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DETROIT: HARMON, BRODHBAD b CO., PRIirTBRS. 1851. ♦ m The following article was prepared for and published in the Detroit Free Press. The subject is one of such Tital importance to Mi- chigan, that it has been deemed advisable to pubhsh it in a pamphlet form, for more general circulation and preservation. The facts stated are derived from the most authentic sources. The distances or length of the various lines of road on the north and south shores of Lake Erie, are taiken from the Keports of Engineers, and may be relied upon as oorreci Dbtroit, March J,7, 1851. m ^^ . i CANADA RAILWAY. 4 6 I As the citizens of Michigan will soon be appealed to for aid lo help build the rail road from Windsor, opposite this city, to the Niagara riv- er, it Will be well to examine the advantages and beneiits which we shall secure by the eai-ly completion of this road. That the construction of railways are of great benefit to the country, no one will deny. Bos- ion has expended millions of dollars to open communications witli the interic^r of New England, and has reaped a rich reward in the increase of her trade, and in the value of her real estate. New York for a long period felt secure in her position, and thought to bid deliance to all the efforts of her rivals, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, but found at last itwasTiecessary to put forth her mighty energies to maintain her position as the great emporium of the continent. These efforts of the rival cities, have brouglit in to existence several lines of railways, starting from their respective points, and having for their object to command and con- trol the trade and travel of the "Great West." The several lines having this object ui view, are tlie roads from Bos- ton to Ogdensburg, the roads leading from Boston and New York to Buffalo, and from thence to be puslied forward on the south shore of Lake Erie, through Ohio and Indiana to St. Louis; the Pennsylvania road leading from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and from thence connect- ing with the great Central Route through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to Missouri ; and the Baltimore and Ohio rail road, connecting Baltimore with the central roads of Ohio, and thus finding their way to St. Louis. It will be seen that all these routes fail to reach us, tfnless we can have a road constructed through the Province of Upper Canada, from Nia- gara to the Detroit or St. Clair river, and there connecting with the Michigan Central Railway. Within a year from the present time, four of these great lines of railway will reach Ohio, viz : the New York central line, by the Lake shore road, the New York and Erie road, the Pennsylvania and Pitts- burgh, and the Baltimore and Ohio road. AVhile these roads are being pushed forward with all the celetiiy attainable bv active and energetic men, having an unlimited amount of money at' their command, Ohi j and Indiana are pusliing forward their roads so as to meet them, and Illi- nois has just chartered a road with branches from Cairo to Chicau-o, which runs the whole length of the State, to be finished in two yeal-s, and Wisconsin is already moving so as to connect Avith these various Imes, or channels of communication with the great Atlantic cities. VVhiUi yve see &.1 th'^s-a aotive oprjritiona going on around us, for the purpose of furni--i!injj^* aii of the norihwest-Tn states with an easy access and coiuiinious communiouiion with Is'ow York, what have the citizens of Micliigiiii done, or Avliat do thoj propose to do vjwards op-.-ning such roads us may be llece^sary to conne, wo may rest assured that in less then throe years, and probably beioro our legislature will meet again, Michigan will be f;ir behind all of her sister states of the West as lo facilities for trade and commerce. Michig>iii, with ail of her natural adventages, cannot compete with those lying far- ther from maikct than she does. We shall be lockediip by the ice for three, and pei-haps live months of the year — our business suspend- ed, our markets dormant — while our less favored competitors, from their ownactivity and perseverance, by putting their own shuuldercj to the •wheel instead of calling for others to help, without an eflbrt themselves, will enjoy anacii\'e business for tlio entire year without any hindrance or obstruction. No one can well calculate the disadvantiiges under which a com- munity or state would labor, which was cut olf for even one-third of the year, from a market, compiired with one always having a rapid and easy commimication. It is almost like the loss of onr.