34 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
vast array of ‘prolific tributaries with the lakes, as a means of 
relief. 
But as there are interests inimical to this plan, because it offers 
to bring no fish to their net, and for no other possible reason, and 
the “ Double-Track Railway ” project is pushed into the forum of 
discussion—not, as I have reason to believe, as an adequate pana¬ 
cea, but as a means to head off the improvement of the Fox and 
Wisconsin river route. The bold proposition was made, and was 
even endorsed by ex-Governor Washburn in his speech at Fond 
du Lac last October, to saddle the general government with this 
double-track scheme. But the savans have, for. the time at least, 
concluded that as a railway is exclusive and cannot be national in 
its character, since its time tables must be obeyed with the pre¬ 
cision of clock-work, and no cars but the organized force could 
be put upon the track, the government cannot constitutionally 
engage in works of this kind, and a charter has been asked from 
congress for the road under private auspices. Even the constitu¬ 
tionality of this, through Sovereign States, may well be questioned. 
But there can be no question as to the right and the duty of the 
general government improving the water courses, since in their 
very nature they are national , and capable of sharing their privi¬ 
leges with all citizens alike, and are calculated to advance the 
general good of all. 
But since this double-track leviathan is thrust forward just at 
this time, as a pretext to furnish the relief needed, let us examine 
the pretension with a view to results. We have just seen that 
the states and territories in latitudinal proximity to this great in¬ 
ternational route between the Atlantic and Pacific, going no fur¬ 
ther east than the west line of Pennsylvania, and no further south 
than Kentucky and Missouri, have a surplus over and above the 
capacity of all the lake craft, of 71,825,030 tons annually. We 
now have four trunk lines penetrating this territory from the At¬ 
lantic, and with the double track we shall have five trunk lines,, 
the latter to be devoted exclusively to freight. Six trains per day 
and 80 cars to the train would be more than the old lines could 
furnish, with their passenger and way trains, but that no one 
shall say I overdraw the picture, to the disparagement of the roads, 
I will make my computation on that basis. The old lines, then, 
