The Hickman courier., 1869-03-27

and half below the town, and occupy
ing nearly central position in the river.
This plan has two advantages over any
other 1t not only secures to the State
and indisputable title to the Island by
forcing the main current to the opposite
shore. but, will secure and protect the
river bank below the town for all time to
come against further encroachments of
the river. An important consideration
l asylre you. Many valuable farms have
already heen submerged, and still the
WORK Sees bravely on.
B All am told that it would be vio-
lation of principle to appropriate money
for this purpose. | must confess, sir.
that can tsee '9the thing" in that light.
/ can't tell what kind of principle it is
that would induce men to spend thou
sands of dollars at law for small batch
of land out In the centre of the Mfssis
sippi river, and refuse small pittance
that would save from utter destruction
two heretofore prosperous towns, and be-
tween eighty and one hundred square
miles of as good land as any to be found
on Wolf Island.
Before conclude, / desire to correct
popular error with regard to the iuris-
diction of the State of Kentucky on this
river. Many entertain the idea that it
extends to the Missouri shore This is
an error that crept into the public mind
from the fact, that when the State of Vir-
GINA ceded to the General Government
her Northwestern territory, she express
ly reserved to herself the whole of the
Ohio river The Missouri territory con-
stitsed part of the Louisiana purchase.
Ia this purchase no such stipulations were
made, nor could have been made The
whole question then with regard to the
boundary dividing the two States, will
have to be settled by the law of nations,
which will, without question of doubt,
decide that the main current of the Miss
lissippi river, is the dividing line between
the two States. This is the opinion Civ
en- me by some of the most eminent jur-
ists in the State. The plan L suggest
viii protect Wolf Island, and all the
nch bottom land below, to Madrid Bend.
/ desire, also, to notice an objection
tiat has been urged against the passage
d the bill, 1t is that the plan is impos-
sble, and that it would require vast
amount OF money to accomplish the OBJ
jet, if it could be accomplished at all.
la answer to this objection, would re-
mark, that the banks of the river have
been examined by a competent engineer,
who gives it as his opinion that, it can
b. done, and at much less cost than
was anticipated by our people. And as a
further proof of our confidence, and to
stesoora this Legislature that we are act
ipfhe pod faith, the bill provides that
| tnedz of these towns Shall levy an
additional tax upon themselves to assist
in the completion Of this work, before a
single dollar shall be drawn from the
treisury.
Hr. Speaker, the Legislature of the
Stste being composed OF representative:
from all the counties, should, in my
Judgment, distribute It's favors and make
appropriations when most needed and
without partiality Has this been donei
rtgret to say that il has not Up tc
this good hour, not one dollar has, fol-
any purpose been appropriated to any
oneof those counties lying west of the
Tennessee river. | appeal to this House
to know, if they take it to be a wise ant
statsmanlike policy, to stand still anC
let nese towns be cerried away by th'
rolling waters of the Mississippi, anC
r. j l.. i L