-third of the ac- tive energies of the business men of the state. If indolence in indi- viduals is disastrous, so it is to states. And no amount of aciivity on our part, for the ei^ht months when navigation is open, will compensate for the loss oi lime when we arc shut oil f:om all communication save by the stage coach. It is well know-n that thousands upon thousands are prevented from even visiting us in the summer season by reason of fear of cj'Ossing Lake Erie, w^hile in the winter we see no one, ■'.'•ho is not compelled by absolute necessity to come here. We have complained of the travel and emigration passing by us, but the past is nothing to what the future Avill be, if Ave permit the great lines penetrating all of the surrounding states to be completed withotit making one effort to bring tht,'m to our own state. Instead of a few passing by, they will all go where we shall never see them. What inducement can we hold out to the emi- grant when he linds that ior one-third of the time he is shut out from all active business communication with the seaboard, as against those states having a continuous line of railway. We shall stand no chance. The rich and :ertilo» lands of the northera portion of our state will re- main an uncultivated wilderness, while the surrouudi.irr sutes will floimsh like a garden. In years past, it has been deemed of sufficient importance to our state to appoint specijJ agents to visit N.'w York for the purpose of inducing emigrants to visit and settle within our state. Ihis course was deemed uecessarv when the -veat tborou>>htiire Avas by water, and brouglit all of these emigrants in si-lit of Michiguii. How much more difticult wiliii be to turn emigration' here whet? the gr.iat thoroughlme shall pass entirely south of us, iw u will, unless tiie Can- ada road IS completed. Unless we can obtain a tmr proporition of this emio-ration. we shall find oursutefiir beiiind the other western states at the ne.\t census. lfwehadnoothera:gumeut ;,. urg., but the one already stated, that alone ought to b.^ sutHcient t^j induce u.s, as individuals, and a state, to use every eltort wiihinour means lu open :i communication with the rail roads of JScw Y-.-rk, through Canada. ^.But there are other r.j.isons why we should aid this proieoi, reasons wmch should convince aU }iaving the interests o: Mi.^higari at heart some of wluch we wiii allude to before wo are done with tins subject iJio importance of Ih-j ^p>}edy construction of this road through Can- ada, so lar as it will have an effeet upon emigi-ation to this state, has been alluded to. As you iacrea,.e a community in numbers, you in- crease the talent and c ipaolty. To give tlie most active and profit- able employment to this business oapticity, to mako tlieir industry the has to vidual interests, th<» establishment of manufa.;Lories of various'kiuds in aU agTicultural district,^. But It k settl<>d by the- experience of many years that manutactunngotmn.>t be carried on succ(.ssfulh' on a larffe scale, when the communi-jatioa with the mirket is not continuous a?d rehable. It is with reference to :himanufa-:tunng interests we wish now to present the importance of ;liis rail road through Canada Our present able Guvern>.ri:i his last message .-ill uded to the vast amount of water power within this state, which miglit pnjtitablv be used for manufacturing and mecbaiucal purp..se,s. Wh..?. will this' now un- employed force be brought into requisition? Wh.Mi the population within our own state and in its immediate vicinity sliuU need it— ^ which must be many years, II we let the tide of emigration pass around us instead ot througli the state)— or when there are safe, cheap, speed)', continuous and reliable modes ot transportation connecting those districts titted for manufocturing, with those places where tbj articles manufactured wiU always hnd a sure and fjiir m-irket The manufactory of cotton was not attemj.ted iu Rochester, K Y untiltheAlbany and Buffalo rail roads were allowed to carry freight' when the canal was closed. There ai-e factories and machinery there now which would do credit to any community, and the business carried able empluyruent to this business eapticity, to mako tlieir industry tl mostprohtab]e,re.puresn great diversity of pursuits. Hence, it h always been an object with those having the eontrol of state affairs, inducc,_as far as practicable without tw much interferenee \^'ith in( on as KucceBsfully as in the eastern states, the low price of the ne- cessaries of life quite outweighinrr the extra cost in the transportatiou of that portion of th« stock and c^otiis which have to go and come from an eastcni market. Under the stimuhis of these new enterprises, the city, wliich belore hud nearlj^ ccjised to grow, hiw tuki-n a