TEHTJANTEPEC SHIP RAILWAY / / "// /w A REVIEW OF ITS GEOGRAPHICAL, COMMER- CIAL AND POLITICAL FEATURES AND ADVANTAGES. ILLUSTRATED WITH SEVEN DIAGRAMS. f By ALEX. D. ANDERSON, AUTHOR OF “MEXICO FROM THE MATERIAL STANDPOINT,” AND “THE MISSISSIPPI AND TRIBUTARIES.” NEW YORK : BOWNE & CO., PRINTERS, 124 Pearl Street. 3 S'5.;.| CENTER OF THE WORLD’S COMMERCE. ' 4 y o 0 0 a/ AS A CENTER OF THE WORLD’S COMMERCE. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is a natural and central gateway for com- merce between the two great oceans of the world. As may be seen by reference to the foregoing diagram, vessels can go from this Isthmus in a direct course to nearly every important port of the world. In this respect it is far superior to the Isthmus of Suez. I'he contrast between the American Isthmus, considered as a whole, and that of Egypt was very clearly stated in a recent official report on In- teroceanic Communication by Lieutenant Sullivan of the United States Navy, who said : “ It is to be noted that the Isthmus of Suez is but the center of the old continent ; the American Isthmus is the center of the oceans.” The contrast between the Mexican and Panama divisions of the Ameri- can Isthmus is ecpially favorable to Tehuantepec, for vessels coming from the Pacific across that Isthmus can go in a direct line to the mouth of the Mississippi, Galveston, Mobile, Pensacola, Vera Cruz and other Gulf ports, 'while those crossing Panama would have to take a roundabout course to reach the same destinations. It is located midway between North and South America, the two coasts of America, Europe and Eastern Asia, and Europe and Australia. It is a commercial gateway between Europe and the west coast of America, New York and the Orient, New York and Australia, the Mississippi Val- ley and the Orient, the Mississippi Valley and Australia, the Mississippi Valley and the west coast of America, the West Indies and the countries surrounding the Pacific. 4 AS A COAST LINE. Both Mexico and North America above the Isthmus of Tehuantepec are wedge-shaped, the two coasts of each converging at that point as an apex. Hence a transit line for ships across that narrow Isthmus will prac- tically unite the two coasts and make them continuous. By reference to the following diagram it will be seen that the Florida-Tehuantepec route between the leading ports of each side of America, hugs the coast all the way except where it crosses an inland sea — the Gulf of Mexico. It sur- rounds the two leading Republics of North America — Mexico and the United States — and is under the protection of their forts all the way. The comparative distances between New York and San Francisco, in statute miles, are as ofhcially measured by the United States Coast Sur- vey, as follows : statute Miles. Via Florida-Telmantepec 4,725 “ Isthmus of Panama 6,057 “ Cape Horn 15,672 The saving of distance between these two ports byway of Tehuantepec, is then as follows : statute Miles. Less than Panama route (each way) 1,832 “ “ “ “ (round trip) 2,664 “ “ Cape Horn route (each way) 10,947 “ “ “ “ “ (round trip) 21,894 AS A COAST LINE. 6 AS A SHORT LINE FROM NEW YORK TO THE PACIFIC. The assertion that an all-water line between New York and the Pacific, a thousand miles shorter than any existing transcontinental railway, may be constructed for the transit of ships will doubtless surprise the general reader. Nevertheless it is a fact, as is demonstrated by the diagram on the opposite page. The distances from New York to the Pacific by the various routes, is as follows,: statute Miles. Florida-Teliuantepec route 2, 232 Panama Route 2,315 Northern Pacific and connections 3,237 Central Pacific and connections 3,340 Canadian Pacific and connections 3,619 Southern Pacific and connections 3,709 Cape Horn route 7,897 The saving of distance between New York and the Pacific when the Florida Ship Canal and the Tehuantepec Ship Railway are open, will be as follows : statute Miles. Less than Panama route 83 Less than Northern Pacific route 1,005 Less than Central Pacific route . . 1,108 Less than Canadian Pacific route 1,387 Less than Southern Pacific route 1,477 Less than Cape Horn route . . 5,665 The above ocean distances are by the most direct steamer routes and ' were officially measured by the U. S. Coast Survey, and then reduced from nautical to statute miles in order to make a fair contrast with the land routes. It will be observed that the distance by way of Panama is nearly as short as by the Florida-Tehuantepec route, but in this connection the serious objections to the former route for sailing vessels should be borne in mind. Commander Selfridge, of the United States Navy, in an official report on the Darien Ship Canal, said : “ Lying near the equator, but generally a little north of it, is a belt some four or five degrees wide of calms, rains and light baffling winds, that separates the wind systems of the north Pacific from those of the south. Its average northern limit may be placed at 8^^ north and its southern at 3^^ north, but both are very variable. This is often spoken of as Distances from New York to the Pacific., By Rail. Stat. miles. Via Can. Pac. R. R. & Connections 3,619 “ No. “ “ “ “ “ 3,237 “ Cen. “ “ “ “ “ 3,340 “ So. “ “ “ “ “ 3,709 By Water. Via Florida-Teliuantepec Route. 