The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-17

was made of Bear Creek in the north- west corner of the State. with a view to connecting the Tennessee and Ala bama systems by aNcanal that should open into the upper portion of the Tombigbee river. It has been said in the writer's hearing that bias in the Chattanooga offlce of the engineering force led to condemnation of the plan. But candor would compel any student of that and later surveys of integral portions of the scheme to confess that the difficulties were too great for the end sought at that time. Bear Creek itself. was later surveyed for individ- ual improvement and reported as swift and narrow and subject to extraoraf- nary oscillations of water level. Then also independent surveys, managed from Mobile. of the upper portions of the Tombigbee showed 1t to have 8 very narrow bed and no recommenda- tions were ever made for its permanent improvement.
 There is chimericai talk of a canal starting somewhere about Guntersvifle and striking boldly southwest to the Warrior by way of the Birmiffgh am district. not by lock system, but by deep cuts almost rivalling the Culebra in daring.
 It is nnwise for any man to say that seemingly impossible thing is im-
 
 ly happening. But in relation to the connection between the two systems, it Is almost safe to predict that nothing whatever will be donsNfor years in such direction, or shouldn't ever be, the connection by Bear Creek is more than likely to precede the others. not to re- fieve Tennessee traffic, but to provide a way from the Ohio. up the Tennessee. and down the Tombigbee to the Gulf. But that is wholly problematical for reasons that apply to it as well as to the other schemes. The first of these is that granting a canal is cut to Gads den from Guntersville, it provides no outlet for Tennessee products as the link between Lock 4 and Wetnmpka is totally missing and unprovided for. In the second place Gadsden could nat ship advantageously north: as 1t would simply be sending to Chattanooga Rthe same class of minerals that Chatta. nooga already possesses.
 The same reasoning would hold in relation to canal from the Tennessee to Birmingham. That city needs no raw products from the State of Ten- nessee. It has all that 1t can use, even with extravagance, In many decades. The third reason Is that Alabama re- quires no outlets northward. The trend of things is southward, and the world mastery by coal and iron and 10000 products of their combined pow CTS is to be achieved around the Gulf and across the Gulf through the Pan- anna Canal to the yet unconquered and inexhaustible Pacific Ocean of com merce. atF ,5+35 F
 Alabama is placed at tremendous advantage fin relation to this world conquest and it's very energy and thought should be turned to bringing about internal equalization that with every mile gained brings nearer the day when it's coal and iron and cement can reach the waiting world. To Ala bama has been given vast advantage but as with a pampered child, looking for something different, it is looking northward for some unrealfzed good while it is the full measure of good that it needs.
 Every man who lives Alabama and knows how great she can be. is needed at the Birmingham Convention to stand in the way of little clamorous talk