The true Democrat., 1854-04-18
,Senqte ChamJer, March, 18th, 1854

lON. SECRETARY OF WAR
 .S3: Enclosed I hand you the letter of one of she most estimable men living Jas. $. Con- way first Governor of Arkansas, with whom you are doubtless personally well acquainted. If you are 1t is useless for me to speak of his constant and infcxible integrity and purity of character.
 The memorial he refers to, has been referred to the committee on commerce. His letter will give you his views, and I doubt not 1t will give you pleasure to regard them if you deem them wise in furtherance of an object Of very high public interest Of their wisdom 1 have no doubt,-all other plans and methods have failed thus far.
 In the last river and harbor bill $1O0OOO were appropriated to remove the Red river raft.
 l beg to ask you. lst, was there not boat, provided to be constructed expressly for this object? 2d. Is any, and what modification of the law necessary, so as to give the Secretary of war entire control of the method of operating to secure the removal of the raft, and the ap- p0ntment of proper superintendent? Sd. If no boat was specially provided for this purpose, is it not i'll the power of the Secretary of War, or the government through him, to detail one o the present snag boats for this service, and if n what modification is necessary to secure
 at power?
 [ Should you be disposed to favor the wishes { the people in that quarter and furnish me tn 6 skeleton of bill which will give every
 itet necessary to that end, l will see that 1t
 me very speedily law.
 .,he law throwing this appropriation upon
 .i tolltract system has proved failure, but,
 ." God, has thus far preserved thefu from Sany waste.
 Ifyou can in your operations, executing this diffdlt, important and perplexing public work, 1 combne by way of supervision, and thus use as suPrvisory the intelligence of the planters who ae so deeply involved in their personal interest you will have availed yourself of an aid, neier yet brought to bear; an aid rendered mcorrurlOle not only by the pure and high cha racter q the individuals in your power to se- select, bit by their deep personal interest; an by heavysnd annual losses, repeated disappoint- F (nts n egard to this object, and feeling al- m ist Of dspar.
 Fher ernestness is shown in the fact, that s. uic a az boat be set apart for this service, ~th h tie appropriation now standing to the cre- dIt Of ils bject, and should Congress refuse any futhel laid, they will sustain the move ment Iy a ontrbution from their own suffer- 1 ing res1urcep of $50OOO, to effect and perfect it.
 It suseles for me to allude to the heavy an- nual loss sus lined by the government in con- sequeice of lis obstruction. The able expo sition f Juds Moore, the late representative of the raft ditrict of Louisiana as compiled with cre and Ebor from official sources IS con- clusiye upon itl
 Buts it is Impossible for me, with my lm- ited command f means to recite to you the suffering and los which with every season of the yea, under .very necessity, in every pur,, suit of agricultue and commerce, is imposed upon tis large, &timable and energetic pop ulation or to inlpess you for one moment with the mixture of hope and despair, with which they now await and contemplate the action of this government whose direction in this partlcli-