Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1847-08-21
TO THE PEOPLE OF MISSOURI
" va EJ1No. 1lAEH Z tIldlfI1N

. me WItt6I VI WIS uuu uo ioitV"'S
L one Of the early settlers Of the State, sndhss
acquired BY actual observation and personal
inspection, some knowledge, geographically
speaking, Of nearly every part and parcel Of the
State; while considerable travel in every part Of y
the Union, has enabled him 10 make pretty
fair comparison between this and other States;
and he does not hesitate to declare his entire
conviction, that taking together The fertility oil
her soil, the healthiness Of her climate and the
inc xhaustible treasures Of wealth, TO be found
in her various Agricultural and Mineral resour.
ces, place Missouri in the first rank Of States;
indeed, it were but just to say, that in the opin'
ion Of the writer, she is--THE STATE oil tho
Union. This must, however, be understood as
comparison, made while in state Of nature.
for, by the improvements, made by the people
Of some Of our sisters, the advantages to their
residents are greatly superior to those enjoyed
by the citizens OF Missouri. 1t is true, that ours
is one OF the new and far west States, which
time has not afforded an opportunity, nor the
wealth of her citizens the means, 10 improve
the many natural advantages which she possesses,
in as ample a manner as some, even OF our
western neighbors; but while this is admitted,
the writer boldly asserts, that taking all these
things into consideration, we are greatly behind
all the States which entered the Union before
US, as well as several OF our Juniors in the Com
federacy. Indeed, in what is usually called in.
ternal Improvements, we have literally done
,,,th tho Mieeea-
ippi as our eastern boundary for near six hun.
bred, and the Missouri for four hundred miles
through our midst, yet so far as the State land
nearly so as to the nation) is concerned, they
remain entirely in state Of nature, containing
ell the distractions which have accumulated in
these turbid and unstable waters since the crea-
ton until now; and yet while there has been
general clamor amongst our people for the i'm.
provement Of these rivers it has so happened
that those who have generally received the ma.
jority Of our votes have failed, if not refused.
10 improve these dangerous, yet useful streams:
and amidst all the camor Of political quacks,
in straining constitutional provisions, by enlarge.
ment or contraction, so as to include or exclude
this or that object Of internal improvement, these
rivers, (at least by the people Of this State)
seem 10 be admitted to be OF national char.
acter, and as such, it becomes the duty Of tho
general government to improve their navigation:
and the writer hopes, that in future all parties
will refuse to vote for any person, for any Office.
either State or National, unless there is every
reason 10 believe they are not only in favor Of.
but will use every effort in their power to cause
the United States TO improve them. II such
should be the course Of all parties and every
individual Of our State, these rivers will not
remain long covered with "snags" and embed.
ded with "sawysrs, which annually occasion
destruction to property, for which the laboring
and productive classes Of our State have to pay,
in the diminution Of the ualue of their surplus
productions, to more than five times as much as
they pay in taxes to the State 1t is an incon-
testible fact that these losses fall upon the pro.
Queer Of the raw material, for while these dan.
gers OF the river continue, those who either buy
or ship, or ship alone, calculate these risks and
deduct them from the value Of the article, either
by adding to the freight, or deducting from the
price; and hence, it is the farmer or the producer
that loses; and even where a merchant imports
goods to the State. to retail amongst the people.
| il part. or all Of cargo, should be lost, it is
not only natural, but the actual fact, that be
charges the loss upon those tina. arrive. And
who pays this? Those who buy them, and hence
it. becomes Of the deepest interest 10 every indi.
vidual, that the navigation Of these rivers (now
known to be easily done) should be improved.
Let every person who tolls and sweats upon bis
farm remember that this is own concern. Here.
after let him enter into strict examination why
these ''snags" and "sawyers" still remain in
these waters, to diminish the price Of their sur.
plus productions nearly one half, and he will
soon find out and when he knows, let him ap.
ply the corrective, which, in part, is in his own
hands, and these pests OF destruction, remaining
in the bosoms Of these EARNS Of the sea" will
soon disappear. y, y. .......
Diminishing the subject Of internal improve.
ments OF national character, from further con.
sderation at the present, the writer proposes
to call the attention Of his fsllow.c citizens to
those classes Of Internal Improvements which he
supposes ought to be made by the State or BY
the people Of the State, or by combined effort
OF the State and people; because he believes these
to be subjects of the highest interest to all, and
in this, and some future numbers, he proposes
III a. L