The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-12-12

which 5 cents represents the freight
from shipping point to Pensacola, and
ten cents from Pensacola to destina-
ton in Europe. In many cases, the
railroad freights from points a few
hundred miles away from ports are
quite as high as the ocean freights OF
thousands of miles.
There are nearly 5000 miles of coast
line in the South Atlantic and Gulf
states. Eight hundred miles on the At
Iantic and 1900 miles on the Pacific
OF the $4,000 miles of navigable rivers
in the United States, about $4,000 miles
are in the southern states.
In addition to this the great Appa-
lachian system, with storage basins
to hold the excessive rainfall can fur
nish ten million horse power available
for the service of man every moment,
day and night, now and to the crack
of doom, and this power can be trans
mitted $50 miles from it's source, af-
fording manufacturing area around
that mountain region unequaled in the
world. It may be interesting to know
what that portion of the country where
the greatest sea coast serves and
where the navigable streams, needing
attention, lie furnishes to the revenues
of the general government.
During the year ending June 80,
1910, imported merchandise entered
for immediate consumption and with
ton in the customs districts and ports,
in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas,
Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky
amounted to $135,186, on which
the duties paid amounted to $19,176,-
219.40. The internal revenue collected
in those states during the fiscal year
ending June Both, 1910, amounted to
S74S84.53. So that the contribution
to the revenues Of the general govern
ment from those states and through
the sources mentioned for the year
ending June Goth, 1910, amounted to
S94. 161, 207.93. It would seem fair that
the federal government should be will
ing to spend reasonable amount on
the Improvement of the harbors and
waterways in the region where they
exist so abundantly and where this
revenue is produced and where the
commerce exists and is potential in
ever increasing volume.
Commerce is the life blood of every
community. Its uninterrupted circu-
lation is essential to prosperity. The
completion of the proposed system in
wolves merely the connecting of in
land bays, inlets, sounds and estuaries
so as to form a continuous route of in
land steamboat, barge and tug and
small craft navigation from the highest
river to the Atlantic ocean, up the At
lantic coast and along the Gulf to the
Rio Grande, without breaking bulk
This would mean that the South At
lantic ports would have the wealth of
the great west and Mississippi valley
largely concentrated for foreign or
coastwise trade or accessible thereto
The route would extend along the Gulf
coast and across the peninsula of Flor
ida. An Atlantic outlet would be Gre
ated for the Mississippi and all rivers
flowing into the Gulf of Mexico; the
means of exchange would be provided
between the grain growing regions of
the west and the cotton. sugar, rice
and lumber sections of the south. The
Mississippi to Atlantic Inland Water
way Association fayors an inland wa
terway from the Mississippi river at
New Orlean, along the Gulf to the west
coast Of Florida, across the peninsula
to the Atlantic ocean, connecting with
an inland waterway along the Atlantic
coast.
March 18th, 1867, the United States
senate directed that information be OBJ
tanned as to the cost of opening Il
channel of sufficient capacity for first
! class steamboat navigation from the
Mississippi river to Lake Pontchar-
train and on January 25th, following,
the secretary of war made report of
the survey and estimates, and recon-
mended route to cost $7S5,936, and
this would open a channel 16S miles
in length TO the eastern arm Of Mo-
bile Bay. From Mobile Bay to st.
Marks Bay, (F1a.) the distance is 220
miles, 100 miles of which is natural
waterways. For $50 miles-from the
! canal to Lake Pontchartrain to st.
Marks Bay-the distance to be cut or
dug or canaled would not exceed 60
miles in length. This would be through
low ground. sandy and marshy, but a
few feet above sea level. About 50
| miles across Florida, with no engineer
ing faculties to encounter. would
take US to deep water on the st. Johns
| river. The actual canaling and dredg-
ing necessary to establish a continu-
Gus navigable waterway. of uniform
| tide level, from Lake Pontchartrain to
the Atlantic ocean, would not be more
than 1875 miles, through low, sandy,
marshy lands. The great thoroughfare
| of commercial exchange, foreign and
domestic. would be made accessible by
| easy, quick and cheap passage, to the
heavy and bulky commodities which
might seek markets. From the ele-
vators along the Mississippi and its
tributaries, from the mines and mills,
the fields and factories, cargoes could
float, to European and northern ship
ping on the Atlantic seaboard. The
| commodities produced along the At
! lantic and Gulf could be carried to the
| interior-the very heart of the country.
Nearly twenty thousand miles of nav
| igable streams would unite in this
great inland highway to the ocean.
The Gulf passage is longer by 900
| miles and fraught with such dangers
| as necessitates high insurance and
great risk. The interchange of COM
modities at home must be. made as
easy and economical and with as much
dispatch as can be worked out Our
| commerce with foreign nations must
| be looked after and built up.
Trade creates and fortifes cordial
| relations among nations. We have a
! large surplus of productions and our
| surplus can be larger yet. which other
nations must come to US for. or go
| hungry and unclothed. Whatever in
! crease that trading augments national
wealth, national power and interna .
| tional good will. An abundance of
| prime necessities which others must
! have is a source of supreme power for
| any nation. We must encourage trade
| relations with other countries by legis-
| Iation. through. commercial agents. our
| consular service and other means To
| facilitate the movement of products
! make them accessible to markets at a