The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-01-11
Editorial Comment
The West and the Waterway
Minneapolis JournaD

Which is more important to the North American
Continent whole-bringing Atlantic shipping
to Great Lakes ports serving forty million people,
or preserving the costly and wasteful transhipment
| business OF New York and Montreal?
Representatives OF twenty-one States and Cana
dian Provinces. gathered in st. Paul to consolidate
the demand Of inland empire for an outlet to
the sea, speak for forty million Americans
and Canadians when they insist that this
great development must not be sidetracked
at tho behest Of two Eastern ports And
these spokesman also make it clear that
neither they the citizens whom they repre-
sent are blinded for moment by the smoke-screen
of counterfeit patriotism that New York throws up
in her contention for an "all-American" route.
through ship canal linking Lake Ontario with the
| Hudson River.
New York warns that the st. Lawrence route
would divert traffic from New York to Montreal,
which would be most unpatrioic. As a matter OF
fact the st. Lawraiee route would divert traffic
from New York to Montreal. But it would divert
traffic from New York to Duluth, Superior, Cleve-
land and Detroit just as it would divert traffic from
Montreal TO Toronto, Port Arthur and Fort William.
If this New York contention were true. Montreal,
of course, would be praying for the waterways sue
cess, instead Of fighting it tooth and NAIL as she is
Diversion of New York traffic to the American
lake ports and of Montreal traffic to the Ontario
lake ports, would be unfair invasion Of any vest
ed rights OF those Cities. The cost Of transpment
OF through freight is dead weight on commerce
Where it can he avoided II is needless uneconomic
waste. New York and Montreal have no more right
to object to the through shipment Of Great Lakes
freight to Europe than Minneapolis has "a right to
object to the through shipment Of Iowa freight to
Duluth. Had Minneapolis followed the New Yor):
line OF reasoning, she would have objected strenu
ously TO the building Of railroads west to the Red
River. on the ground that they ruined the formerly
profitable business of transferring ox-cart cargoes to
railway and steamboats,
In truth, New York will gain from the st, Law
renee waterways more than she viii lose. Whatever
'buiics up the prosperity Of the Central Wes. and
ehe Northwest inevitably BULLS up the prosperity
Of the whole United States. and. the United States
pTos2ers, so pr0spers New York.
New iorks contention for an "all American'
route through Ontario Hudson canal is Canon
tagged as patriotic move to keep American ship
ping from passing through Canadian territorial
waters. Which argument Is all bunk. Every shin
New York loads for Europe tibet calls at the port
OF Halifax enters Canadian territorial waters, and
New York sees nothing unpatriot.c about that The
real purpose Of the Ontario Hudson substitute. OF
course IL to force all the oceanbound Great Lakes
sapp'ng through the already congested port OF
New York
It ise good 70 find the States OF the Middle West
now organizing to fight in earnest for the right to
link the Lakes with the Atlantic There Is stable
and well financed opposition IN part Of the East but
that opposton, despite its other resources, hasn't
Z feashle akgameRt n is whole aTsanal..ur,