The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-11-19
Reported for the Missouri Republican
LEaIEKs; AND SPEECHES
Ar THE
r A PIDS cow TION
SPEECH OF HON, a. {. DODGE,
or low A.

,
Z A pIDS CONVENTIO
SPEECH OF HON, a. c. DODGE,
IOWA
Hon. c. A. Dodge, Senator of Iowa, respond
ID To Il call made of the citizens of the several
States aud the Territory represented IN the
Convention. He sad ,!lat it afforded him
,Ic;:suIet to address his fellow. citizens of Iowa,
md the neighboring States. He knew the
'tat"n in which, he stool to the State which
he had the honor to represent IN the Senate
md he had had some c"nn"c ion with the mat |
ter OF imprav,ng the Rapids Of the Miss ssppi |
river, both IN his private and puol,c career
There had been statements made IN She remarks |
If one or two gentlemen who had addressed
the Convention. that there had been, in bring
ing there measures before Congress, dpdgiag
from the responsibilities al vind.cating the III
terests Of the constituency ri the West, but he
could stand before anybody aud trarlessly say.
that though his name might be Dodge, yet he
could DEFY any To point to an Instance III which
he had ever tad sc,i from his duty in represent
ing The intercs's Of The West.
tie could refer them 10 the files Of the Union,
the lntelliyencer and the Congressional Globe,
n evidence Of tie zeal he had displayed III
defence ofinterni improvements. He thou rh
that they might graduate themselves on The
delay in attaining the much convcrted object Of
improving the Rapids as mach GOOD mi hit +
suit from if. They :.ad now reached period
in the history Of internal Improvements which
could be regarded as the new epoch, and he
thought the next session of Congress would be-
an ous2cous time tor securin. the favorable
reception OF propositions embodying the meas
urcS they desired to be carried.
He believed that at the present session the
claims of the West would be regarded by the
representatives o. even some of the Eastern
S;ates-at any rate we should not only advocate
the passage of these measures from choice,
having deep interest in every thing which re-
lated to the improvement Of the navigation of
the Mssissipp.--but the Legisatur! OF his
State had been explicit in their instructions on
these points, requiring him 10 vote as he should
do from choice He hoped that the Repressn-
;a:;vcs OF Missouri river, by the introduction of
an apr pirate bill--tha there would also be
separate bill for the Improvement of the St.
Ions harbor-boh accompanied by statistical
information concerning commerce
The remarks of the worthy Mayor of ST.
Louis, he had listened t, with interest, and
believed that he was right in regard to his
position; for what benefit would arise from
improving The Rapids if the mouth of the great
r:v + kept the water back. He favored the in
PRODUCTION of bills for internal improvements
but he desired to have them separately intro
duccd each resting its own merits. He
believed that each and all would pass which
possessed respectable evidences of the require
,ncnts being of actual necessity, if western
men would be resolved to let each bill pass
vote Of Congress tree from addition or amend
mont, and he thought that the prospects were
never more favorable for unity ofaction IN the
west, than al present.
LETTER FROM HON. GEO. w. JONES
OF IOWA.
| DuBuour Iowa, Oct 90, 1851.
GrNrLEMES: ! have delayed, until th
moment, reply to your letter Of The 18th ult.
! inviting me to be present at Burlington on til,
,23d inst, to attend the sRapds Convention,
with the hope that NIGH, be enabled so to dis
p"nse with my own public and private atflir
as to be. present on the all important occasion
/ A canfdcnt belief thlt my cariy drplrtur,
I for Washington City may result bcncici,Ily "a
my constituents IN preparing for II" app ,rh
/ ing session Of Congress; and e$pecitll. W.;
/ reference to the contemplated IL dread u
Moincs and Mississippi River inpr vra4. n'@
induce me now to remlln here with h2 xo
tation Of leaving for the Federal CITY, certa
IN, by Thursday next
| That j, in common with the great mass 4.
! The peop.e in this section OF the Uniua. Son
deeply Interested in the carly, removal cf III,
obstructlons to the navigation of The UDp.
| Mississ pp River, at the two Rapids, no IN,
can doubt who is acquainted with me and VIII
is disposed to do me Justice. ! have resided II
this vicinity for the last quarter OF century
and during most OF thu time | was largely en-
gagged in the mercantile and lead business, hav
ng had three stores and as many lead fu naces
ii
o increased prices of frcighls, &c, &c, canse
quent upon the existence of those obstruc
tons, which are the only difficulties encountere
in the navigation of the river, could not bu
| convince me of the Importance of this grea
work, not only to the people res idng upon tn
| Mississippi, but of the whole West.
! My most Jealous efforts were given earl
as l-35, when had the honor Of representa-,
1 as Delegate in Congress, the Territory whc
now forms the States of Michigan, Wisconsin
and Iowa, and Minnesota Territory.
AT that session and the following one, appro
priations 10 the amount of $4,000 were mad
for that object. small proportion Of tina
| fund was consumed in the work, but sufficien
to demonstrate the feasibility thereof, as pro
posed in the able report and survey made b
then Lieutenant now Major Lee, of the IT, S
Typographical Corps. At the last session q
Congress, but one, my colleague, Gen. A. G
Dodge, and |, both, brought this subject to tn
attention Of the Senate, he by the introduction
and reference of a special bill, and by resolu
! ton.
am, respectfully, gentlemen,
/ Your obrdient servant,
GEO. w. JONES.
Gen. J. NJ. Morgan, J. J. Child, L. d. Stock
ton, Moses S. Foot, J. P Sunderland, J. T
Tallant, A. W. Carpenter J. w. Woods, T
| J. G. Prasley, II. w. Starr, w b. Ewing
Committee, Burlington, Iowa.