The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-03-20

ITIITaCIICUUI0.
because it has been so far away from
the centres of commerce has received
less attention than any other portion of
this grand system. / dare say no portion
of this system is more important and
would require as small expenditures in
comparison W 18th beneficial results as this
ship canal Engineer Caffau placed it's
cost at $50, 100000, and he says: 1.-THE
Gulf OF Mexico has been named The
the proposed Florida ship canal has been
called the Highway of Nations Time
viii show that they are fully worthy of
these titles. Upon the completion cr the
Nicarauga canal q presume the same
statement applies as to the Panama ca
mad, the commerce of five continents HIll
canal, viz: BETWEEN Europe and the west
ern cost of North America Asia, China9
Japan ana Australia. and no other route
or canal VIII command and receive so
much foreign traffic, because in addition
TO the above there will be the commerce
between Europe and the Mexican gulf
ports, from which the products of the
southwestern, western and uOrthw est ern
states, and territories of the United States
also that of Mexico and central 4 nIerican
repuD!ican, VIII surely flow: more traf-
f1c Will pass through the Florida ship
canal than can eter he concentrated in
any other route in any nart of the world"
The estimates of thirty million tons
passing through this canal does not in
clude any. part of the enormous traffic
from Mexico. Nicaragua. Costa Rica nor
other countries having Mexican gulf ports
that will use the Panama canal a rea-
sonable and fair estimate of traffic he
SAYS, would mean an additional thirty
The United States possesses the long
est sea coast of any country in the
world. 1t has the greatest system of ma
tional inland waterways. We can easily
create artificial inland waterways second
to none. The canals of the United States
are about 5000 miles in length GAGS in
1S94)
Our domestic water commerce in 1880
was on the great lakes 53.424. 432 tons:
rivers the hiSSlSSinni va
20, 405,346 tons: on the Atlantic coast r.
7o5;o 900; on the Pacific coast SHIFTS tons
and on the canals 20,747, 1872 tons, MAX
ing an aggregate of 1S4,394. SCI tons. I
have not had time to obtain later figures.
The. vaule of the inland or domestic
traffic of the United States in 1891 was
two and one-half times as great as that
OF the ocean commerce of the whole
world. The amounts being fifty billion
lively. Our internal commerce increased
from 1895 to 1905 11S per cent. while
same period only 10 per cent. 1t is stated
that the traffic in the Detroit river ex-
ceeds our entire foreign commerce to-
daX. According to the state engineers
and surveyors the report Of 1898 page
q: "'Fhe canals of the state of New
York have paid into the treasury of the
state from tolls SIS, 7f2. 141.15 more than
their entire cost and maintenance" The
commercial values resulting from their
A vessel going from any Atlantic port
Omitted States or EurOpean) to a United
States gulf port and return, would save
about five hundred miles each way be-
sides avoiding the dangers of the Florida
straits Such a canal would bring pre-
eminently beneficial results to untold
millions of the present and future gem
erations. It would build up and develop
and enrich particularly the south and
west and advantage the whole country
as no other project can possibly do. The
markets are ready for the products of
these southern. southwestern and west
ern states What IS needed is provision
rParhino them and I1na rnlyz
as can be done through the inland wa
terways and this canal. Commerce
sistence. 1t is our duty to remove OBJ
stacles that interfere with it. 'Univer-
sal commerce is the progenitor and con-
servator of universal peace" Cost of
transportation is such an important fac
tor in the price of necessities of life that
it affects every household in the land.
words: The overcoming of the great
natural obstacle of the Florida PENN
shla; the avoiding of the dangers Of the
five hundred miles of the hot tropical
current of the gulf stream; the facilities
offered by the safe. short canal route
the cheap supplies of coal provision and
pure water. the unusually favorable con-
ditions available for cleaning. repairing,
the United States the best and safest
naval depot in the world; the reduction
OF transportation cost Of the chief prod
ucts of the country and The development
thereby of a vast section of our terri
tory cannot fail to make the proposed
canal project one of the most useful and
profitable national and internal enter
priseS at present known
It will cost something to perfect this
system but I submit we cannot begin
too soon and we ought not to go at it by
pieces. A complete national system of
intercoastal canals and circuit of water
ways ought to be determined upon and
constructed as "a DidIy as possible. A
transportation crisis is upon us. The I'M
developed resources of some fthe richest
-agatl
demH no Tor cheaper ana Quicker trans
portation must be anSwereh.& There is a
limit We must recognize to the carry
Ing power of the railroads.
The. government is giving to for
tifioafons. the army and the navy and
pensions an avera gN of $3.50. 1853 74S an
nuallv. over 40 per cent of the total ex-
penses To river and harbors an average
Of S23. 1921 or about three per cent Of
orr appropriation for commerce to some
think like seven per cent Of our eX-
penses. or $50. 10000 annually without
oFeT-reaching. The defensive interests of
the country shout dbe considered well
as the commercial in connection with
panse viii be large. the investment will
be wisely made. 1t surely viii be worth
while to see ships from Europe by way
leans. unloading freights in Chicago. the
western metropolis II surely is worth
while to afford transportation r. the
largest virgin pine timber belt in the
world. the finest cotton producing SEE
ton on the earth: the richest and most
offensive de0csits Of phosphate; the IN
developed fertile lands. the sugar. rice.
coal and iron. cotton. stone and marble
quarries-aH tributary to the gulf coast.
1t IS worth while to ena BILE Boston. New
York, Baltimore and Pittshurg to send
their ma nufaCtured articles bv ships TO
this wonderful country and have them
return with cotton. sugar. rice lumber,
naval stores. marble and the like, at one
seventh cost as now charged.
IT would he a great consumatinn to
have one mouth OF the Mississippi in the
Atlantic ocean on the east coast Of Flori-
d5.
II is worth while 70 take direct to the
western and southern farms the At
lantiC ocean with all it's ma rvelous ad-
Va nta gos Of transportation. ] was told
Tecentiv in TAMPA that the freight on a
cargo from Germany to Port Tampa was
no greater than from Port Tampa by rail
70 TamDa. about ten miles. and it was
not claimed that the railroad charges
were high. II is worth while to mui-
tiDlv a hundred fold the country-s re-
sources. II is worth while to add twenty
million miles to the coast line of the
nation.
Towards this work our people are turn
ing today with the enthusiasm that the
CrussdnT once turned his face toward
the Holy City.
1t Is the burning bush in our indian
Wilderness.
1t speaks to US even as the burning
bush which would not be consumed gave
IFS mesa se to Moses when its flames
Ieaped into his heart and filled hira with