River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-07-09
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
Events of Interest From the Seat of Govern
lneni.
LAKE SUPERIOR OR THE GULF

nesota have descended upon the
Board of Engineers for Rivers and
Harbors, and have pointed out b
feasibility of a waterway between
the head of the Great Lakes and the
Mississippi river. This seems TO
be an era of canals, since the Pana-
ma canal is about ready for bust
ness, while Cape Cod has been
severed to shorten the distance be-
tween New York and Boston by
many hours. Governor Eberhart of
Minnesota headed the commission
ers and was accompanied by state
Senator George H. Sullivan Of Min
nesota and Ed, l.. Peet and John
Chinook, representing the state of
Wisconsin. The gentlemen pointed
out that a preliminary survey of the
proposed canal has already been
made by the government engineers
who have found that from an en-
cheering standpoint the plan is en-
tirely feasible. The new waterway
is to start at Allouez Bay, near
Superior, and the canal is carried
across country for twenty-five miles,
connecting with the Brule river,
which in the time of Grover Cleve-
land obtained enown as a trout
stream, because the Presidential
angler was accustomed to cast his
lilies" in those waters. The Brule
river and st. Croix furnish a direct
outlet to the Mississippi. This
water route, $50 miles in length,
will give st. Paul and Minneapolis
the advantage of cheap water trans
portation. Under present conditions
seventy-two per cent Of the railroad
freight between the head of Lake
Superior and the Twin Cities is coal
and it was shown that the water
freight on this commodity from
Buffalo to Duluth is thirty cents a
ton, while it costs ninety-six cents
a ton for soft coal and 81 20 a ton
for hard coal for the additional
short railroad haul from Duluth to
Minneapolis. The commissioners
pointed out that the single item of
coal alone furnishes a reason why
a canal should be constructed. The
immense traffic in this commodity
would be met by an equally import
ant demand for the use of the canal
for the transportation of -four and
general merch andise from St, Paul
and Minneapolis, while the wheat
and corn producing states along the
Mississippi and Missouri w o d
thus be provided with transporta-
ton directly to the head of the lakes.
The main stickler of the whole pro-
position seems to hinge upon what
would appear at first to be a trivial
consideration, and that refers to
the type of barge that would be
most feasible for use on the canal.
1t is explained that this great pro-
ject affords means of transportation
that will lessen the cost to the con
sumner of fuel going west, and food
products carried eastward. This
gigantic enterprise will cost from
So, 900, 900 to $40, 900, 900, but the
commissioners claim that the traffic
already in sight is sufi cient to pay
a substantial dividend on the in
vestment from the start. Senator
Nelson and a number of Congress
men appeared with the commission
ers, and added their support to the
demand of Wisconsin and Mime
sofa for the completion of the sur.
vey at the earliest possible date.
OUR AFFAIRS WITH THE JAPs
The final publication of the cor
respondence between the United
States and Japan relating to Cal
fornia's a%nti-alien policy, has de-
veloped even a milder presentation
than most people at the National
Capital expected. Japan very sue
e~sstuly made the Roosevelt, Taft
and Wilson administrations uncom-
Portable, aud Capitol Hill breathed
long draughts of relief when Colonel
Goethals let it be known that the
Panama canal was ready to put
war ships through the locks in case
an emergency arose. Since then
the administration has not become
SO excited over the performances of
Japan, although it was declared by
Senator William Alden Smith of
NK:.L.~ox 49, 49, x~srsh @e To~a~