The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-11-13
The Rapids Convention.
EOYAGEUR.

The Rapids Convention.
1t will be recollected that convent on was
held one year ago at Burlington. for the pur-
pose of taking measures for the Improvement
of the rapids ON the Mississippi. An adjourned
meeting of that body was lately held in St.
Louis. The proceedings have reached us
through the St. Louis papers, but as a general
thing, they are not of sufficient interest to war
rant republication in this place. We will
merely introduce couple of speeches which
were delivered before that body by Col. BENTON
and W. G. LIE DuC, Esq. OF ST. Paul, which we
find reported in the st. Louis Intelligencer. in
the following manner:
Speeches of Col. Benton and Mr. Lie Due.
From the short time allowed for preparing
yesterday mornings proceedings in the Rapids
Convention. for our evening edition of yester-
day we were obliged to omit our report of Col.
Bentons speech. We give it below. as also the
remarks OF Mr.. lie Due, Of Minnesota. on Offer
ing his resolution.
Col. Benton said that an easy task was as
signed HIM since he had only to address the
Convention on matters OF general interest after
Their work had been we'll aecompl she'd He
had listened with pleasure and instruction to
the detail of facts in relat on to the proposed
improvements. CT the practicabil.ty of rcmov-
ing the Obstruct ons in the natural channel of
the river, they had both the test mOny of engi-
ne Rs, and the observat ons of practical men,
Such combination of science with practice
gave value to sch, mes of Improvement
He favored full. free and safe nayic at. on of
our rivers. and desired to have as few burdens
upon commerce as possible. He had often ia
Ken into considerat on the taxes which the
farmer had to bear before his labOrs received
their ultimate reward. Thus. when he scatter
ed the seed upon the earth, the birds took their
toll whilst It was r.pening. and when r.pe loss
es were suffered; when taken to the m H. the
miller took his toll, and in taking the -four to
market, he ithe farmer, pays another toll upon
the highways. But upon the mighty rivers,
winch were free, no pay had to be given. He
had learned that it was contemplated to exact
pay by making canal around the Rapids. to
enable boats to pass in low water. The evil If:
fccts arising from this he had seen exemplficd
at the canal built around the falls OF the Ohio
river, for passing through which, boats were not
taxed but fined, for such was the enormitv of
the toll LEVIED, it amounted to fne-a muici
With masters ofsteamers he had often made es-
Inmates OF the amount of cost upon boats rum
ming from st. Louis TO LOU .le and found
upon a careful est mate, that within few years
the toll paid to the canal company amountt d
to nearly the cost Of the boat.
What would the farmer think if the taxes on
his land thus equalled in Il few years. the whole
value Of his farm! He would not think it a
tax. but fine or punishment for raising crops
The Convention had adopted with great
unanimity the course which he had deemed the
right one, and which was sanct oncd Ly science
and practice. At the same tine, as had been
well remarked, this was in no way an impede
mcnt TO otht RS to luild canal if they chose. or
any other artificial way. The question was,
however. to decide upon something immediate
and practicable, something upon the spot
They could not think of projecting plans to be
executed centuries hence. The present age
was one OF steam, thunder and lightning
every one went ahead, and each man seemed
to he possessed OF a greater degree of animation
than was characteristic of mankind in past
ages.
An appropriation has been obtained to be APP
Piled to the Improvement of the Rapids. 1t
might not lie enough, but the obtaining of this
appropriation had been aided through the ac-
tsOh OF the burlington Convent; on, and the ac-
t on of the Convent on in St Louis would as
ssst in securing the addit onal appropr at ons.
such unanim.ty OF ct,on on the part of dele
gates from different States and TER tories
could not fail to simulate Congress to appro-
pirate additional sums, if necessary. What was
desired to he accomplished! A fca-b;te! Mil
Ions of money could be spent annually for the
protection OF foreign commerce, and yet foreign
commerce dwindled into insigniticence compar-
ed to interior and domestic commerce. The
foreign commerce might amount to two humid
red millions for exports, and an equal amount
OF imports, but evsry year thousands Of IN lions
were being transported upon our steamers. A
steam vessel arrived at New \ ork from for
7 ~. h.,,, Il f,,4
was sent upon the telegraph wires all over the
United States. But hourly steamers are arr.v-
ing ut hundreds Of places upon the Western
rivers, Carrying hundreds upon hundreds Of
passengers. In most other countries most OF
the great rivers are separated ly hume rOus
mountains, but b gh upon the Nj ssissippi. We
come to vast level land. and Northward from
there ran the waters OF the Red river flowing
with Others into Hudson;s Bay. A canoe might
float from Hudson's Bay to New Orleans. We
were charged in our day with working at one
point at this line, but all points were yet TO be
worked at. He was not one of those who be-
lieved that any one means OF transportation
was going to monopoliZe the business of the
world. On the contrary he believed that one
means of Transportation increased the business
on every kind Of line. Thus he believed that
the steamboat would contribute to the business
OF the railroad and the railroad would contrib
wv w tht business I'll Tilt SttdhioOdt. dHu tnt
more there were of both. the more business
would be done. Nature had placed line of
water communication from the Gulf of Mexico
to Hudsons Bay. Following the same land
line, and we had natural facilities for laying
down an even track for the flying cars the
whole length. And this would surely be done.
When Benton had said thirty years ago. and
put it in the papers, that St. Louis was destin-
ed to be the great central city of the continent,
a great many did not believe it. They were
now beginning to admit the truth of his predic-
tion-yet it had hardly its start. A few years
hence, with the trains of cars arriving and de-
parting from the city and flying on their course
at the rate of thirty and forty miles per hour,
to increase the facilities of communication with
US, its increase then must be proportionately
faster. A mighty line of railroad across the
continent from East to West, and another fro