Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-03-22
IMPROVEMENT OF THE mlssls.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE MlSSlS.
SiSS!PPi.
Apprepssaslea fer ahs re 4 -.
laaa anA Dss Msinss Rsp'ds
The following comprises extracts rom
speech in the us;,sd States Senate by Hon.
John b. Heoderson. when the River and
AAsbee Bill was under consideration:
Mr.. Hsadsrson-I hope that the amends
usnt Of the Senator from Vermont will not
b adopted. These rapids have bssa in the
way Of Lavigatiea in the Nississippi river
many yesss. They have bssn In The way
Of largely increasing commerce, . coo>
0erce increasing from year to year until
nov sbs eomosrcs upon that river largely
exceeds, II mistake oot, the whole coasts
wiss commeres Of The Usited Uaitss. There
= scarcely any sencsptioa Of The immsosity,
the greatness Of the commercs upon the
Mississippi river.
The Ssastor fron Michigan, the Chair.
mas Of the Committee on Cemusrcs, insists
that $500. 900 10 very liberal appropriation
indeed Tor making an improvement that the
engineer estimates will cost between TIVE
and three millions; and even II il costa that
amount II will be the best invested money
tina, was ever invested. perhaps, in . public
improvement. The Senator from Michigan
sage this is very liberal indeed. Without
rejecting upon the bill which no has re-
ported, l must say that | find decidedly
greater libsrality in favor Of tts rivers and
harbo's in his own State. find IN this
bill for tho Improvement of the 81. Clair
hats. in Michigan, $4,000; fer The im>
provcmcnt At tho mouth OF the Saginaw
Iive., Michigan, S2s 600 Tor tue improve
nent Of 81. MARY river. Michigan, CSC, 600;
for the improvement Of the y ,uth Of Au
Sable river, Michigan, 5000 % for im>
proving the harbos 81 Aux b, 0cies. Mich
gan, $4,000 for the Improvement Of
Black Lake harbor, Michigan. $50, 900 for
improving the harbor Of 81. Joseph, Aichi.
gan. $4,000 for improving the hsfk u d
Manisiee. Michigan, 100000 for the in
yrsvement Of White River harbor, Michigan,
SCI 900 for the improvement Of Muck sese
harbor, Lake Aiohigaa, 469, 900; for i'm.
proving the hasbor Of South Haven, Michi-
gan. $l3. 900 fer improving the harbor 81
New Buffalo. Michigan, 160, 900 and for
the hasbor Of Ontonagon, Michigan. eY7,.
o0o-m.kinE e747. 900 in the single Stats
Of Michigan, asd / believe I have not counts
cd al the Items for that State Here II an
appropriation 70 remove obstacles in The nav.
igatisn Of great inland SEQ, . river upsn
which floats commerce greater than the
commerce between the United States aad
all the cations Of the world.
Nov, these rapids are in the way Of an
easy navigation Of the river; in fact, At Ger
tais ssss"ns Of the year they stand In the
way Of any navigat on at oil, even with the
lightsat vessels, and it 10 exceedingly dcsir-
able not alone to the State that in fact repre-
sent, but TO the people Of oil the Western
States that the Rock Island Rapids aad the
Dss Meines rapids should b imprsved.
hope the SENATE will net hesitate 70 give
the amount that may be necessary for the
purpose. What that amount may be | Of
course know but little about. can only
rely upon the reports which W. have here.
We authorized last year the Secretary Of
War TO make this investigation. The in
sest'gat,on has been made BY competent
engineer, presume, or else he would not
have been ordered TO do it, The Senator
iro0 Vermont tells US that no is . very
young man. His report 10 approved by the
Engineer in-Chsf, whom | know to be q
competent man. | suppose that no member
81 this body will doubt the capacity and
ability Of the Chief Engineer, Gen. Humph.
rsys. aud do not suppose any one v III
hesitate TO say that if he has approved the
work of Gen. Wilson he would not have
-, -l..A l.
ing. Ito says in his letter already read II
concur in the views aud conclusions Of Gen.
Wilson as 10 III" best modc Of improving
The Des Nos tArids that il. building
n.--si "A. ~Asuds The .-.es~s~.sAation. il
yon caN II n recommendation at all, ~ l do
not, was that by tho both Of June, 1867,
this reporting officer says he tan sxpsnd
million, and up 10 June 80, 1858, another
Miliisn. IL that does not make $4,000, 200
in little over year do not understand
s-ithnetis.
Mr.. Brown. SO much the greater reason
Tor increasing tho amount allowed.
Mr.. Henderson,. Ifthss argument amount.
- u anything, il only demonstrates the
necessity Of apprspriating the $4,000. 900,
ss 'ny colleague suggests. II is useless for
US to hesitate about the amount OF IN onsy
10 be appropriated for the improvement Of
these apids. provided that they can DO i'm
proved at all That is tho real question:
u they can be improved the people Of the
United States ought not 10 hest, ate one me
ment abou, gong to work 70 accomplish
that object Whatever is necessary to he
done ousht 10 lac deae in order that naviya.
tion may De iacti,i.cd over that part Of the
liver. Here is river thirty>s'x hundred
m,.es IN length. the most mngnis cent y rcrm
~ tlo-scstc, with ia navigation uninpeded
ard ut'n' rriptcd through 1t crtre IL tn
except by these two rapids at keol K aud
=, Rock Leland. At these poiu commerce
hse to be entirely reshiped; freight has to
10 removed from one vessel . smother In
SeTer 70 pas over these rapids during .
hpss PORTION Of the year, carried over them
nalsY tcrs AID again removed above or be-
the other vessels. This ought TO 10
Ia. e,ed II i, is possible TO do 40. and ssps.
adly in consideration Of the richness
nd the wealth Of the commerce pass>
ny over them No idsa Of . parsinon
s~ appropriation sheuld b permitted
sntss Into the brains Of Sena,
Mson the subject. ] DO NOT want lavish
npsadsurs If money Do not desire that
ses dslar shall be nesdlsssly and recklsssly
sslsa.ed. or that We shall new appropriate
sdolu beyond the amount absolutely es-
ssasi 10 remove those obstacles 10 the way
@ha'lsation upon this stream but Whist
~ 'sa may b necessary f1r that pur-
p u Senate ought without hesitation to
aatos iron Michieaa has In this
90 for he own STATE. and freely
d The State Of Achiean. hscause
~ reception Of six - seven States
s"'t q AicAiean il il perhaps the
g'satess St1su 10 the Uaisn (Lauehtsr.)
have never hssitatsd . vets appeopria-
items Tor building hafbors; ut Il ought 10
to BE- remembered that ~ 10 the Wet On
this great river build COR own harbers. We
% not ask you to build . hasber q 50.
10 lis nor u Ksekuk, nor At Burlington,
nor At Galsna. We are net asking you in
this bill to build hasboss on the Western
rivers; but along the Eastern sea>bsasd
and along the great likes. have from yss.
10 year voted appropriations for harbors
without hesitation, and the people that
represent do not ask the to do otherwise
han to vote the NEST liberal appropriations
such purposes We will build ha,bers
scu: 70 IKE as much pride in yss sx-
ding commerce ~ you can take yous-
hlves, and do not hesitate 70 give al that
f<eu can in teason ask. But this 10 net for
= harbOr: this in 10 refnova An Olafao1a in