The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-09-30
BY HERBERT QUICK.

SOUNDS ana DdyS Dy UdTSe CHduHelS.
We now come to a greater back
water still-a ship channel from
the mouth of the gulf of st. Law
renee $500 miles to the gulf of
Mexico, past the lake cities, Chi
cago, ST. Louis, Memphis and
Vicksburg to New Orleans. The
route follows the ST. Lawrence
river, the projected Georgian Bay
ship canal, the lakes, the Chicago
drainage canal, the Illinois river
and the Mississippi.
Canada is preparing to built her
part of it, and unless we build ours,
Canada will absolutely control our
lake commerce, and the British
navy will command our defenseless
lake seaboard from Sacketts Har
Dor TO Duluth and Chicago.
l cite no authorities for this con
clusion. Common sense shows it to
be correct. But 7 could quote the
highest authorities, both American
and Canadian. When Canada owns
the only ship channel outlet from
the lakes we shall be at her mercy;
for the leverage of the difference
between the % foot channel
through Canada, with no transfers,
and the II foot or IA foot bargeway
via New Orleans or New York,
with two transfers in the one case
and one in the other will be against
us, and Will be sufficient to destroy
our commerce on the lakes. This
would be a national calamity, for
the power over us would be eX-
erted in favor of Canadian pro-
ducers and against us. 1t will come
unless we avert it. Can we do so?
We can; and to do so, We shall
have to do nothing which we
should not do in any case, for our
own good The way of safety and
duty is in the path of profit
Canada's entrance through the
st. Lawrence and the Georgian Bay
ship canal is the east door into the
continent. If it were the only door
we could not endure its ownership
by others. Trouble would surely
result But it is not the only door
We own the great south door; and
when Canada gets the east door
swinging on it's hinges, We must
be able to say to her: The south
door is open, too. Let's make the
whole hallway from Quebec to New
Orleans a free highway for both
nations! Our way out is as good
as yours. You may follow ours
when you go out to the Pacific via
| the Panama route; We'll use yours
when we go from the lakes to
Liverpool You scratch my back
and I'll scratch yours!"
l. What must be done to make our
south door equal to Canada'S east
door? VEL it must be a ship chan
mel like hers. She is said to con-
template a depth of % feet, to &C
commodate the deepest lake vessel.
| We must match it. We must be
able to bring into the lakes through
the south door vessels as big,
either merchantmen or warshipS
as can get in through the east door.
| Otherwise we are not safe.
! The Lakes-t to- the-Gulf Deep
Waterway association asks for IA
foot channel from Chicago to the
| gulf. They dare not ask congress
peeping at national needs through
legislative gtmlet holes, for any
more. But IA feet will not do. Ask
]. j. Hill. He will tell you that
nothing less than Is feet will dc
if the boats are to compete with
freight cars, and that Is feet is
twice as good. Every reader should
be able to see that nothing less
than % feet should be accepted.
Can it be done? 1t can. Any
good engineer will tell you that il
is feasible. Suppose it costs
$780, 100000. That is less than II
cents an acre for the Mississippi
valley and the basin of the great
lakes. the region benefited. Why
the one city of Chicago has spent
$55, 100000 in building SO miles o.
it for us. Can't this nation, to save
its commerce and its honor, put VI
two dollars to Chicago's one?
The Chicago people, under the
advice of the greatest engineers
made the drainage canal "a fee
deep. 1t cuts the only land tina
bars the great south door, 1t il
two feet deeper than the Canadian!
anticipate making their east door
because the engineers believed
that the Mississippi would event
ually be improved to "a feet. Thi
is engineering wisdom, not tn,
speculations Of a layman.
Let us suppose that we hav,
completed our south door and Can
ada her east door, and that we ar
making a trip the whole length O
the continental backwater
We enter through the ietties be
low New Orleans. The channel II
to the Crescent city is 80 feet dee
or more at low water. Thence t
the mouth of the Red orr % fee