mw start, and is now increasiiii,' as rapidly as at arjy former pe liod, and furnishmg a much better market than ever before, for the produce of the sur- rounding country, , , , ^ t We tiud tlie same thing true with other places. Indeed manufacto- ries of any kind cannot be supported without an easy, safe and speedy access to market Compel a manufacturing association of any descrip- tion to hold its stock of raw material for nearly half the year, with no outlet for its manulactuied artl.;les for mcpre- than half of the year, and the amount of its dead capital compared with its active capital, is so large as to make it difficult if not wholly impGesiblu to compete with those more favorably situated in the same business. This is especially burdfiusome and discouraging in a state like our own, where the value of capital is greater tiian it is in New York and New England. ^ It is this easy access to market througliout. the enure year, by the constructJc i of railways, which has given New England such a start of all the other portions of the Union in iiuinufacturing. In no agricultural community is the policy of u diversity of pursvuts more wise than where the chief staple is wheat, the price of wJiich is very fluctuating, uml th" crop the most uncertfiin of all the grains. No state is 'better situated, geograpliically and physically, for most kinds of manufaciuriug, than \lichigan, if it had a steady and rehable communication with tlie eastern markets thvoughcait th(.' entire year. Iron, copper and coal abound. Water power is abundant, and building materia^' cost only tiic Inbor of putting tiiem into r>i»ape. The position of this state, if a great t-lK>r(jughfaie .an be made to and through it for the transit of the raw rnnterial and the manufactured article, when ready for market, is unsurpassed. Many of the western merchants would find it for their interest to purchase here, rather than to incur the expense of seeking tiic isame articiii- in ii ir.orti distant market. Our iron and coal beds would be opened. The copper from the mexhaustable mines on Lake i^upeiior wc»u1d be manufactured into such articles as would be required here, instead of being transpor- ted to Pittsburgh or Uoston, for llie purpose of being smelted. And the wool, ranking as the second staple article of the state, would fur- nish emy)loyment' for more labor than it takes to grow it. All of these advantages, direct and immediate, to our state, are hke- lyto be lost or postponed for an indefinite period, without we lend some efficient aid to the construction of the Canada railway. We have treated this subject, so far, as one of gmus,_ lo be secui-ed to our state, both in population and vastly increased business, and capi- tal, by aiding tliis road by a Uberal subscription of stock. But now we are about to speak of the daily losses, incurred by all classes of the com- mmunity, for want of such a communication. Some may be surprised « utthls proposltioc, butitisnevertlicksstrue. No one will deaj but thut the mcrcliant requires a much larger capital to do a safo buslaess here thau he would, were he uut cutoQ'lrum supplies for eo large a pnrt of the year. This puts the' profitable mercantile business iuto fewer hands, who can control the larger meiins necessary to that business here, above what is necessary to do the same business in more favored localities, while the farmer and the mechanic, constituting the cus- tomers of these merchants throughout tlia whole State, have to pay for the idli^ness of this extra cnpitiil retjuired in the business, as well OS for many otlier of the losses and disadviintagcs of luculity. by *he increased price necessarily put upon every thing in the retail trade. The sale of the various kmds of merchandize is regulated as to the quantity^, to a considerable extent by the price and quantity of produce with which the yreat majority of our people are directly or mdirectly to pay for their goods. After navigation closes, if the price of produce falls below the average, the merchant hnds his shelves loaded with goods, which he cannot sell, and he is obliged to carry them over to another season, for siUe returns. The depreciation of value in such cases is very great, and the purchjiser is compelled to take up with an inferior article, and one perhaps out of date, because of the mis- fortune compelling the trader to hold them over, if, on the other baud, the price of produce should be largely above the estimated or usual rates, the merchant finds himself short, and additional prices to the consumer are the necessary consequence. But these losses do not arise alone from lluctuatiou in the price of our staple commodities. No merchant, however well informed, cau