| Show THE GREAT LAKES ale a-le Question of an American Navy Upon Them SMUGGLING OPIUM FROM CANADA I Is Going On an Lively RateChinese are Being Brought In Illegally Investigating In-vestigating the Matter CHICAGO Jan 3Judge Richard Pren dergast in his inaugural address today as president of the Chicago Ship canal trustees trus-tees made some notable utterances After outlining the present status of the enterprise enter-prise and suggesting the immense waterpower water-power that would be created at the western edge of the city on Desplaines river making mak-ing possible the construction thereof there-of perhaps the greatest mills on the continent Judge Prendergast said the general subject of such waterway as it is tho policy of the state of Illinois to cooperate co-operate in constructing it includes a branch which in the peaceful and profitable days of commercial industrial and agricultural activities is not borne in mind by the masses of the people and yet which is important im-portant to all of them The judge refers to the restriction of our naval force on the great lakes by treaty with Great Britain made when the territories tributary tribu-tary from them were a mighty wilderness wilder-ness Now the lakes arc bordered with regions of dense population and great cities are all along their shores The British Canadian authorities at an expenditure ex-penditure of more than 200000000 have constructed a series of water ways between the lakes and the Atlantic seaboard of such dimensions that over one hundred and twentylive war vessels on the British naval list can pass into thegreat lakes and in addition it has been the policy of that government to foster the construction construc-tion of steel vessels for commercial purposes pur-poses to navigate Canadian waters susceptible suscept-ible of use as armed cruisers in case of hostilities He mentions the system of armament on I Vancouver island commanding Puget sound and says In addition to all this I as well as tho British military and naval stations that circle our country in other waters we have on our northern frontier a rich strong and vigorous country and a people bound by man ties to England presenting all along our borders a magnifi I cent system of offensive and defensive I de-fensive utilities and up to this hour the Government of the United States has done substantially nothing to meet or cop with hostile demonstration from this source The federal government has surveyed sur-veyed Lake Peoria which is but a widening of the Illinois river near the city of Peoria Peo-ria andnaval experts have pronounced it an adequate and available site for a government gov-ernment station for the construction maneuvering ma-neuvering and storing of torpedo boats Indeed most of the investigations and expenditures made by the federal government govern-ment in Illinois relating to the subject of ultimately perfecting accessibhty from the Mississippi river to Lake Michigan But of course such a station would bean absurdity in so far as it relrtes to the lakes without a channel for the passage of vessels from it to tho lakes and there is no doubt tho construction con-struction of a main channel aided by the logic of the situation and of events will compel the construction of the remainder of a water way by the federal government with among other things the construction of such a naval station near the city of Peoria Pe-oria After a resume of what he considers the tremendous probable commercial effects of the canal Judge Prendergast in conclusion conclu-sion said When Marquette Joliet La Sale and Hennepin made their weary marches to reach the river of De Sate they walked the way of destiny This valley region formerly the highway or waters I has become and must become more and more the highway of commerce I |