2,232 “ Isthmus of Panama 2,315 “ Cape Horn 7,897 YORK Strutlic rs, Servuss & C»., Knar's, N. Y. AS A SHORT LINE FROM NEW YORK TO THE PACIFIC, 8 a ‘calm belt,’ which term is calculated to mislead one as to the nature of the weather to be expected within these limits. Neither does the term, ‘ region of variable winds,’ appear satisfactory, as it does not express the peculiar character of the weather. ' Doldrtmis' io be the correct word, for although it may be as some say, ‘ uncouth,’ it is the only single word that conveys to the mind of the seaman all that can be expressed by saying ‘ a region of calms, squalls, light baffling winds, and storms of wind and rain.’ ” ^ On this same subject Captain DeKraft, Hydrographer of the United States Bureau of Navigation, has recently stated as follows : “ In order to reach the region of the trade-winds, sailing vessels from Panama, bound to India, Japan, California or the northwest coast, in coming out of the bay and afterward making the necessary northing, will be obliged to make about six hundred miles through variable winds and vexatious calms, before finding themselves in as good a position to make their westing as the vessels leaving the coast of Nicaragua.” f That eminent authority on the physical geography of the sea, Lieut. M. F. Maury, says, after describing the winds and currents around the Ameri- can Isthmus : “You will observe at a glance that the Isthmus of Panama, or Darien, is, on account of these winds and calms, in a purely commer- cial point of view, the most out of the way place of any part of the Pacific coast of inter-tropical America.” J It may seem to one unfamiliar with the trade statistics of the foreign countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean that the Tehuantepec route from New York to the Pacific strikes that ocean too far south. On this point it may be well to examine the commercial records. The total annual foreign commerce ( exports and imports combined), of the various foreign countries resting directly upon the Pacific, and of India and Ceylon, is, according to the last annual report of our State De- partment, $1,725,625,000 in value. This is exclusive of the west coast of Mexico and Central America. Of this total foreign commerce ^508,249,- 000, or 30 per cent., belongs to countries on latitudes north of Tehuante- pec, and $1,217,376,000, or 70 per cent., to countries either south of the latitude of Tehuantepec, or in reaching which one must sail south of that latitude. To illustrate the point in another way, the annual foreign com- merce of Japan, which is northwest from Tehuantepec, is $56,916,000 in value, while that of Australasia, on the southwest, is $253,600,000 in value. * House Mis. Doc. No. 113, Forty-second Congress, Third Session, p. 231. f From letter in N. Y. Herald, September 29, 1880. f Statement by Lieut. Collins, U. S. N., before House Committee on Inter-oceanic Canals, February 28, 1880. Page 41 of testimony. 9 AS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE MISSISSIPPI. The Mississippi River and its forty-two navigable tributaries border or intersect (as may be seen by a glance at the accompanying diagram), twenty-one states and territories, of which fourteen constitute what are known as Mississippi Valley States These rivers have a present total navigation of 15,710 miles. The cross marks on the diagram indicate the heads of navigation. Of the total corn produced in the United States during the year 1879, 1,263,348,700 bushels, or 81 per cent., was raised in these fourteen valley states. Of the total wheat produced during the same year they supplied 289,708,550 bushels, or 64 per cent. According to the census of 1880 the centre of population of the United States is near the centre of this great valley. But at present there is no direct steamship communication be- tween the mouth of the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean. Vessels from New Orleans to San Francisco must now sail around the extremity of South America, a distance of 16,018 statute miles. When the Ship Railway is complete the distance will be but 3,576 miles, a saving of 12,442 miles each way, or 24,884 on the round trip. As may be seen by reference to the diagram, the shortest possible way of reaching the Pacific from New Orleans is the water route via Tehuan- tepec, the distance being 1,080 statute miles, while the land route to the Pacific at San Francisco is 2,495 miles. In other words, the Tehuantepec Ship Railway will practically prolong the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, and bring the Mississippi Val- ley into direct water communication with the Orient, Australia and the west coast of Central and South America. m AS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE MISSISSIPPI. 