forsee the wants of his customers for a long time ahead, so perfectly as tiot to over-purchase, or under purchase, to greater or less extent, a considerable proportion of the articles constituting his stock. The losses fi'om causes of this nature, probably amount to at least twice or three times as much as the loss of interest, upon the value of goods purchased too early or out of season, because they cannot be brought hero at a later period, when they are actually re([uired, be- cause navigatiuu U su>pen Jed. Before the completion of the Erie canal the merchants residing in the North-west, visited New York but once in the year, and were necessarily compelled to purchase a stock ('f goods sufficient to last for the year. The completion of tlnit work made a vast change in this respect, and the complc^tion of the Railroads through New York has worked almost as much of a change as the canal. Now many of our merchants purchas^e three or four times during the season of naviga- tion, rather than incur the loss of -interest and the danger of accumu- lating an unsalable tock of goods by purchasing in the spring and fall alone. Wo had hoped to have been able to lay before our readers some statistics which would have shown the loss to various interests for want of a railroad from here to Buffalo. But we have been disappointed. We can only approximate to it. The imports will be, by the time the 10 Road could be finished, if commonc^d now, about ^8,000,000 say eight millions of dollars per annum. If instead of buying this stock in the spring and fall, in equal proportions, it was ourchased as the comniunity required, the stock constantl}- on hand upon which interest is paid would not be more than one-half, or at furthest not over three-fourths what it is now. This would be a saving of interest on one-fourtlrof the purchase, wliich is equal to one hundred and twenty- -twp thousand iive liundred dollars per annum, or more than our entire State expenses proper. The depreciation in the value of these goods purchased out of time, will am<:)unt to nearly as much more— and this loss has mainly to be borne bv the consumers of the goods, in the sliape oi an enhanced price upon every article they aro compelled to purchase. There are other losses of this kind, which fall more exclusively upon the_ producer. All along tlie line of Railroad in y,e^^' York, beef and pork are taken to New York and Boston fresh, and find a far better market than when salted. The average price paid for pork at Roches- ter, New York, we are informed, during the winter, was five and half cents, while here it did not exceed three and a half cents, a dif- ference of forty dollars a ton, all owing to the fact that there it was taken to market fresh and here it had \o be salted and packed. The difference between the price of flour during the winter season, when the farmer must sell sufficient to meet his taxes and his annual payments for goods, in this State and Nevr York, oftentimes exceeds by double the cost of transportation. This loss falls upon the produ- cer, for want of a mode of reaching market which will be permanent all the year. Tiiere is another loss more seriou?, we think, than the one men- tioned, connected with the grain trade. The short time between the harvesting of the crops and the close of navigation, compels every one to throw his stock into market, and the consequence is that it is overstocked, freights become exhorbitant, and the loss of interest and storage in New York while awaitinra; a sale, is ruinous to the jiurchas- er. _ Floiir which was shipped from liere last fall in November, upon which an advance of three dollars and forty cents was obtained, will not sell now for moi-e than enough to refund the advance, and costs of freight, and various charges consequent upon sending it to market when the avenues are crowded, &c., although the price during the winter of thefirst quality of Michio-an flour has been five dollars. The same scene-is re-enacted in the sprng — a rush of flour, high freights, an over- stocked market, a decline in prices and ruinous losses. °This is the routine every year, or twice a year, and the only rcmedv, or even par- tial remedy, is to open a channel to'market which will not be closed by cold weather. It is within the recollection of many of our readers, that while the price of flour here was six dollars a barrel, it was ten dollars in New- York, a difference of more than four times the cost oi transportation by Railway. During the winter months the increase of price iu 11 New York has but little eftVct up^a our market, because we must wait until summer, before v.'o can reach that market. The losses which tlie farmers of Michigan liave sustained