The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-01-16

small stretch between Little Falls and
Georgetown, which is used as head
race for some mills in Washington.
Washington's original idea was to
develop a,water route from the Great
Lakes to the Atlantic. Detroit was
one of the detectives and Baltimore
the other. He was looking at the
problem as one of national defense as
we'll as Of national development, and
the longest item in his diary, some
eight or ten pages, is devoted to a
consideration of this problem. In this
discussion he gives tables of distances
contrasting navigation from Detroit
over the st. Lawrence to the Allan
tic, and from Detroit over the Ohio
route to Baltimore. 1t is remarkable
that he posed the same question that
the Army is now considering, canaliz-
ing the Monongahela to Pittsburgh
and linking up it or one of its several
branches with the north branch of the
Potomac for continuous navigation to
the sea.
"The way is plain, and the expense,
comparatively speaking, deserves not
a thought, so great would be- the
prize" is the conclusion this eminent
man reached and entered in his diary
October a, 1884. This long entry,
which begins: "The more the Navi-
cation of Potomack is Investigated
and duly considered, the greater the
advantages arising from them ap-
pear" 1t is very much like scientific
report based on a long survey and
close study made by himself, which,
indeed it was.
It is interesting to note that he
considered the State of Pennsylvania
the grotesque obstacle to the devel-
opment of the project. This opposi-
ton he thought would cause the west
ern part of the State to secede, as a
political necessity. But happily this
was averted. In this entry he thus de-
lineates the genesis of this move
ment.
at may be said perhaps, that as
the most direct route from the Lakes
to the navigation of the Potomack are
through the State of Pennsylvania
and that the interests of that State
are opposed to the extension of the
Waters of Monongahela, that COM
munication can not be had either by
Yohiogany or Cheat River-but here
in differ-an application to this pur-
pose would in my opinion place the
Legislature of that Commonwealth in
very delicate situation. That it
would not be pleasing can readily
conceive, but that they would refuse
their assent, I am by no means clear
in. There is in that State at least
100000 Souls West of Laurel Hill,
who are grooming under the inconven-
fence Of a long land transportation.
They are wishing, indeed looking, for
the extension of inland Navigation;
and if this can not be made easy for
them to Philadelphia-at any rate it
must be lengthy-they will seek a
Mart elsewhere; and none is so conve-
nient as that which offers itself thru
certain consequences there of an at
tempt to restrain the extension of
the Navigation of these Rivers ESQ
constant with the interest of these
people, or to impose any extra du-
ties upon the exports or imports, to
or from another State, would be a
separation of the Western Settlers
from the old and more interior Gov
eminent, towards which there is not
wanting disposition at this moment
in the former"
Western Pennsylvania and Ohio
will benefit more, it is believed, by
the canalization of the Monongahela
and the linking up of the Ohio with
the Potomac than any other part of
the country; and it is not thought
that the project will meet with the
objections that the first efforts to
canalize the Ohio met with from the
coal men of Pittsburgh.