the paths of inland commerce-第2节

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Century　Limited。

We　may　understand　something　of　what　the　lure　of　the　West　meant　to　Washington　when　we　learn　that　in　order　to　carry　out　his　proposed　journey　after　the　Revolution；　he　was　compelled　to　refuse　urgent　invitations　to　visit　Europe　and　be　the　guest　of　France。　〃I　found　it　indispensably　necessary；〃　he　writes；　〃to　visit　my　Landed　property　West　of　the　Apalacheon　Mountains。。。。　One　object　of　my　journey　being　to　obtain　information　of　the　nearest　and　best　communication　between　Eastern　&　Western　waters；　&　to　facilitate　as　much　as　in　me　lay　the　Inland　Navigation　of　the　Potomack。〃

On　September　1；　1784；　Washington　set　out　from　Mount　Vernon　on　his　journey　to　the　West。　Even　the　least　romantic　mind　must　feel　a　thrill　in　picturing　this　solitary　horseman；　the　victor　of　Yorktown；　threading　the　trails　of　the　Potomac；　passing　on　by　Cumberland　and　Fort　Necessity　and　Braddock's　grave　to　the　Monongahela。　The　man；　now　at　the　height　of　his　fame；　is　retracing　the　trails　of　his　boyhoodcovering　ground　over　which　he　had　passed　as　a　young　officer　in　the　last　English　and　French　warbut　he　is　seeing　the　land　in　so　much　larger　perspective　that；　although　his　diary　is　voluminous；　the　reader　of　those　pages　would　not　know　that　Washington　had　been　this　way　before。　Concerning　Great　Meadows；　where　he　first　saw　the　〃bright　face　of　danger〃　and　which　he　once　described　gleefully　as　〃a　charming　place　for　an　encounter；〃　he　now　significantly　remarks：　〃The　upland；　East　of　the　meadow；　is　good　for　grain。〃　Changed　are　the　ardent　dreams　that　filled　the　young　man's　heart　when　he　wrote　to　his　mother　from　this　region　that　singing　bullets　〃have　truly　a　charming　sound。〃　Today；　as　he　looks　upon　the　flow　of　Youghiogheny；　he　sees　it　reaching　out　its　finger　tips　to　Potomac's　tributaries。　He　perceives　a　similar　movement　all　along　the　chain　of　the　Alleghanies：　on　the　west　are　the　Great　Lakes　and　the　Ohio；　and　reaching　out　towards　them　from　the　east；　waiting　to　be　joined　by　portage　road　and　canal；　are　the　Hudson；　the　Susquehanna；　the　Potomac；　and　the　James。　He　foresees　these　streams　bearing　to　the　Atlantic　ports　the　golden　produce　of　the　interior　and　carrying　back　to　the　interior　the　manufactured　goods　of　the　seaboard。　He　foresees　the　Republic　becoming　homogeneous；　rich；　and　happy。　〃Open　ALL　the　communication　which　nature　has　afforded；〃　he　wrote　Henry　Lee；　〃between　the　Atlantic　States　and　the　Western　territory；　and　encourage　the　use　of　them　to　the　utmost。。。and　sure　I　am　there　is　no　other　tie　by　which　they　will　long　form　a　link　in　the　chain　of　Federal　Union。〃

Crude　as　were　the　material　methods　by　which　Washington　hoped　to　accomplish　this　end；　in　spirit　he　saw　the　very　America　that　we　know　today；　and　he　marked　out　accurately　the　actual　pathways　of　inland　commerce　that　have　played　their　part　in　the　making　of　America。　Taking　the　city　of　Detroit　as　the　key　position；　commercially；　he　traced　the　main　lines　of　internal　trade。　He　foresaw　New　York　improving　her　natural　line　of　communication　by　way　of　the　Mohawk　and　the　Niagara　frontier　on　Lake　Eriethe　present　line　of　the　Erie　Canal　and　the　New　York　Central　Railway。　For　Pennsylvania；　he　pointed　out　the　importance　of　linking　the　Schuylkill　and　the　Susquehanna　and　of　opening　the　two　avenues　westward　to　Pittsburgh　and　to　Lake　Erie。　In　general；　he　thus　forecast　the　Pennsylvania　Canal　and　the　Pennsylvania　and　the　Erie　railways。　For　Maryland　and　Virginia　he　indicated　the　Potomac　route　as　the　nearest　for　all　the　trade　of　the　Ohio　Valley；　with　the　route　by　way　of　the　James　and　the　Great　Kanawha　as　an　alternative　for　the　settlements　on　the　lower　Ohio。　His　vision　here　was　realized　in　a　later　day　by　the　Potomac　and　the　Chesapeake　and　Ohio　Canal；　the　Cumberland　Road；　the　Baltimore　and　Ohio　Railway；　and　by　the　James…Kanawha　Turnpike　and　the　Chesapeake　and　Ohio　Railway。

Washington's　general　conclusions　are　stated　in　a　summary　at　the　end　of　his　Journal；　which　was　reproduced　in　his　classic　letter　to　Harrison；　written　in　1784。　His　first　point　is　that　every　State　which　had　water　routes　reaching　westward　could　enhance　the　value　of　its　lands；　increase　its　commerce；　and　quiet　the　democratic　turbulence　of　its　shut…in　pioneer　communities　by　the　improvement　of　its　river　transportation。　Taking　Pennsylvania　as　a　specific　example；　he　declared　that　〃there　are　one　hundred　thousand　souls　West　of　the　Laurel　Hill；　who　are　groaning　under　the　inconveniences　of　a　long　land　transportation。。。。　If　this　cannot　be　made　easy　for　them　to　Philadelphia。。。they　will　seek　a　mart　elsewhere。。。。　An　opposition　on　the　part　of　＇that＇　government。。。would　ultimately　bring　on　a　separation　between　its　Eastern　and　Western　settlements；　towards　which　there　is　not　wanting　a　disposition　at　this　moment　in　that　part　of　it　beyond　the　mountains。〃