11 AS A STRATEaiC POINT. The railway system of the United States, which now amounts to 125,- 000 miles, has during the past year been extended to the City of Mexico by the completion of the Mexican Central road from El Paso to the City of Mexico. A second line, the Mexican National, is already half com- plete between Laredo and the City of Mexico, and three other lines are pro- jected from the Rio Grande to the Mexican capital. These five lines are to be prolonged southward to Tehuantepec by a line already projected, thereby placing that Isthmus within easy reach of the troops of the two sister republics, should they ever have occasion to defend it against an attack by European powers. By water, also, the Isthmus is equally accessible to the troops of Mex- ico and the United States by steamers through an inland sea which may easily be closed against the navies of Europe by ironclads at the two passes between the Atlantic and the Gulf. These remarkable advantages as a de- fensive point may be seen by a glance at the diagram on the following page. It is in this respect in marked contrast with the Isthmus of Panama, which would be exposed to the navies of Europe. The contrast between the two routes is equally favorable to Tehuante- pec in point of health. As is well known, Panama is remarkably un- healthy, and the sending of our troops there to die of the fevers which prevail in that tropical climate would be but little short of murder. As- suredly no far fetched construction of the Monroe Doctrine would justify such action. On the contrary, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is, comparatively speak- ing, remarkably healthy. In Williams’ report of the Survey of 1851, after reviewing in detail the climate, he concludes as follows : “ The conviction in the minds of those engaged in drawing up this Report, and one founded on a residence upon the spot, is that the climate of the Isthmus is a mild and healthy one, favorable to longevity, and free from many diseases inci- dental to more temperate latitudes. The health of those engaged on the survey was unusually good during their entire stay, and although fre- quently, by accidents, wetted to the skin, and remaining in wet clothes the whole day, and this occurring on successive days, with limited food at long intervals, yet none suffered in consequence — a strong proof that their health was due to the favorable climate.”* Doctor Kovaleski, one of the surgeons who accompanied this surveying party, testifies to the same effect in his report. Of the northern division of the Isthmus he says : I took particular care to inquire among the in- habitants what were the diseases from which they most suffered, and how * Barnard and Williams’ Survey, p. 172. AS A STRATEGIC POINT, strangers settling among them were affected, and 1 ascertained beyond doubt that not only Minatitlan, but the whole plain of the Coatzacoalcos River, wherever inhabited, was a remarkably healthy country. Not a sin- gle case of yellow fever has ever occurred in Minatitlan, or any other part of the Coatzacoalcos plain, although in the years from 1829 to 1832, when the French emigrants attempted to form a colony on the Isthmus, the nunber of unacclimated strangers were considerable in the country, and they were exposed to every kind of privation and suffering.”* Of the middle division, or mountainous district, he says : “This entire region, for its salubrity, cannot be surpassed by any country whatever,” and adds that three villages in the table-lands are patronized as health re- sorts by people from Oaxaca and other Mexican states, f Of the Pacific plains he continues : “ Although the mean temperature of this valley is higher than that of the plain of Coatzacoalcos, it enjoys a degree of salubrity not inferior to that of the regions of the mountains.! In conclusion, he says of the whole Isthmus : “All these three regions together form a broad surface of country, from the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of the Pacific, of a great variety of resources and of remarkable healthiness, a feature peculiar to the Isthmus, as the lands on both of its sides are very unhealthy — such as Vera Cruz and Tabasco on the Gulf, Acapulco, Huatulco, and the coast of Guatemala on the Pacific shore. This peculiar and exclusive salubrity of the Isthmus is, in my opinion, chiefly due to its configuration, which forms, as it were, a gate, walled on both sides by heavy masses of mountains, through which pass currents of air, that render the country they traverse so permanently salubrious. That the winds prevail only within the limits of the Isthmus, and not within a few miles on either side of it, I am informed from most reliable sources.” Surgeon J. C. Spear of the U. S. Navy, who was a member of Commo- dore Shufeldt’s surveying party in 1870-1, testifies in his report: “It is the boast of the inhabitants that yellow fever has never visited them.” Of the temperature he says : “ Frost is never seen on the Isthmus, and none of the mountain peaks in sight from any point have snow on them, even in winter. The temperature in the summer never rises very high, rarely above ninety degrees.” If cases of yellow fever have occurred during the past two years it is believed they were exceptional. The weight of authority proves that the Isthmus is, as contrasted with ’Panama, remarkably healthy. * Barnard and Williams’ Survey, p. 174. f Ditto, p. 176. t Ditto, p. 177. 