, 1862-07-10
@ Il2 e 1ini2MEs
1uE ILLINOIS SHIP CANAL.
Speech ofthe Hon /. N. Arnold Refor
thc House Of Representatives
Washington June 80, 1862

1HE ILLINOIS SHIP CANAL.
Speech oftlle Hon In. Arnold Eefore
5no House ef representatives,
Mr.. Ansorn-1 call for the regular order Of
business.
sH1r CANAL.
The SrEAKEE-The regular order of business
In tlc speclil order, beiug bill III. Il. No.
SsS) to construct ship canal for the passage
OF arms and naval vessels from the Miss{5-
sippi River to Lake Michigan, and for other
purposes
Mir. BLAIR (of AIo.) then addressed the
UoEse OIL behalf IF The bill, on the conclusion
Of his tt marks Air, ARNOLD {of Ill.) spoke:
BIZ. ARSoLD-In the naue Of the great and
patriotic pscple living upon the shores Of the
great lakes and rivers Of the Northwest, ! ask
the nttentlon OF tue uouee to the most i,n-
TortaDt Wcrs, in nasicnal point of via9,
Lyer presented 10 t1c consideration of Can
G1ees: The opening II ! ship 6r st-anlboat
canhl troln tic )ske, 10 The Mississippi. THIS
work csn be feulsZrd without serious cost to
The nation; only requiring the advance in
bonds &; such an amount as the tolls Of the
p;tsel;t canal, and the Increased tolia as the
weak progresses. will Fay the interest upon.
L. il Iu experiment Which Cu15res5 is askedtn
maize; tht Flan il :,3sed upon ro unsricd
TIA cr5, rus is eslstoti.tl iu q s:mp'e Pre-. .,o&
t3l IL 0i<&'G ~ dEkAil5 tl.E
ii GorG1n1Ieul q iu,{ WITH h,r credit, AM,
and so fest rs ! he tolls Vt tie cana! Wil!:&tet
tlle *ytruit;g iHs"rt...
Ia1rcis, i; n.r Sat. convention, has made
this pr':pos:-l t. TIE F. Il, ral Government:
STATE uF lLL1SG1s CONSTITUTIONAL
tossEs71cs, sfl1Set ELD, 5tatca Il, lS5:.
rEE::FIE Am nE-nirr1oS=.
N:lEEEA+. Tlc .cso.pittl@ oa Military Aii;a:ra Of
!he li.nstof Representatives, Of IN: Congress ii
III. s1.ls, It Siats Lave usa: r:po-: IL favor or
'it c1la:seEelt of tie i'lut'ls and 1eh; ga, c,-
III! ar; the ifnpraya:aC. g: Z I1inoi, Re-. su
=: Il. a.l,:v t:.:an .ts aat yess.5s q: 80 rrt1t.s
fs:1.l Il. M.sGi- spE ,::Tes to LuEa !.lc:lt.a II
iav' i;'Tc3rc. d IL - carry into effect their
:a,.,t,is AID !.e7eMs nj ia, J.:r ,e1t
irnecrlt 4 "c:E q: asio7al a.o:ra.ce, bl: u,.:
+, - l.. sa.c Vi l1iaeis l. directly :t1' ssed
II tt.,..e ae it
I.so;ttd, ',l;:t il the ;uA ;m.! cE !!i= coav. H.
t: T. .of -,x, u'ii' 10 III. S:::-H oF ti;i,-.i> l,lt
# lH'iE.oaNt iv7ioEt.Ere II :itc oF s.4E, .l:icr
ttntf+ G taI, a1 tlia: t.ii4 .itl.t: ", ii O:3-
:ar :h :;e ';c1scfai uoscrn.n.i.. IL az pll,: tur
i'= Gy cnE-:rEc:iun
I.si.:s,is sad th~ Snr4:.we6t 2,.1'aUtly placed
their ali Of men and n1of'sy at !ac disposal o1
Int administrator. 1li;aois alole has more
ftan G5 01N Of ]scr :..l:alt Bots il tue field
They lhyt hc1n heard frorn in every fight, in
Missouri. ia k.u!u:}:., Teuncssse, aud, in
IL I'd Or eycry bA,tle tisld in tue valley Of tho
Mississippi. The houcs 1T her children, freely
etsef. d TO u;:llo!d gour government, are q
II: sl-,iek:nwn, At Bel'uolt, II Fort Donelson
IT Island Number ~, g: Shiloh, and cvsry
shtre from tic 0hio 20 lie Gulf. Ever!
scGGoi district niousns its dead, ge,ter.}u-!l
offered for The .lo1i..1@ lag Of our fNner5
lllircis has Impoverished herself in means aut
! in men, in the cause Of nur country.
| Sir, you will rs1iieruer-none Of Us wi[
! eyer forget s!os,1;l which ilu,,G ov.g ou
| country bi:torc th,. taking Of Fort He,rt All
| Fc1t DoEelsor. Tie 1ulition VI our t1:f .lr
| was critical. TEosc successes, "on by wester
| valor, were the beginning Of that series c
| brilliant victories nich have resulted in til
| tleaiing oi the eiississi2nl sal;~y OF ever
Mississippi, and she will keep it clear (
| traitors. Sir, shall never forget the genel
| Gus greeting Of Maine to Illinois, On the ti
| fort Dunelsou:
MAINE TO ILLINOIS.
AUGUSTA, Maine, March q, 1861.
