Erie and Ohio Ship Canal company was taken up for consideration. Debate on liiI Dlil W dS iAiihbSb u wv AioaAS 4'AA . Davidson of Wisconsin, chairman of the committee on railways and canal, ex- Nplained the bill The canal he said, would cost between $35, 100000 and $40000,0OO. It would extend from Pittsburg to Ash tabula, O., on Lake Erie, distance of 100 miles. Forty-six miles from Pittsburg, the Ohio and Beaver rivers would be chan nelized. Thirty-one miles would be over the table lands between the Ohio river and the lake. On this table land lake eight miles long was to be created.
 This stretch of thirty-one miles, he said was 327 feet above the level of the lake It will require thirty-three locks with a 20-foot lift, and 34 feet in length. The capitalization had been fixed at S600,0 900 a mile, total of $6O,OOO,O GOO.
 Could Compete With Railroads.
 MT. Davidson said there were annually 5O.OOOO GOO tons of freight consisting of iron ore and coal going from the lakes to Pittsburg for which traffic this canal could compete with the railroads.
 After fifty years the canal could be purchased by the government. When MT. Davidson regretted the government could no7 buy the canal at once for the req son that the policy of Congress with
  ed slow, Mir Sherly of Kentucky asked why 1t was that in the past four years $400 0000,000 had been spent on the navy, more than has been spent on the rivers and harbors during the entire history of the government?'
 MT. Davidson replied that he could not answer.
 While he was a member of the rivers and harbors committee, he was regarded inc 0n af
 Suppose this canal is turned over to the Pennsylvania railroad company, where then is the competition?" asked MT. Cooper of Wisconsin.
 "The only opposition that has been made before the committee, has come from those roads, and I don't believe for one moment that the Pennsylvania railroad will eyer get control of this property replied MT. Davidson.
 MT Williams of Mississippi took the position that no benefit to freight rates would come unless the canal was free water way.
 A speech in favor of an annual appro- priation of 000.000 for river and harbor Improvements was made by MT. Ransdell of Louisiana, who favored the bill as a measure in the interest of commerce. He said that the rivers and harbors of the country had received but per cent of the national expenditures
 Opposition to the bill on constitutional grounds was made by MT. Henry of Tex as. Such a charter should be secured, he said, from the state legislatures. MT. Henry did not oppose such a canal if 1t should be built and controlled by the government.
 In closing the debate for the opposition Mir Williams of Mississippi said the char ter of this canal could be sold for from s4000,000 to s5.00O,000 and while he could not approve it. "I suspect in my heart that it has been already turned over to the Pennsylvania railroad. or to some other great railroad interest,"
 "I desire to say" continued Mir. W.T. Hams. "that there is not a man on the other side of this chamber dndicatng the republican side) who thinks there can be organized in the district of my friend. Mi Dalzeli. a corporation to carry on busi- ness for purely philanthropic and altruis- tic purposes. Whenever Plttsburg does anything for nothing. just let me know about it bright and early in the morning."
 Resolution for Henderson.
 Mr DalZell closed the debate for the