6o8 CONSERVATION 



material he produces most cheaply and oped areas. Trans-continental lines 

 most directly to a world market. Only connect the Pacific coast with the At- 

 two methods are open, by river trans- lantic seaboard. North and south lines 

 portation and by railway. There are reach from the Dakotas down to the 

 no vast mland seas, no great bays or Gulf. Branch lines tap the interior and 

 lakes to furnish a passage for all this h^.^i ^he grain from the lonely 

 weahh of grain and minerals There -^-^ .j^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^J 

 are rivers that flow for hundreds of f r , ^, ^ ,,.... 

 miles, but offer only an indifferent transformed the Trans-Mississippi 

 metho:! of transportation. It is pleas- country. But every year at harvest 

 ing to see that the government is tak- ^'"""^ ^^ "^^^ ^^^^ recurring cry of too 

 ing an interest in the possibilities of ^^^^ ^^^^ ^"^ too few engines. The 

 this form of transportation and that the prairie elevator is filled to the roof day 

 waterways are receiving attention. It after day, with no cars ready to haul 

 has been one of the efforts of this con- away the grain. New towns spring up 

 gress to urge and secure assistance and are unable to secure freight because 

 along this line. The government owes oi the congestion at central points, 

 it to the people who occupy these fertile Down in the corn-raising districts this 

 acres to give every possible aid in deep- fall you will see hundreds of thousands 

 ening and broadening the rivers that of bushels of corn heaped on the open 

 can carry our products to deep waters, ground, because transportation is lack- 

 It owes to these states and territories i"g- The country has developed faster 

 a more determined effort than ever be- than railroad building has gone on. 

 fore to improve the western harbors Not until we study the statistics of 

 to which may be shipped western prod- the Trans-Mississippi country do we 

 ucts. The great granary and mineral realize the importance of this need, 

 territory of the United States is going When the Commercial Congress was 

 to have its rights in waterway improve- organized, there were but 16000,000 

 ment, or know the reason why. people here to-day there are 25,000,000. 



In making these improvements the The value of farm property was given 

 Trans-Mississippi country is most in- by the government census as $2,137,- 

 terested in those streams and harbors 000,000; to-day it is $19,898,000,000. 

 that touch our own states. We are The production of the farms in the 

 particularly desirous that the naviga- United States this year is estimated at 

 tion of the Missouri and lower Arkan- $7,500,000,000, of which fully fifty per 

 sas rivers be improved until there shall cent, comes from the Trans-Mississippi 

 be a worthy advance to the transporta- country, an increase of 100 per cent, 

 tion of our western products. Along in the past fifteen years. The mining 

 these streams are growing cities and industry has increased in even greater 

 improved farms, and the government proportion. While these tremendous 

 owes it to the men who are making a growths have been taking place in the 

 prosperous country of what was once value and production of the Trans- 

 open plain that they be given every pos- Mississippi territory, the transportation 

 sible encouragement. facilities have not increased in any such 



However, only a comparatively small measure. In 1888, the railroad mileage 

 portion of the Trans-Mississippi coun- was 68,057 miles. The statistics for 

 try can be reached by navigable last year — which are the latest avail- 

 streams. We must depend upon the able — give to this territory 102,286 

 iron rail as a highway to market for miles. This increase of less than sixty 

 the greater portion of our products, per cent, is far below the needs of the 

 The railroads came into the western richly productive area that these lines 

 states and found them a trackless serve. It is evident to the student of 

 desert. To-day the most splendid lim- commercial affairs that we need tens 

 ited trains in the world flash across of thousands of miles of new railway 

 well-improved and wonderfully devel- in order to handle properly the tremen- 