since we commenced exporting flour, for the want >f a safe, cheap winter communication with New York, would liave nearly constructed the road from here to Buffalo, through Canada. That we are subject to all <.]io inconveniences and losses we have men- tioned, IS certain. Tiie evil being admitted, the only question loft for us U) consider is, where we can hnd a remedy, and whether it is with- m oui- reach. The compleUou of the railways around the south shore Lake Erie, it is evident, will not be available to a great proportion of the people of this state, and we cannot therefore look to them as an ef- fectual remedy. Wcro sucli roads completed, with branche. throuo-h the various portions of the state, connecting with this main hne, suli the increased distance to j)ass round Lake ^Erie is such, that a o-reater portion ot our state would be farther from market than Indiana! The expense of transporting all of our ex])orts and imports over ^his in- cre^is.id distance must be borne by our own citizens. So tar as this increased expense enters into our trade, so for we are in inferior posi- tion to our neighbors. Can we help ourselves? We believe so The charter of the Great Western Railway is all that can be desired ior i.he construction of a road from Windsor to Hamilton and the Sus- pension bridge at Niagara. No further legislation is required in Canada. 1 he company IS fully and eiliciently organized, the route has been sur- veyed by able and competent engineers, the plans all completed, and the ^nitire hne located, and contracts entered into forgradino- and su- perstructure from the Suspension bridge via Hamilton, London to Windsor, opposite the city of Detroit Of the feasibility of tb^ route there can be no doubt. The chief engineer in his report sa3's that "on I. he whole distance o/'228 miles, over 217 miles is perfecthj straioht ''and the lemjth of the located line differs less than four miles froni an ''air line drawn between the same points." I know of no case in this "country or elsewhere, comparable with this, and it is doubtful wheth- "er unother location of the same extent can be found on the continent "so well adapted to tiie attaiDrneut of high \elocitv and o-vcar e-onom^ "ot transportation." ' ° - - . my The government oftlie Province offeis to guaranty the bonds of the ci)mpany equal m amount tu ...ne half of the cost of the road The I rovmcud securities are now selling in London at about 107, which is C(iu;il to about 117 in New I'ork, or 17 per cent premium The subscripiions to thi. stock in Canada amount to aboii one million oi dollars. The company have appealed to the various rail road companies m New Vork and in Michigan, as well as t-. the citizens ot those states, tor aid to complete their important v^ork. A milliou and a half of dollars, in addition to what has been obtained, with the aid pi omised by the Canadian Government, will be sufficient Of this amount Michigan is asked tor live hundred thousand dollars Can this amount be raised ? Of tliis, there is not the least doubt if every man who is direolly beneiitod by openii;- ihis road wh.l but subscribe a tJthe 01 his real abihty. In New Vork, not only hev ciUzms luvor this road as an important hnk ju the easy communication with the West, but ttie leo-islaturc with tluit wise lorsio'lit whicli invited tiie trade of tlie Wosr °throu(vh that state by constructing the Erie canal, i,as authorized the rail roads to take stockin the Great ^Vestern Comi.;iny, under tlie belief that it wii be greatly to her advantage. Ln this New York is not mistak^'n. Ln our state the Central Company has asked the same i)rivile<.e of the egislature. We think, in an en/erprise so important to our Itale as t/te speedy construction of this road, the legislature should pas^- if practicable, a law authorizing any rail road or other corporation in this state, to subscribe for stock in this compami, who can be induced todott. h IS true the money is to be expended in Canada, but it will be seen by reference to what we have already said, JVIichioan will save the amount of subscription asked for in a single year, and the stock, as an investment, will always produce a large return in the wav of divi- dends. It has often been remarked, and with irutl!, too, 'tha; the construcuon of the Erie canal hadagreater effect on ihe Western Stales than on .New York and the same thing will be seen U the completion of this road. On the comp]eti.)n of tliis I'oad, we siialf be within ^4 hours 01 -New York city thi'oughout the year. ^Ve sliall have no uiriU-r to close up our navigation. No season when we cannot reacn our great rnarket-no time when Ave are shut out from our intercourse with New York. Michigan will then occupy