Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-08-12
VOL. Ii.
Mr. CALHOUN made the following
REPORT:
ITO accompany bill S. No, 2l6,)

Go accompany bill S. No. 2l6.)
The Special Committee, TO lohom was re
Jerred The immortal of the Memphi
Connection, hare had The same undei
consideration, and submit for The con
sideration Of the Senate the foilowins
report:
IT appears, from the memorial, that the
convention met in Memphis, Tennessee
in November last; that it consisted of five
hundred and eighty three members from
the States of Pennsylvania, Virginia, the
two Carolinas, Florida, Alabama, Louisi.
ana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Ar
kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Ind
ana, Ohio, and the Territory of Iowa, ma
king sixteen States and one Territory; and
tina! its object was TO confer on The meas.
ures which should be adopted for the de.
pelopment of the resources of the valley of
the Mississippi, and the adjacent States on
the Gulf of Mexico and The Atlantic coast.
Ii also appears that its deliberations ter
minated in the adoption of twenty resoIu.
lions, among which the most prominent
relates to the Improvement of the nayiga.
ton of the Mississippi and its great nayiga.
Bile tributaries, including the deepening
of the bar at its mouth, and its connexion
with the lakes by ship canal; the securi.
ty and defence of the commerce between
the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast; ;
the reclamation, by embarkments, of the
public lands subject to inundations on the
Mississippi and its tributaries, and the CON
neXon of its valley aud the southern AT.
lanIlc States by a system of railroads.
What your committee propose Is to pre-.
sent its views on each of these subjects,
taking them in the order in which they
stand.
OF these several objects, the improve
ment of the navigation of the Mississippi,
including its great navigable tributaries, is
by far the most important, and has accord
ingly received their particular attention.
That great stream is the channel through
which, by the aid OF steam, cheap and
speedy transit and intercourse are effected,
not only between all parts Of its immense
valley, but also between il and the rest Of
the Union and the commercial world
And to this cheap and speedy transit and
intercourse are TO be attributed, even more
than to its fertile soil and great resources,
IFS almost miraculous increase in popula- |
ton, and improvement. SO great have
they been, that what sixty years ago was
one vast region, with little exception, of
forest and prairies, over which few hun.
dred thousand saVages wandered, has now
a population but lille less than nine mil
lions, with great and furnishing cities,
abounding in opulence, refined in manners,
aud possessed Of all the comforts and even
elegance Of old and polished communities.
But, as great as this increase and i'm
proyement have been, they are nothing
compared to what may be expected in the
next sixty years. They advance with an
accelerated rapidly. The whole popua-
ton in the entire region drained BY the
Mississippi did not, according to the first
census, 1900 exceed 100000. Accord.
Ing 10 that OF 1900 it had increased, in
round numbers, TO 100000. In 1910 it
had increasd, TO like numbers, TO l,37O,-
600; in 1920, 2,5S0,000; in 1880, to
4I9t 900; in 1910, to $4,000; and in
1916, to S,020,000, eslimeled according
10 the rat o of increase between the cen.
Sus OF $50 and that Of 1910. EST mating
It al the same rate, it would in 1856 ex.
coed twenty millions; and in 1866, for
ty Millions II is however, scarcely pos.
eblo for the increase to keep pace with
The present ratio; bat, alter making ample
allowance for its reiardatlon with the n. I
crease of population it may be regarded as
sale calculation that the population OF
The valley will reach twenty five millions
10 the mex; twenty years, forty in the |
next forty years, and sixty in the next y
sixty years, unless some shock should oc-
cur which would convuIse or overthrow {
our political institutions. S
But, as rapid as has been the increase {
d It's population, lis commerce has been {
sui more 50. 1t is stated, on what may {
Dc regarded as good authority that, so {
late as 1877, "the whole commerce from {
New Orleans to the upper country was '
lNitNh w hbhut lNGhAJ bul HN1 VI Out
hundred tons each, and making but one t
Vlp per year. The number Of keelboas d
employed on the upper Ohio could not have .
exceeded one hundred and fifty, of thirty t
IONS each, and making the trip from Pits a
OlFg to Louisville and back again in two s
months, and about thrice 10 the season. c
d Inc tonnage of all boats ascending the ?
Valo and the lower Mississippi was hen t
S0onl $500" The same authority states S
we number Of steamboats, employed in r
MHgauag the Mississippi and its tr'buta- /
Hss IN 1913 to four hundred and fifty, d
ue'f average tonnage TO be about two hun. r
XIV 'heIr aggregate tonnage TO be nlnty S
51PmgSand; their value per ton TO be eighty $
- ..s,c their aggregate value to be seven
MNuun two hund.ed thnusa nd dollars. the y