The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-06-18

entered Chambersburg at Q o'clock to
night.
Iowa az the Caual Convention.
On the second day of the Convention,
among other resolutions, the following was
offered by Mr.. Ruggles, Of New York:
Resolved, That in view of the imm ense
increase in the products Of the States ada
osnt to the lakes and the Upper Mississippi
and the necessity of providing for the de-
fence Of the national commerce on these
waters, this Convention hold 1t to be the
imperative duty of the General Government
to provide any necessary facilities for cheap
ing and protecting said commerce by ade.
quately charging and improving the canals
and rivers now connecting the lakes with
the Hudson and with the Mississ ppi rivers.
Resolved, That the proposed advantages,
military and commercial, of canal arou nd
the Falls of Niagara be also commended to
the careful examination Congress.
Members Of the Iowa deleg alton had de-
sired to direct the attention of the conven-
ton to the necessity of canals around the
Upper and Lower Rapids on the Mississippi
pi River, and Mr.. A. G. Fulton, Of Daven.
port, (not Mr.. Taylor, of Iowa." as stated
in the Chicago Tribune,) offered to amend
the second resolution Of Mr.. Ruggles, by ad
ding after the word "Niagara" the words
"and the Des Moines and Rock Island
Rapids, of the Mississippi River"
This mention of ''the Des Moines Rapid"
was received with considerable merriment
by the New York delegation, under the evil
dent impression that the "Des Moines River
improvement" was alluded to by Mr.. Full.
ton; the gentleman had probably invested
in the latter and was not aware that the
former is the historical designation for what
is nos better known as the Lower Rap-
IDS" This called out
SPEECH BY HON. J. B. GRINNELL.
Mr.. Grinnell, Of Iowa, t.,onsht there was
no occasion for Smiles from the New York
delegation. The resolution did not refer to
their Des Moines Improvement, which was
damned, but not improved, but to the
clearing ofthe Mississippi Rapids. 1t was
sn absolute necessity for the passage of
grain from Minnesota Iowa and Wiscon-
sin to market. He expected when this mat
ter came up in Congress to have vote up
on 1t, With w intelligent people behind
ban, how could he expect to be sustained
by his constituents if he voted to appropri.
ate hundred millions for their canal pur-
poses and failed to appropriate $50o,oOO or
81 ,0oo, 900 to make the Mississippi naviga-
BILE, so that our wheat and corn may reach
market at small cost. I trust you will not
divide US my friends. IF the Mississippi
shall be cleared in its upper and lower
rapids, we shall bring to you MILLIONS in
value Of freight. beg the Convention to
bear in mind that Iowa has nearly million
of people, and FIFTY thousand brave m en- in
the field. Thirty of her noble regimen Is
are to-day before Vicksburg, If not in it,
| hope you will believe that we are in earn
est when we say we want an outlet to Chi
cago, and New York, and Boston, in ma
king these waters navigable, Only one.
ninth Of our State is under cultivation;
mach Of the rest is owned by your specula-
tors at the East. We have the least vast
land of any State yet not one acre in ten is
improved. We ask you spectators to aid
Us in the improvement. Come and see
your acres vote and act with us |; don't
sheer ct US. but incorporate the amendment
with the resolutions. He wanted this Con-
vention to bind the East and West together
BY the passage Of all measures worthy of
support. In ten or twenty years at the
farthest, Iowa will send to market larger
number of bushels of wheat and corn. aud
! larger value in pork, and beef, and WOOL
and am wool grower-than all the other
through the new passage to the gates Of Chi
cago. appeal once more; act, act in such
manner as to bind together the East and
West
1t is my purpose to make an annual pill
srimage to the East where are the graves
IF my fathers, returning more deeply i'm
pressed with the worth of the Union, and
With the future greatness and glory of our
country. In the heat of my passion have
bought could shed my blood to keep our
states together. To this convention have
ooked for practical deeds, and have hoped
ve might love more az brothers by our
Meeting. and ephsaee like Joseph and Ben
smin-thoogh one Yas reared in Egyp,
md the othes in Canaan. Gom,nercc. in
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