15 AS A GATEWAY TO OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE OF THE SECOND CENTURY. A few weeks before his assassination, President Garfield said in an ad- dress to the graduating class at Annapolis : “ The Pacific is yet to be opened, and you gentlemen will be the ones to scout it for as. Before long you will sail through the Isthmus to open up thfe Pacific.” 'Phe sig- nificance of this remark will be appreciated when we gUnce at our trade statistics. Of our annual exports 81 per cent, go to Europe and adjacent countries on the east, and but four per cent. *to Pacific countries on the west. This one-sided nature of our commerce as a result of a hundred years of trade may be seen by a glance at the opposite diagram, showing the general course of steamship lines as laid down on Berghaus’ chart of the world in 1879. Veiwed from another standpoint the facts are equally one-sided and call for some immediate and comprehensive steps toward relief. The total annual foreign commerce (exports and imports combined) of the various countries surrounding the Pacific (exclusive of British India), are as stated in the last annual report of our State Department, as follows in value: Australasia . China. Hong Kong Straits Settlements Dutch India Chili Japan Ceylon Peru Philipine Islands . . Ecuador ... Hawaiian Islands. . $ 253 , 600,000 . 223 , 349,000 . 200 , 051,000 138 , 838,000 . 116 , 387,000 . 73 , 582,000 . 56 , 916,000 . 43 , 889,000 . 40 , 000,000 . 36 , 845,000 . 20,000,000 . 11 , 433,000 Total $ 1 , 204 , 890,000 Of this grand total the United States controls but $81, 171, 000, or less than 7 per cent., hence the transcendant importance of opening the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, to bring this too long and disgracefully neglected 16 commerce into direct water communication with the Mississippi Valley, New York and the other ports of our Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 'hhe grand results which will inevitably follow may be illustrated by the following diagram : ADDITIONS TO BE MADE DURING THE SECOND CENTURY. 17 TRIBUTARY COMMERCE. In an elaborate paper on the “ Canal Projects of the Day,” published in the Nautical Magazine of London, in 1883, the author, Mr. Newcome, pays the following emphatic tribute to the route under consideration ; “To commerce between New York and the East the advantages of the Florida-Tehuantepec route are manifest, as compared with the Panama line. The saving in distance to Honolulu and the Japanese and Chinese ports will be enormous — at the very least a thousand miles ; while, as regards local trade between ports on the Gulf of Mexico and those along the Northern Pacific, all attempts at comparison are out of the question. A glance at a large map of the world will reveal the immeasurable superiority of his route; indeed, supposing it to be successfully completed, it is difficult to perceive what commerce could select the Panama and Nicaragua routes.” In estimating the amount or value of commerce which may be tributary to the Tehuantepec route, when open, it should constantly be borne in mind that this route is not to be judged by statistical precedents, but by new conditions. The inter-ocean tonnage between the Atlantic and Pacific restricted by past and present barriers is no guide for the future. Mr. Nimmo, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics, in his estimate, in 1880, of the total tonnage which might have passed through the Panama canal if open, dealt with the unfavorable conditions of the past and present. For this reason it is not a satisfactory estimate of the tonnage which may, under new and more favorable conditions, patronize the Tehuantepec route. To the estimate he gave should be added, First. — The natural increase of tributary commerce during the few years preceding the completion of the Ship Railway. Second. — The exceptional increase arising from the opening of direct water communication between the Mississippi River and Valley and the Pacific Ocean. At present, as was stated on a previous page, the total annual foreign commerce of the nations resting directly upon the Pacific is $1,204,890,000 in value, of which the United States controls less than 7 per cent. When these nations are brought into direct communication with our_Gulf and Atlantic ports the increase of trade will be very rapid. Third. — The new tonnage arising from direct water communication between the two coasts of Mexico. At present there is no inter- communication either by rail or water. 