Bridging The Detroit River

It has boen, as I wiH readily oouiess, witli a fceling of deup disappointment that I havo read the report ot the board of engineers appointed by the Secretary of War relative to bridging tho Detroit ltiver. The necessity of such a biidge is 80 great, and in my own judgment the effect upon navigation so slight, that it (lid not soum to me that such a report coud come within the rango of things possiblo. The interest of tho city, oi the State, of tho public, as well as ot the raiiroads are, aro so great in the question that I shall propose, as I shall have tune, to examine this report and tostits reasoning, and also discuss the various intcrests alíuded to in connection therewith. A MATTER OF DEE1' COHSIDEBATIOH. But flrst all I wish to cali the attention of the pooplo of Detroit to their interests in the matter which, if approciated by thom, will go far to remove all difficulty in the way of a bridge, because the opposition comes from a portiou of our own citizens who are interested in navigation. If tho building of a bridge bo not supported and urgod by Detroit, then indeed we may for a long time dospair of it, and shall be compellcd to abide the fato which the want of it may bring with it. This only is wanting to enablo the Central routo to maintam itsolf against its rivals, and tho lack of it is and will be enough to determine tho question against us, and givo the whole advantage to other lines. TKE INTERESTS OF DETROIT. To tbe city of Detroit tho question is quite as material as it is to tho railroads. Indeed, the prosperity of the one will be determined by that of the other. lts prospority comea froin tho command of the county giveu it by tho railroads. The closer its relations with the country and the large command of the business of tho State and of tho West, which well managed and good roads may secure for it, the more prospcrous and thriving it will be. Tho more the business of tho West and of tho State shall bo drawn away f rom it by other routes- both tho through and tho local business of tho Stato- the more its prospority will be impoded and impaired. Now what is its position and what aro its dangers in this respect? They are not imaginary or slight. GEOGRAriIICAL SITUATION. It is situated about half way batweeq the foot of Lako Hurón and Toledo. At the forraer placo tho river is narrow and always open. At the latter place Lako Erie is turned without impediment. At all times, thoicforo, the passage way is open north and south of us at a distanco of about sixty miles. At this placo there is often no passage, and for several months in the year it is all the time diflicult, and evon in summer is a serious obstruction to the passage of railroad business. EXAJirLES IX l'OINT. The consequenco of this stato of things is alveady very apparent. They have developed much moro rapidly in tho direction of Toledo and around the soutb. shore because that way there is not even the obstruction of even an ever open and narrow river, as at Port Huron. At that point, thereforo with the additional advantage of a good harbor and at the end of tho lake, has sprung up aa activo, energetic, wide asvake and thriving city. The easy passage around the lake there, the easy connection with the southwost by rail from that point, the easy and olose connection with tho whole State of Michigan there, which has grown up for the reason that their business may go East bv water or by rail at all times with equal facility and without obstructions, is fast building up there a populous city, one destined at no distant day, with its present superior advantages, if they eau be maintained, and if the advantages of Detroit cannot bc inoreased, to take a place among the great cities of the great West. A COJIPARISON. Let the people of this city consider what it has gained as against them already. It has acquired a short connection with the Saginaw Valley by means of a direct road running down almost through the suburbs of Detroit. It ia in the Saginaw citios and along the roads running north and west from them an active competition for the tiade and business of the wholo northern portion of the State. It has its railroad running, up to Jackson, draining into its lap the riohes of all the country between Toledo and a point seventy-fivo miles directly north of this city. It has a road a little íurthor west. running north through Albion to Lansing, northwest of this city only oighty miles, and draining that country towards Toledo. It has, a littlo further west and running through Prairie Ronde and Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids and Newaygo and Muskegon, another road competing tor all the business of tbat country and drawiug it to that city, or around the lake, by an unbroken and uninterruptod road tó New York and New England. All this has been the work of a few years. That routo is without break, and therefore the drain in that direction has developed with the greatest force and power, and is, by many channels, already open. A STIiONG C0N8IDKBATI0N. Therc is not even now west oí Detroit, or even north of it, any considerable extent of the Stato where Toledo is not contesting with Detroit tor the business of the country, and where the south shore roads and its rnany branches are not picking up the traffic of transportation aud carrying it away from the shorter, and but for the river, the botter roads to the eastern markets. The ïnembers of the Board of Trade of "Toledo, and tho nierchants of that city, aro the purchasers and recipients of all the protits of this business, justly and with proper advantages, belonging to Detroit. Are tho people of Detroit content with this state of thingsV ANOTHEIl PASSAGE. But this is not all. There is a northern passage, not so easy and not so good, but still really better than it is at Detroit. There it is always open, and is only eight hundred