The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-10-28

| elgnt Genus per DuSnel. by tne lakes, the
whole freight is from three to five cents per
bushel. This illustration shows that we
must depend mainly upon our inland water
routes for the profitable carriage Of produce.
To secure profitable efficiency in river
transit, it is necessary that the navigable
lines be rendered, as far as possible, contin-
uous. The expenses of numerous trans
shipments, and the frequent necessity of
breaking bulk, eat up grain faster than ship
loads Of rats. One of the first public pro.
jects, then, to which the people of Mime
sofa should turn their attention, is the inn
provement of our interior water-routes.
With the present resources of the State,
without aid from the General Government,
any attempt at this improvement, upon any
thing like the scale of the capacity of our
rivers for the profitable extension of contin-
uous navigation, would be premature and
impracticable. But we can do something,
even with our present limited population.
We can bring the navigable channels of the
Minnesota and Mississippi rivers-our main
steamboat thoroughfares--up to much
high state of efficiency than at present, and
within the range of existing settlements and
lines of trade
The high water navigation in the former
river carried the Freighter last spring up
to Yellow Medicine river, and Fort Ridgely
is always accessible on the spring floods.
But as the water falls, Mankato becomes
the terminus of the steamboat trade on this
river, until in extreme low water the Little
Rapids, a few miles above Shakopee, lifts
its little barrier of sandstone against the
ascent of boats, and compels transhipment
at that point. A very small sum-small
indeed in comparison to the Importance of
removing the soft beds of sandstone, or the
few boulders, which in low water interrupt
the navigation of this great stream, would
extend the line of navigation in the lowest
water to Fort Ridgely, or Patterson's
Rapids. The round cost of this improve
ment is given in some of the memorials to
Congress passed by the Legislature few
years ago, which we have not at hand while
writing. Any expectation, however, that
might have been entertained that Congress
would recognize the improvement of the
Minnesota as national enterprise, must by
this time, have been dissipated 1t is obvi.
GUS that we must do it ourselves or it will
never be done. Nor can it be reasonably
expected that the State, even in better
condition of the public funds, would be will
ling to tax the inhabitants of the rest of
the State, to benefit the population Of the
Minnesota Valley. 1t is obvious that they
must do it themselves or it will never be
DONE The utmost that the State can with
propriety do, is to authorize the several
counties having a frontage upon the river,
to levy uniform tax upon their inhabitants,
to raise river improvement fund to be ex-
pended under the direction of commissioners
elected by delegates of the interested coun
ties.
The counties upon the Upper Mississippi,
upon this plan, would have more to do with
less resources than their neighbors in the
southland they could scarcely afford in the
present condition of their finances, or with
their present population, to build granite
lock at the Sank Rapids--to make pleasure
trips to Pokegama. But they can by a
little expenditure within their means make
the river from st. Anthony to St. Cloud
navigable for much larger class of boats,
and for much longer business season than
at present.
At any rate this association of the inte-
rested counties in these important enter
prises would seem to afford the most feasible
solution of question, with which Congress
won't, and the State can't very conveniently
NEEDLE.
But however the object may be secured,
if the instructions should be removed from
the navigable channels of the Mississippi
and the Minnesota, within the limits we
have indicated, it would double or treble
their value as avenues of commerce, and by
so much enhance the inducements to popula-
ton upon their borders. And that is one
way to get our impregnable half million of
people. And when we get half million OF
people established on the banks of these
streams and others, with the wealth and
commerce that they will create, we
can then afford to talk about building a
gate of granite through the granite barrier
of Sank Rapids-of consummating the ex-
pertinent of the Arson Northrup in lines Of
steamboats, to Pokegama Falls-of blasting
away the trifing impediments at Patterson's
Rapids, and those of the Yellow Medicine
and, by.and-bye, sure enough, of cutting a
ship canal across the mile wide portage from
Big Stone Lake to Lac Traverse-to
marry the lopg-divorced but long-afianced
waters of the North and South, and bring
gold from Fort Edmonton, and muskrat
skins from Fort Garry, by actual steamboat
to St. Paul.
VIRGINIA duels, so common nowadays