18 Fourth. — The new tonnage arising from direct water communication between Havana and the Pacific Coast. Fifth. — The increased exports of wheat from our Pacific States to Europe, which now have to go around distant Cape Horn. Sixth. — The immense new coastwise trade between the two coasts of the United States, which will inevitably follow the opening of direct water communication. The Florida-Tehuantepec route, being the only one which crosses the Gulf and hugs the coast, will have in this respect an amount of tributary commerce which no other route could claim. These are but part of the new conditions which the opening of the Tehuantepec route will create, but they are sufficient to show that its tributary commerce is not to be limited by precedent. OPINIONS OF AMERICAN STATESMEN. In 1847, during the negotiations between the two Republics, which finally resulted in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848^ James Buchanan, then Secretary of State, sent the following instructions to Nicholas P. Trist, the Commissioner of the United States at the City of Mexico : “ Instead of fifteen millions of dollars stipulated to be paid by the fifth article for the extension of our boundary over New Mexico and Upper and Lower California, you may increase the amount to any sum not exceeding thirty millions of dollars, payable by instalments of three mill- ions per annum, provided the right of passage and transit across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, secured to the United States by the eighth arti- cle of the projet, shall form a part of the treaty.”* In 1850, Daniel Webster, while Secretary of State, said in a letter to the United States minister at Mexico ; “The American public at large has a great and obvious interest in the Tehuantepec passage. ”t In another letter in 1851, Mr. Webster said : “ No one can fail to see how exceedingly important this communication would be to the Govern- ment of Mexico. It proposes to give her a practical highway from sea to * Sen. Exec. Doc. 60, Thirtieth Congress, 1st session, p. 44. f Sen. Exec. Doc. 97, Thirty-second Congress, 1st session. 19 sea. It opens to her a communication on the one side and the other with the Eastern and the Western World. It gives her access to the markets of all nations, and makes her, in short, a central point of the commerce of modern times. In 1851, President Fillmore said, in his message to Congress : “ In negotiating upon this important subject, this Government has had in view one, and only one, object. That object has been and is the con- struction or attainment of a passage from ocean to ocean, the shortest and the best for travelers and merchandise, and equally open to all the world. It has sought to obtain no territorial acquisition nor any advantages peculiar to itself, and it would see with the greatest regret that Mexico should oppose any obstacle to the accomplishment of an enterprise which promises so much convenience to the whole commercial world and such eminent advantages to Mexico herself. Impressed with these sentiments and these convictions, the Government will continue to exert all proper efforts'^to bring about the necessary arrangement with the Republic of Mexico for the speedy completion of the work.” In 1857, Lewis Cass, while Secretary of State, said in an official letter : “ The proximity of the Isthmus to our shores, the salubrity of the climate, the adaptness of the ground for the construction of a railroad, and the great diminution of distance in comparison with more southern routes between our Atlantic and Pacific possessions, all conspire to point it out as far preferable to any other route outside of our own territory.” In 1859, during the administration of President Buchanan, while a treaty of transits and commerce was under negotiation between the two sister Republics, Mexico and the United States Secretary of State Cass wrote in his instructions to Mr. McLane, then United States Minister at the City of Mexico : “ For these grants and for the cession of Lower California as you have already been informed, the United States are willing to pay the sum of ten million dollars, two millions of which to be reserved for the payment of the claims of American citizens against Mexico and the residue shall be paid over to the proper authorities of that Republic.” The transit lines here referred to were the Tehuantepec route and one or two lines across northern Mexico to the Pacific. In another part of the same letter of instructions. Secretary Cass wrote : “ But these works when completed will be of incalculable advantage to the Republic of Mexico by the improvement and prosperity they will necessarily introduce. They will facilitate commerce through the country 20 and stimulate industry and enterprise to new exertions, bringing with them increased rewards. The completion of s.uch works by Mexico her- self, even by the aid of public contributions if necessary, instead of deriving a pecuniary consideration from the grants, would be a wise act, fully justified by the results. But the United States are willing, as I have said, in consideration of the benefits their citizens would derive from them, to contribute in the mode indicated, to the accomplishment of these objects.” Of course the purchase of territory from Mexico was an impossibility, as against the well settled policy of that country, so the negotiations were limited to the subject of transit lines, and on this point Minister McLane said, in one of his dispatches to the State Department at Washington : “Exercising my own discretion and judgment I would appropriate five million dollars to the transits.” THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED BY MEXICO. In her new material development Mexico has most cordially invited the co-operation of citizens of the United States, as may be seen by a glance at the various railway