Washington's　second　proposal　was　the　achievement　of　a　new　and　lasting　conquest　of　the　West　by　binding　it　to　the　seaboard　with　chains　of　commerce。　He　thus　states　his　point：　〃No　well　informed　mind　need　be　told　that　the　flanks　and　rear　of　the　United　territory　are　possessed　by　other　powers；　and　formidable　ones　　toonor　how　necessary　it　is　to　apply　the　cement　of　interest　to　　bind　all　parts　of　it　together；　by　one　indissoluble　bondparticularly　the　middle　States　with　the　Country　immediately　back　of　themfor　what　ties　let　me　ask；　should　we　have　upon　those　people；　and　how　entirely　unconnected　should　we　be　with　them　if　the　Spaniards　on　their　right　or　Great　Britain　on　their　left；　instead　of　throwing　stumbling　blocks　in　their　way　as　they　do　now；　should　invite　their　trade　and　seek　alliances　with　them？〃

Some　of　the　pictures　in　Washington's　vision　reveal；　in　the　light　of　subsequent　events；　an　almost　uncanny　prescience。　He　very　plainly　prophesied　the　international　rivalry　for　the　trade　of　the　Great　Lakes　zone；　embodied　today　in　the　Welland　and　the　Erie　canals。　He　declared　the　possibility　of　navigating　with　oceangoing　vessels　the　tortuous　two…thousand…mile　channel　of　the　Ohio　and　the　Mississippi　River；　and　within　sixteen　years　ships　left　the　Ohio；　crossed　the　Atlantic；　and　sailed　into　the　Mediterranean。　His　description　of　a　possible　insurrection　of　a　western　community　might　well　have　been　written　later；　it　might　almost　indeed　have　made　a　page　of　his　diary　after　he　became　President　of　the　United　States　and　during　the　Whiskey　Insurrection　in　western　Pennsylvania。　He　approved　and　encouraged　Rumsey's　mechanical　invention　for　propelling　boats　against　the　stream；　showing　that　he　had　a　glimpse　of　what　was　to　follow　after　Fitch；　Rumsey；　and　Fulton　should　have　overcome　the　mighty　currents　of　the　Hudson　and　the　Ohio　with　the　steamboat's　paddle　wheel。　His　proposal　that　Congress　should　undertake　a　survey　of　western　rivers　for　the　purpose　of　giving　people　at　large　a　knowledge　of　their　possible　importance　as　avenues　of　commerce　was　a　forecast　of　the　Lewis　and　Clark　expedition　as　well　as　of　the　policy　of　the　Government　today　for　the　improvement　of　the　great　inland　rivers　and　harbors。

〃The　destinies　of　our　country　run　east　and　west。　　Intercourse　between　the　mighty　interior　west　and　the　sea　coast　is　the　great　principle　of　our　commercial　prosperity。〃　　These　are　the　words　of　Edward　Everett　in　advocating　the　Boston　and　Albany　Railroad。　In　effect　Washington　had　uttered　those　same　words　half　a　century　earlier　when　he　gave　momentum　to　an　era　filled　with　energetic　but　unsuccessful　efforts　to　join　with　the　waters　of　the　West　the　　rivers　reaching　inland　from　the　Atlantic。　The　fact　that　American　engineering　science　had　not　in　his　day　reached　a　point　where　it　could　cope　with　this　problem　successfully　should　in　no　wise　lessen　our　admiration　for　the　man　who　had　thus　caught　the　vision　of　a　nation　united　and　unified　by　improved　methods　of　transportation。



CHAPTER　II。　The　Red　Man's　Trail

For　the　beginnings　of　the　paths　of　our　inland　commerce；　we　must　look　far　back　into　the　dim　prehistoric　ages　of　America。　The　earliest　routes　that　threaded　the　continent　were　the　streams　and　the　tracks　beaten　out　by　the　heavier　four…footed　animals。　The　Indian　hunter　followed　the　migrations　of　the　animals　and　the　streams　that　would　float　his　light　canoe。　Today　the　main　lines　of　travel　and　transportation　for　the　most　part　still　cling　to　these　primeval　pathways。

In　their　wanderings；　man　and　beast　alike　sought　the　heights；　the　passes　that　pierced　the　mountain　chains；　and　the　headwaters　of　navigable　rivers。　On　the　ridges　the　forest　growth　was　lightest　and　there　was　little　obstruction　from　fallen　timber；　rain　and　frost　caused　least　damage　by　erosion；　and　the　winds　swept　the　trails　clear　of　leaves　in　summer　and　of　snow　in　winter。　Here　lay　the　easiest　paths　for　the　heavy；　blundering　buffalo　and　the　roving　elk　and　moose　and　deer。　Here；　high　up　in　the　sun；　where　the　outlook　was　unobstructed　and　signal　fires　could　be　seen　from　every　direction；　on　the　longest　watersheds；　curving　around　river　and　swamp；　ran　the　earliest　travel　routes　of　the　aboriginal　inhabitants　and　of　their　successors；　the　red　men　of　historic　times。　For　their　encampments　and　towns　these　peoples　seem　to　have　preferred　the　more　sheltered　ground　along　the　smaller　streams；　but；　when　they　fared　abroad　to　hunt；　to　trade；　to　wage　war；　to　seek　new；　material　for　pipe　and　amulet；　they　followed　in　the　main　the　highest　ways。

If　in　imagination　one　surveys　the　eastern　hal