St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1912-11-30

soon unite two great oceans and
| this alone will develop a new
field of commerce whose boun-
daries we cannot dream of at this
time.
i In Belgium and Holland the
ocean is brought to every city
i and it is well known that those
countries are world powers in
commerce and manufacturing.
i China with her millions has SO
wonderful a system Of old fash
8 ioned canals that almost every
town of any Importance can ship
by water to the sea. In fact
transportation is cheap and this
large population is in the main
made possible by a system Of
cheap internal traffic.
Even Russia has built canals
and improved her rivers, until
to-day one can sail from Moscow
to ST. Petersburg.
. In the grand strategy of trade
; our competitors have wisely acted
upon the principle very well
known to physics, that it's much
easier to move an object floating
in a liquid than to carry it on
any wheeled carriage. When a
good business man has carried
on his business a certain length
!. of time he takes an inventory of
his stock in order to know
whether or not his business is d
paying one and If he finds de-
fects in his system he tries to
improve it. And so it is with
our government. IF we will stop
long enough to take an inventory
of our business to-day we will
find that we lack in transporta-
ton, a serious defect which re-
quires resoIute men and organ
lied effort and no man can afford
, to keep silent or subject himself
to the charge of indifference be-
cause he fails to put his shoulder
to the movement.
AS I have said before an in
ventory would show that we are
short in transportation. An
enormous increase in the pro-
duction of our people in all fields
Of industrial activity has out
grown the ability Of our great
railroad systems, extensive and
good as they are. It is a well
known fact tnat we have often
seen the products of the farm
wasting in the fields and the
y manufacturer S plant stopped for
Z want of raw material and the
finished products delayed in the
warehouse because we lacked
: fa1ilIEes to transport them.
No cuuntI-v n the face of the
earth has been more favored by
Providence with such a magnif1-
cent system of navigable lakes,
rivers and bayous. But it does
not behoove as to soothe our
selves with self f-praise because
, of what Nature has done for US.
We are entitled to no credit for
our unexcelled climate, products.
and resources. 1t is only the
i manner in which we are conserv-
ing and developing our resources
and the degree of health, happi-
ness, liberty and the facilities we
are giving our people that con-
fer distinction upon our citizen
ship, raise our standard and fix
our places in history.
3 If we can come together and
improve our waterways in ac-
cordance with a well defined pro-
!. gressiye policy, we shall. with
:. the aid of our railroads and other
agents of transportation keep
!. step with the commercial and in
dustrial progress of America.
Of course it viii require a large
expenditure of money to do this
work but when we compare the
present cost of transportation
to transportation by water which
!, lis about one-sixth cheaper than
by rail we find a great saving
!, between the producer and con-
] sumner, and among all people.
The saving IN freight is not
Y all but the waterways being free
, and open for the use of all the
Il people it would lesson the danger
!, of monopoly.
i I am one of those who believe
, that the time has come when the
railroad men should assist and
, not block the way of this policy
because it will not hurt the rail
rEroads. The relation of rail and
4 water transportation should be
i one of harmony, helpfulness and
cooperation. It is clear as day
! that they should work together
LAND build q transportation ma
Z chine that viii keep step with
the development of the country.
n We can solve the problem by en-
leouraging both. First, by en-
! tcouraging capital To invest n
railroad building instead Of scar
!. ing it-aWay By hostile and unjust