DEAR SlR-Thc East sends greeting to the Wes
:ind Maine assu1es Illinois that she Tcjoices in h
glory.
Law tie pleasure to tlansmit to you copy
Il resolution y l,ich has passed both Houses Of II
Legislature Of this State by unanimous vote-
l. in reference TO our recent victories Il the Ns=
! aEd speaks with the yoice ard from tn. heart
the l"s al people Of s1aire.
Lave lie hnnor to he, With the li!5he;t resree
50uF Seilersy '0sdlt:t i:n.S. :ssESnt Wtsuurasr J
Ills E2cellcncy, RICHARD Mates, Governor uf /
STATE oF MAINE.
Ivsoiyrs in reference to our victories in t
WIT
IttSNttI That the people of Name have "
resstd with patriotic p;laG The triumph 81 I
1bi"1 a:1nit3 u. the yal!:.5 Of thc a5s:issp2i u
| loyal brethren nj :he W.st, upon the undyt1= 4,
1li= they havr won in the rapid aud splendid q
1rco1,s Of Illinois cspsclally for iher heroic co
dEcf ut Fort nniielsoi,. 1hs: country owe. 4 I!ht
] gratitude which car1ot he too heartily a:kno
| le5ged and which can never be repaid
Lssnlr4d, That copy. of The fJ1c:.oing be 50
| to the Governor Of 1'liroia and other "estc
States.
| Reid and passed. .j.G BLa1ss, spe lkcc
IL tie Senate, March ~, 1sG2. t:cad anu pass.
JonS GoopESow, Pres
IsRAE1 WAsuBuRSE
Illinois and the Northwest, in L spirit
fra1ernal feeling, how appeals to Congress
! ait 10 {. xorls, national III its character, and
Important TO the East as TO tue West itself. ?
! present for yeur consideration a prnposlti
which ll1s been carefully e1ar1ined by tnr
| sanction and approval Of each, to Wit:
| committee on military afflirs, thu commit:
on road ard canals, aud the srl:ct commit
Gu the defense ofthe great lakes and rivers,
WHAT IS THIS PROPOSITION
! tits quite simple, and beg your at:enti
/ to it, because AIN confident, II sou will III
, E3e, su1 will vote for it.
across the portage, FROM Lake Michigan to /
| illinuis River.
Ia-k permission to read from the report
tle sElect eomuilLee OIL uefcnsc OF tuv .er,
lallts and rivcrs.
Nc omit the cxtract as the whole rept
irem which it is taken has appeared in Q
+. columLs.-Eps. TRIBUNE
The commerce and tonnage Of the Miss
| s1pli nearly or quite equals that Of tic lax.
and c2eh is tetiln.tctl ailroitl three hundred
;. five hundrt d millions. Open this steambe
lhlurest7 together, mutually bencdtinS ea
< other, and cnrichiug our common countl
!. You thus place us on au equality with Grt
4 Britain on the lakes. You connect t
| 1s,Ut0 miles Of the network Of the n
igatle waters Of the Mississippi and its triS
Lawrence snd the Atlantic. Did then cx&
!, gcrate its magnitude when l characteriz
This bill as one Of the most important VIII
trtr engaged the attention Of Congress?
: The operations Of the present year dcme
, strate the important part our rivers are
= bear al intcrnul military operations hcreaft
: Europe was startled 4 few years ago by Gle
ancc presented At Liverpool from the port
i. Chicago. 1t has been equally startled by Y
: tories won hy tlotil1as in inla1d Alabama, II
i. ! sissirpi, and Tennessee. The importance
{ Cur lakes and rivers not only for purposes
!: commerce but as military Aisll*ays for p
posts of war must receive attention.
Whatever prominence the cheap l5oor
Elarts and the constantly stimulated dem
= tor cotton may have given during the Il
{: half Of this century to tie cotton fields Of t
. South, the cchels tables establish the f
that the agricultural wealth OF the natinn !
already centcrtd among the free homes a
the broad corn firlt5 OF the NarthTcst e.,
Thratively undcyelopcd is are the resources
that sec1ton Of the country, these atl.lst
show that for the year preceding. the census
lst,0 tl:e I'r;:Guation uf The lake states of . )
= Michigan: Irdrana, Inaois, and Wi-eons
i. IVES in wheat and corn alone seyentY-eie
million, bushels Of the iorner, aud il
hundred aud seventy five misllon bus',
Il. one hundred million bushels are 1nnu
Y exported in the shape Of flour and grain, as
~ from tie large u!nount further exported in
he eiapr Of beef, pork, tafiow, lard, and oil,
more than 1wo.thirds Of which Is couycyed
= tide water through the Erie and OsS
- canals.
Of The people Of this country will not cons
N. that the exposed cities OF the northern Fl
nc tier aud the vest and unprotected, and ut
sent defense1ess commerce OF the lakes, S
:. forever invite aggression from a Power
- thuEders OF whose press but give vent to
- nukiudness of its government, whose ali
"a tlon Is bound up in Its material Interests,
u, ! from consciousness Of ability to harm.
!. teeted on the lakes, there is not ua.ior
the world so iuyulnerable from foreign
. tack; unprotected there, not one to which
n ! first clash of arms would result in such O
" wbelu1ing loss
:6s as By treaty stip9lations those lakes are @
ma ma to commerce only. With the faith becou
-. | q frrpof yafi1n haze rhanrrpd he sf;r