Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-19
RIVER IMPROVEMENTS.
Interesting speech 10y Henry O.
BDrOci meyer. before sIse st.
k.Ouis lOms em aiOu. Feb.
18th. 1867.

Hr. President and Genfiemea:
On behalf Of the citizens, | extend to you
cordial welcome to ST. Louis. do this
not unmlndiul OF tho honor conferred upon
the city hy your presence, whether viewed
with reference TO the number Of this - sem
bly,, or the character II the persons present,
or the motives which lead you to forsske
the pursuits OF private enterprise and undsrs
20 the privations Of n mid .wintcr Journey
IN order to aid and encourage by your coun.
Sci and presence great national undertak .
ing. The object Of the work in contenpla
ton IL to render the Mississippi river safe
and uniform medium OF transmit from St.
Paul to New Orleans. The questions pro :
posed are Ought this work 10 be done ?
aud Il so. by whom?
la the infancy If the art Of transit, man .
destiny is fixed by The place OF his BIRTH
A river bounds his dominions. an ocean his
world but with the development Of this ait
the place Of his birth becomes less and less
important. until Il sinks TO the Significance
of . mere accident ola man. The river that
bound him makes him free 10 seek homo
OF comfc-t the ocean that Was the end be>
comes the beginning of world. The art
Of transit makes . man master Of the earth
20 enjoy its sdaptions to his profit. liz viii
not till tho stony field with anxious toll for
fifteen bushels Of corn 10 the acre when h,s
labor will yield him eighty in different 10.
cAlity; he will not starve in squalcr and
dirt; he will not subsit tolvillainy and vice;
he wall not make infamy his bcd-fcllow in
the novels Of London and Paris, Boston and
New York, il full developed at Of transi,
will enable him. poor SON ofpovcrty and sin.
% find home where honest labor yields
comfort and respect, and no one is poor save
the idle. What is the parent OF social evil
save labor nisspp.icd And what will in
duce man 10 bes,ow his labor ludiciously |?
Look nom New Orleans 10 81. Paul. from
Now Orleans to Pittsburg, from New Or
leans TO LaSallc, from New Orleans 10 the
great falls Of the Mississippi, aud from New
Orleans to tho head OF navigation of anv one
Of the tributaries Of the Mississippi, and res,,
the answer in what you see written upon
the banks Of those mighty streams-a ser.
viceablc medium Of transit. What was il
that rendered this vast territory between
the western slopes Of the Alleghanics and
the q stern slopes Of the Rocky Mountains,
1900. 600 miles in extent, available for so>
cial purposes. drew the teslning millions
FROM over crowded cities, hamle,s and hov>
otS VI rsutopSe 0uu Psoutv0 SuStu OPues Sue
banks Of moro than 900 mles OF naviga-
bic waters Transformed these waters into
silver strings on which cities arc strung %
bsads, and their churches and schools ~
Co.'s jewels to reflect his goodness in man
-was Il oct The mighty Mississipp ito the
red nsa NE Father Of Waters, hut 70 tho
white mas che Father Of Citiess
In conidsrins. therefore, the question
whseAss the mighty system Of transit facil.
itics should Be perfected, W ere not TO con.
fine our attention to What is usually termed
the commercial--shat is the rsl&tioa Qhich
the means Of transit sustains TO The rssults
of industry-but ~ ought 70 take in ac-
count the relation &Alch these means sss-
tain to industry - : Uhsle, to the applica>
ton thereof, as IN = q its results, 20 the
social no less ihao 70 the commercial as
rccts Of the question. Lss<wo illustrate.
The surplus product 81 the s4ricalearsl IN
dusxy in tbs Unitsa, States ~ the year
1850. amounted in soand annbers 10 over
one ehousa millIod bushslo IL cereals
elese. Now the cemneesial eneotion -.
how and By what $500 = theIr leoduce g
b eouvertsd With ~ lonst peoo1eoe ~ g
The nsticn into the va13o6s asticsss ssqssred