The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-07-02
DREAM TO Be REAL
Ships to Pass Freely From
Ports of Great Lakes to
the Great Oceans.
seek TREATY WITT. CANADA
Harbor and Rivers Committee of Pres
ent Congress Believe Ocean Water
way from the Great Lakes Will Soon
Be a Splendid Reality.

For more than fifty years there
have been men who dreamed of the
coming of day when ships might
freely sail from any port on the Great
Lakes to any port on all the Seven
Seas Is this splendid dream about to
become still more splendid realityg
/ During the last session of congress
Senator Charles E. Townsend, Of
Michigan, introduced resolution
authorizing the president to enter into
treaty relations with Great Britain
and the Dominion Of Canada for the
purpose of converting the boundary
waters between the United States and
Canada into ocean waterways. The
resolution passed the senate unani-
mously, went to the president, who, in
turn, referred the resolution to the
secretary of state There it rested for
long time, when finally, Senator
| Townsend, growing impatient over the
delay in reporting upon the ADVISABLE
lty of such an alliance for mutual bene-
lift, induced Secretary Bryan to submit
certain questions to the international
joint commission created by act of
congress June II, 1909, which, in turn,
was asked to submit the questions to
the Canadian government. These ques-
tions are now being considered by the
Dominion authorities and look to re-
l. port on the character of the waters to
be improved, part of which lie in Cana
dian territory, part in American ter
lritory and part on the border between
the two countries, the question of cost,
lake levels and power development.
The resolution of Senator Townsend,
into which new life has been breath
ed by the earnestness Of the junior
senator from Michigan, contemplates
a water highway through the Welland
Canal and the ST. Lawrence river,
which would accommodate ocean go
ing vessels between Chicago, Milwau-
kee, Duluth,superior and other lake
ports and the Atlantic ocean.
Speaking of the resolution and it's
purpose, Senator Townsend said today:
"The questions which have finally
been submitted to the international
joint commission, and by that body
| to the Dominion government, were
| thought to be necessary in order to
| get action on the part of our northern
neighbors, to the end that when both
countries had agreed upon the matters
to be in vestigated such matters could
be referred to the international joint
commission for investigation.
''The Canadian government has
those questions and until its answer
has been received I presume nothing
can be done looking to comprehensive
report of the international joint com
mission.
There is a decided sentiment in
Canada, not upon the question of the
advisability of an ocean waterway
from the lakes to Montreal for that
has been decided long ago as highly
necessary, but as to the location of
| that waterway. One faction of our
Canadian cousins desires the route
constructed in all Canadian territory
and is contending for the route from
Georgian bay in Canada to the Otta-
wa river, thence down the Ottawa to
the st. Lawrence. The other faction
favors my proposition which is, the en-
llargement of the Welland Canal and
the Improvement of the st. Lawrence
river from Lake Ontario to Montreal
This is the natural water course and
| by the erection of proper compensating
stills in the upper Niagara river and in
the St Clair river the water now go,
ing to waste could be utilized to float
a greater commerce than enters and
clears at our entire seaboard today
Greater than all that which will pass
through the Panama Canal, plus all
that passes in and out of the Suez.
II am now trying to get an esti-
mate as to what it would cost the
United States to construct such com
pensating work and to enlarge all the
channels from the Lake Erie end of
the Welland Canal through the De-
trolt river, Lake st. CLAIR, st. Clair
river, Huron river, Stats of Macinac,
and the st. Mary's river and locks.
This work would devolve upon the
United States while most of the i'm
lprovements on the st. Lawrence would
She made in Canadian territory, and
unless Canada would consent that part
| of the work be done by the United
States, most of the st. Lawrence would
be done by the Dominion government.
My plan contemplates the joint
development of this great waterway if
the two nations can agree on such
a course.
1t has been shown by reports that
the Erie Canal could be enlarged to
accommodate the largest ocean vessels
for less than one hundred millions, and
If Canada should insist on constructing