the enviable posidon of one ot the mos favored st:ites. JJetroit is, by tlie located lines of tins railwfty, only tilty-three miles larther tVom Niagara Falls than v Cleve- land is irom Luaalo, and IS lifty-two miles nearer than Toled. and sevemy-twonHlesneaixM- than Monroe, if her outlet is by the way of loledo round the south shore of Lake 1< rie. In truth, it may ht Led m a well settled J av-, that no portion of Afichigan can afihrd to gohj the ,outh shore of Lake Erie to Ncxo York, if theg can have a tad. •way connec/ing imth the Canada road. From Detroit to New Yo.k city by this route, 11 1. .IX hundred and nluviy- mil.s. while a'on. Toledo It isseven hundred and (orty-hve miles. It is a compariso:i of these rouces the data all bemg taken from the reports of engineers, ihat has compelled us to say,_that it is for tlie interest of every "ountv in Michi- S'^Jr'] fl 'T T '"^".l^^'^''^'^'^-'^- located-tu have' this road tlirough CV.ada completed. Michigan cannot a [Ford to pa>/ the ad> dttwnal expense of the long route, if she can possibly get the short one, Ihe udeofemigiation which has so long passed by us, will pass through our state Instead of sending an agen. / New York to show the greiit advantages of our state, we shall have the anive ener- gy ot «w/y me/ZiOM* of capital invested in niil roads in N.vv York to work lor us. Under such a stimulus we may expect our population lit uy' '^' "'"^ 'r^'""''' Capital will flow in upon us, rail roads will be constructed, and manutactories established far beyond what 1 would no'^ be deemed prudent or safe to predict, lest we might be deemed visionary. _ Th line ( istenc now. state- the C comn: of at be 001 with 1 Tn( thouSJ pensei railwa hquidj peopk interes road t 'est? the sp tion ( desirei holder legisla chang( to the ular lo year, f legislai years. tions t let eve The stock, i alone c any ir this cit a piece can sul they c( which lii tliis .h •!^ I ne effect upon Ihe state would be almost magical. The increased line of railroads, which it would very materally aid to brmo- into ex- istence, would probably amount to almost as much more a? we have now. The Detroit and PonLiac joad would be extended across the state—a road to Port Huron would undoubtedly be constructed, and the Central rmlway would require a double track immediately, to ac- commodate the A-ast increase of business, which would require an outlay of at least lour millions of capital. And a road would sooner or later be constructed trom some point upon the southern road to connect with the Canada road. Tne tax of the Central road with a double track, would be eighty thousand dollars a year, a sum sufficient to meet all the currertex- penses ot our state, while the tax on the increased capital invested in railways in Michigan would furnish all the sinking fund required to liquidate our public debt, wulmut a dollar tax being le;ied upon the people. With all these facts staring us in the face, when not only the mterestsol the state, but of every individual almost in it. requires this road to be btu t, shnh we Jiesitate about taking hold of this in earn- t ' est . Do not let us, by any sectiunal orlocal jealousies defeat, or delay the speedy completion of this work. Do not let us impose a restric. tion or condition upon any company, rail road or otherwise, that desires to aid this enterprize, which will defeat or delay it The stock- holders who invest their money, must decide upon the route, and if legislative restricdon confines them to a particular line, or compels a cliange of routes, it endangers, if it does not defeat the whole work to the great injury of the public, and mthout any benefit to the nartic^ ular locality sought to be favored by legislation. The delay of even one year, from any such cause, '-is paying too dear for the whistle." The legislatureis now m session— it will not be again, probably, in two years. Let th(nn pass such a law as will enable any and all corpora- tions or associations to .subscribe to th-j stock of Uiis road, and then let^every individual act thoroughly and efficiently. There is no difficulty in procuring the necessary subscription to the stock, if the truth is only laid before those having the means. Detroit alone can subscribe two hundred thousand dollars, and pay it without anv inconvenience. There are more than five hundred persons in this city, who could each subscribe, and pay in the year, for/o«rsliares a piece without scarcely knowing it—while there are many others who can subscribe large amounts, and we have no doubt will do so when they come to look into the whole subject, and give it that consideraUon which its importance to the gtate demands. ^ # \ » t f » i • m ? ♦ V &• «. ♦: i ^P f. i