feet against about three-quarters of a milo as the boats must run at troit. The same aram upon tno country which should constitute the resources of Detroit has begun in that direction. The Port Hurón and Lake Michigan Road has progressed so far that only a gap of about fifty miles remains to conneot it with Peninsular Eoad, thus comploting a line across tho State, and destined (Detroit remaining as it now is) to gather up tho business of all the country along its line for the Port Huron passage. LET DETROIT PONDElt IT. This line is now weak, but uot more so than tho Southern liue was within twenty years. Soon it will be strong ancj sonding out its shoots to gather up moro business all along the country through which it passes, as the Southern Eoad bas, and it will be but little time before the section of country tributary to this city, or which its roads can command for it, will be small indeed. Is this diversion of iness from Detroit andjthe Central routo tu continue while thorc shall bo no progress at this point ? A VITAL COXSIDKKATIOX. Must ovorything stop wlron Detroit is reached in winter, and be delayed at all times of tho year by a throe-fourths of a mile forriage 't Wül this city, can this city, quietly submit to tbis ? Shall every raih-oad leadiug to it bo stranglod and becomo incapable of inaintaining itsell whilo tho ever open and rival linos shall live and thrive upon their natural business ? ShalL tho route by Detroit cease to be a thoroughfare i'or travel and business as the other routes beeome more perfect in. all their appointmeuts beeause they can run trains continuouBly and without delay or trouble, whilo here there erists sometiines a barrier which eannot be overeóme and which is always troublefjome and inconvenient ? Thia eannot but be the inevitable result. TH IC CÖN8EQTENCE8. The world will progresa in other diroctions. Itivul cities will avail themselves of their advantages and proflt by our disadvantagos until the remedy will como too late, and other places will have acquirod the pre-eminence and advantages which Detroit will deliberately have thrown away. It requirea but little of experienee to aee that such a reault ia as sure a's the progresa of things, and many years cannot pasa away before it will bo realized. DETBOIT'S I1EST l'RIENDS. I shall allude to other advantages lost. by reason of the difticulty of passing the rivcr at Detroit, almost equally important, hereaftcr. For the present I will only say that the men connoctod with tho central road, and therefore largely interestod in tho prosperity of Detroit, liiivo made tho best effort in their power. ïhey havo prcvonted vory important Unes, such as tho Grand Iliver Valley and the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw, frora falling into tho liands of rival roads thus far, and taken control of them to bring their business to Detroit, and mako the country along them tributary to its prosperity. Thoy havo built tho Bay City lïoad to givo Detroit tho best connection with all the northern part of the State, and the Lansing lioad to bring it into connection with the northwost. Tüo whole may havo been in vain, and certainly will havo boen so if the Detroit River ia to remain the barrier in the way of business it is at present. SELF-EVIDENT EA0T8. In tho railroad world, as elsewhero, all the weaker roads must, f rom tho naturo of things, fall into tho control of the strongor onos. This is the very nature of things. Competition, by reason of the roads loading to Toledo, has weakcned the strength and power of the Central Eoad, and uot much moro is required now to paralyzo it. Let the barrier at Dotroit continue and tho coinbinations it has mado to bring business over its Unes may, itnd probably will, fall to pieces. The roada tributary to it now will probably fall into tho hands of its rival Unes, and other large sections of tho State will be controlled iu favor of rival cities. It does not need a prophet to foretell the rcsult. The signs of tho times are too apparent for sensible men who will observo to mistake them. LET CITIZEXS WEIGH THE SUBJECT. It may doubtless be said that these statements are made to accomplish a purpose. Therefore, I say, lot no man giVe any weight to them because they are made by me. Lot them contémplate the facts statod whioh undoniable. Let them open their eyes to the tendency to which these facts indícate, and none can be so blind as not to see the inevitable results, and that, too, in the very near future. With a perpetual barricr, and consequently a perpetual disadvantago hero, and the route by way of Detroit cannot be maintained, and year by year the advantages of other routes over it will become inoro and more apparent. The company commanded by its Board of Trado for its business will become more and moro restricted, and everywhere the comnotition of other cities will be more and more feit and with the cortain advantage always of easier and ovor open and less expensive routes through them to the great markets of the world. It does not require a prophet to foresee and forotèll a result so olear and inevitable as must come, for none who think are so blind as not to see it. We hopo it may bc avoided, and that while all other routes are improving, those through this city inay be kept abreast with them and the present preeminence of our beautiful city inaintained. But this can only be done by the city itself. The railroads are powerful without its aid. If it shall sleep and will not be feit, there is nothing of hope in the futuro till all is lost. I shall, íf my timo shall admit, discuss the intercsts connected with this question, and, notwithstanding the report of the government board, shall expect to show that thero can be no suoh in jury to navigation as ought to override the interest of the city, the State and the West, as well as the raihoads in the bridge of the river.