Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-05-17

fact is that the United States exports
wheat and -four to Portugal, Brazil,
and Australia, and England imports
largely from Turkey and Egypt, all
this commerce being across the tropics
subject to the climatic influences which
prevail in the Gulf,
F I'mention these general facts in re
lation to this subject that the House
may understand that the West will i'm
pcrativcly demand, and now, that this
great river shall have removed from
it the distractions which hinder and
impede its safe and easy navigation.
This House has partially recognized
this great want in the passage of the
river and harbor bill, on yesterday
but the sums there appropriated will
scarcely more than commence. the
great improvements demanded to Sc
cnre the uninterrupted navigation of
the Mississippi river from st. Paul to
the Gulf
In demanding these improvements
we do not ask for the establishment
of any new policy, but only a full re,
cognition of the long-established poll.
cy Of the Government, often disputed,
but as often asserted in the legislation
of the country. The same grant of
power to regulate commerce with for
eign nations authorizes Congress to
regulate commerce among the several
States. This power has been asserted
from the foundation of our Government,
in making appropriations for light
houses, beacons, buoys, and public
piers erected or placed within the bays,
inlets, harbors, and ports of the Uni
nited States to render NAVIGATION
safe and easy, and for the last ten
years we have appropriated not less
than 81, 100000 annually for this pur-
pose, without objection, in order to
protect the foreign commerce of the
United States, when in fact our trans
oceanic commerce does not amount
to more than one tenth Of cur domes-
tic commerce, and when the former
could not have existed for the last few
years but for tue productions of the
food-producing States of this country
Sir, the tonnage of the Erie canal
alone amounted to more than the to,
tai tonnage transported to and from
the United States for the years 1862
1868. The five States of Illinois, Wis
consin, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota,
lying west of Chicago, bordering on
the Mississippi and OH the lakes, fur
niShed one third in value of the sta
Piles exported during the years 1861,
1862, and 1868. And here | shall
take the liberty Of quoting from an
address delivered by distinguished
citizen Of my own city, =. Re5b. Esq,
before a convention Of shippers and
merchants held at Dubuque, which
sets forth in concise terms the value of
this commerce TO our country. lie
says:
An examination of the statistics fully es,
tablishes the additional fact that these
five States during the years 1861, 1862, and
1868, shipped East one hundred and fifty per
cent. more corn and meal, and twenty five per
cent. more pork products than were exported
from the entire country during the same peri.
od. These States not only supply the export
wheat of the entire country, but also the ex-
port corn and pork products. The contribu-
tons, therefore, made 10y Illinois, Wisconsin,
Missouri, Minnesota, and Iowa, TO the ex-
ports of the United States in these three lea.
ding agricultural staples alone, are as follows /:
IS6o-6l Isei-s2. ls6o-63.
Wheat. s4s 9Ss, $50 si4ls7ltS s5j,6+7 ,979
Corn and meal. q 3sT loo 9,G09,s7s 1928 1857