The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-04-04
BY HISE g. OSMAN.
Valley Of she Mississippi.

The iollowing eloquent extract, descriptive OF
the extent and resources of the great American
Valley, and the difficulties and ols of life a,len-
dant upon the neglect of congress TO remove the
distinctions in its rivers is portion Of an address
recently made by ]. w. Tibba,ts, of Ky. The
occasion which induced it was the presentation
TO Mr.. T., by the commercial and river men Of
Cincinnati, Of splendid silver pitcher, as es-
tinonia of their appreciation of his eif,rts in
congress to procure appropriations for the pun
chase by the government of the Louisville and
Portland canal, and for the improvement Of the
navigable waters of the west:
"The vast extent and boundless resour-
ces Of the great valley Of the Mississippi
have been but little known abroad, and
scarcely estimated or realized among our
selves. Extending from Goth to the 47lh
deg, Of north latitude, and stretching from
the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains,
it embraces an era OF more than 100000
square miles Of land, unsurpassed in its
fertility, and unequaIled in its productions;
country intersecied in every direction
by magnificent and beautiful rivers, allor-
ding more than 1000 miles ofnavigabe
waters. Here we possess every thing
that man can ask for his comfort and in
dependance-mines of wealth untold
millions of riches in copper, and iron, and
lead, are in the bowels Of The earth, and
on the surface rich pastures gladden. the
eye Of the herdsman, we'll adapted 10 the
raising of cattle and sheep, and the growth
of wool, and lands fertile in the produc-
tons of hemp and flour, Of cotton and SUI
gar, corn and maize, and all the necessa-
ries and most of the luxuries of life; and
this country is inhabited by more than
six millions Of people, unsurpassed by
the inhabitants of any portion of the CT
vilizel world for industry and enterprise,
for talent, for honor, for courage, and for
all the qualities which elevate and adorn
human nature, and render man superior
being. Our resources are thus unboun-
ded, and our people capable of putting
them to the greatest advantage. Yet we
are not contcn,--our difficulties are the
result of the very abundance which is
yielded to our lab0rs; our productions
are vastly more than we can consume,
and VIC must find markets for them abroad;
our interchangeable merchants and traders
do accomplish this, let their difficulties be
what they may-your enierprlsing state
has already connected the waters of the
Ohio with those of the lakes, by means
ofnavigable canals and Indiana and Hi
nos will effect the same objcci-and our
citizens, by individual enterprise, are do
ing the same by means of rail road.
Bounliful as nature has been 10 us, some
thing still is left us 10 contend with and
surmount. DISTINCTIONS exis: in our ma
vigation which cannot be overcome by
individual or state enterprise, and we must
look to the national government for the
means. Such are the Falls Of the Ohio,
and the RATS and snags, and sawyers of
the Mississippi and its trbntaries-these
not only constitute distractions 10 our
commerce, bnt our enlerprising river men
arc in danger of their lives at every stroke
VI VIC piotOu VI OdI. hIilVHo vi pto-
perry have been lost and hundreds of lives
been sacrificed, by the neglect Of the ge-
neral government to make adequate ap-
preparations for the removal of these OBJ
slructions and the construction of harbOrs
on the western lakes. During the las,
session Of congress, whilst the western
appropriations were under discussion, it
seemed that hardly a mail arrived which
did not bring the news of some sad and
melancholy disaster upon our lakes or our
rivers-the very breezes which came over
the Alleghanies seemed to wait upon their
bosoms the death shrieks Of our hardy
and cnterprising navigators, as they sunk
and were buried in the waters ofthe lakes
OF Of the Mississippi-and the wall of the
widowed wives and orphen children seem
ed 10 accuse the rulers of the nation Of be.
ing the murderers of their husbands and
fathers, by neglectng to make the neces.
sary appropriations" 4s
eva Bennsifml Apaloguc.