Excerpt from The Pacific Railroads and the Disappearance of the Frontier in America Another illustration is found in the rivalry between different means of transportation. The introduction of the Conestoga wagon was opposed by the owners of pack horses. Both of these interests united with the interests represented by plank roads, turnpikes, and canals in opposition to the railway. More or less of this rivalry has con tinned into our own times. Probably every State in the Union has material for a chapter upon this subject, ...
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Excerpt from The Pacific Railroads and the Disappearance of the Frontier in America Another illustration is found in the rivalry between different means of transportation. The introduction of the Conestoga wagon was opposed by the owners of pack horses. Both of these interests united with the interests represented by plank roads, turnpikes, and canals in opposition to the railway. More or less of this rivalry has con tinned into our own times. Probably every State in the Union has material for a chapter upon this subject, yet in scarcely half a dozen of them has it been collected and wrought into a complete and accu rate history. This is an important history - important not only be cause of the knowledge which it affords regarding our industrial development, but also because of the bearing of this history upon con temporary movements. The revival of our inland waterways has already been made a national issue. Before we enter upon a scheme of internal improvements, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. We Should most assuredly inform ourselves with respect to the limita tions and possibilities of that scheme. The past throws valuable Side lights upon this subject, both in the United States and in Europe. A mere sentimental appeal to waterways as a regulator of railway rates that would justify undertakings of greatest magnitude is nonsense. Waterways never have regulated railway rates. They have influenced them, sometimes to the extent of demoralization; but to in uence is not to regulate. At no time in the history of internal improvements in the United States has it been more vital to obtain a. Technical basis for our projects than at present. First of all, engineers of highest attainment and absolute integrity must tell us whether a certain project is possible from an engineering standpoint, and as accurately as possible what it will cost to complete it. Next, we must have a careful survey of the commerce of the country with a view of deter mining how much it, may reasonably be expected to gain from the con templated improvement. Finally, having these facts before us, the people of this country may be left to decide for themselves whether they desire to have a certain improvement undertaken or not. Simply. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at ... This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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