Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-10-26
The Fox and Wisconsin River Improve
ment Convention-Its Proceedings,
Adjournment, Etc.
PORTAGE Cry Wis Oct Oh

PORTAGE CITY Wis, Oct. ~.
The call for River Improvement
convention at Portage City. October
~, was responded to by an attend
ance OF delegates fro n most of the
counties of Central Wisconsin bv
Governor Merrill, and delegates from
Iowa, and by Governor Marshall and
associates, from Minnesota, with 9th
ers, from other districts, in and ont
of the State, numbering, altogether
about six hundred delegates.
The Convention was permanently
organized by the appointment OF
Governor Merrill, of Iowa, Perma-
nent President Governor Marshall,
OF Minnesota, Governor Fairdhild, of
Wisconsin, and others, Vice Presi-
dents, with several Secretaries. The
proceedings were characterized by
considerable enthusiasm, and the
Convention is considered, in the abil-
ity OF It's members, one of the most
able that ever assembled for any SIM
liar purpose in the West.
The citizens of Portage City pre-
pared for and entertained the dele
gates with creditable liberality.
The Convention, after disposing Of
It's business satisfactorily, adjourned
subject to the call fits officers. The
following are the most important OF
the resolutions adopted:
ResotUed, That a water route by
which the steam boats of the Missis-
sippi river can run to the harbors
and unload into the vessels OF the
great lakes, is public necessity.
ReSotUe1, That, as it has been
shown by the Government surveys
that such a route can be made
through the Fox and Wisconsin riv-
ers, the original policy of our Gov
ernment, to make them public high
ways shall be carried out. 1t sub
stantially pledged itself to do this
when 1t kept the control of these
streams by the act which admitted
Wisconsin as State into the Union
ReS0lUed, That as the late surveys
made by the General Government
show that the cost of uniting the
Mississippi river with the grea
lakes by steamboat channel will
not greatly exceed four millions 0
dollars, which is not as much as tn
saving such route would make il
each year in the carrying trade o
the Northwest, it would be grea
injustice and gross wrong to put OF
this great work.
| ReSoEUed, That as the Erie Canal
with it's contracted channel, it's nu
merous and small locks, and thu
slow movement of its boats will
horse power, cannot exceed thirty
six miles in twenty-four hours, has
with these great drawbacks, KEEP
down freight charges, it is therefore
clear that river route with q few
large locks, which can be navigate(
by steamboats, moving one hundred
and fifty miles in twenty-four hours
would protect the Northwestern
States from unreasonable charges 0
dangerous combinations.
| Resolved, That the great and grow
ing commerce of the Erie Canal, j
the face of the greatest competition
in our country, shows that waite
routes are demanded; without then
the values of many coarse produc
tions are lost, as they cannot be car
ried to market otherwise. Railroads
by giving activity to the business o
the country by filing it with popula
ton, have made water routes neces
sary to meet the varied commercia
wants Of great and prosperous com
munity.
ResolUed, That the want of thu
Northwest is cheap transportation
that this can only be secured by (
water route, which all have a RICH
to use with their own vessels, upor
equal terms, thus giving the publ,
the benefits of free competition.