concessions during the past few years. In a special report in 1879 the Mexican Secretary of Finance said : “Facts demonstrate that, far from the Mexican nation or the Government thinking it dangerous to grant railroad or other concessions to North American citizens, these have constantly received them.” ^ ^ ^ ^ “ The number of concessions granted for the building of railroads since 1865, up till this date, in favor of companies or private parties belonging to the United States, shows that, far from there having been jealousy or want of will on the part of Mexico, with respect to citizens of the United States, they have received the greatest number of concessions that has been granted in favor of citizens of any other foreign nationality, or even Mexicans, if the contracts recently entered into with the several State governments be excepted, admitting that nineteen concessions have been granted to citizens of the United States, while all concessions granted to persons of other nationalities since then are but fourteen, of which four were given to foreigners and the rest to Mexicans.” Since 1879, this friendly policy of Mexico toward citizens of the United States, has been emphasized by the grant of many new and important concessions. 21 Of the concessions relating to Tehuantepec the one to Capt. James B. Eads, and at least six previous ones, were to citizens of the United States, None were given in the first instance to citizens of Great Britain, and only by transfer in two instances did British subjects secure conces- sions, both of which afterwards became null and void. The publicly expressed sentiments of many of Mexico’s most distin- guished statesmen during the past few years afford still further evidence of their friendly feeling and desire for our co-operation in the material transformations and advancement of their country. Sound public policy requires that the two sister republics of North America continue to co-operate, as they have in the past, in the control of the route which is a connecting link between their respective coasts. IMPENDINa DANGERS FROM NEGLECT, In 1803, when Napoleon I. could not hold Louisiana Territory against the power of England, he concluded to sell it to the United States. During the negotiations on this subject he foreshadowed his action by the following remark to one of his counsellors: To emancipate nations from the commercial tyranny of England it is necessary to balance her influence by a maritime power that may one day become her rival ; that power is the United States. The English aspire to dispose of all the riches of the world. I shall be useful to the whole universe if I can prevent their ruling America as they rule Asia.”"^ In a subsequent conversation with two of his ministers, on the 10th of April, 1803, on the subject of the proposed cession, he said, in speaking of England: “They shall not have the Mississippi, which they covet.” In accordance with this conclusion, on the 30th day of the same month, the sale was made to the United States. When informed that his instructions had been carried out and the treaty consummated, he remarked: “ This accession of territory strengthens forever the power of the United States, and I have just given to England a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her pride.” A similar principle is involved in the control of the concession for the Marbois’ History of Louisiana, p. 260. 22 transportation of ships across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which, as we have shown, is a supplement of the Mississippi, and connects it with the Pacific Ocean, The United States cannot afford by inaction to let a European rival secure such a commercial advantage. It is sufficiently unfortunate that all but one of the forty principal West India islands are controlled by foreign powers, chiefly European, and not even that one, which is an independent republic, owned by the United States. But it would be humiliating to see England come inside the Gulf, which is nearly surrounded by the two sister Republics, and secure com- mercial advantages which naturally belong to America. Tehuantepec is for all practical purposes a supplement of the Missis- sippi River, and a British toll-gate at that point is something truly alarm- ing. In an elaborate article on America in the North A77ierica7i Review in 1878, Gladstone, in contrasting the commercial future of England and the United States, said : ‘‘ It is she alone who at a coming time can and probably will wrest from us that commercial primacy. We have no title — I have no inclination to murmur at the prospect. If she acquires it she will make the acquisition by the right of the strongest ; but in this instance the strongest means the best. She will probably become what we are now, the head servant in the great household of the world, the employer of all employed, because her service will be the most and the ablest. We have no more title against her than Venice or Genoa or Holland has had against us.” There is no better way to facilitate the attainment of the “ commercial primacy” here prophesied than by keeping under American control this supplement of the Mississippi and key to the Gulf.