New Orleans Republican., 1873-05-25


cuss the question on which 80 much intor.
nation had been gained.
Hon. Cyrus Bussey called tha meeting 70
| order and nominated Hon. l. A. Witt for
| chairman, who was unanimously elected.
MAJOR Wiltz then said that the committee
of arrangements had seen ii. to Ca. sha
gentlemen together to consult upon the
best arrangements for the completion o.
the canal. They desire to have free in
terchange of sentiments. and had prepared
| programme. In accordance with this he
| would call first ON citizens Of New Orleans.
and then on @lsicors by States. He then
introduced President Oslesby. who said
that he was reminded he had bu: five
minutes at his disposal. He referred to the
remarks of Governor Stannard at the st.
Louis convention. They lef: him little to
say. He read many figures and impOrtan:
data. He showed how st. Louis By route
through New OrleaSs could put vhea: in
the Liverpool market a: sixty four cents.
when thu lowest average quotation was
eighty three cents. Give Us this canal. be
said and instead OF twenty-three cents you
will get thirty five cents. which is forty per
cent more than you are receiving to-day.
Hon. J. H. Kennsrd was the next speaker
and he reviewed the whole question as pre-.
sented to the committee by the facts. His
remarks were heartily applauded.
Major C. w. Howell was then called on.
He said he had been four years attemp ting
| to deepen the mouth Of the Mississippi. He
said it was positively necessary that there
should. be some controlling power. A.
present parties can use the channel made
! at the government: expense Tor their own
private use. The towDoats. the pilots and
| steamboat captains have i: in their
| powe. to destroy in momea: the
work Of years. The canal is to
| start six miles below Fort St. Philip.
1t will be thirty feet deep. The sol! has
been deposited UP the river. There will be
! no difficulty Of excavation. The expense
will be principally for locks and foundation.
Hon. James B. Eads, of ST. Louis. then
addressed the meeting. He said he deemed
the canal entirely feasible. His observa.
ton to-day had satisfied him it was practic.
able to obtain any depth OF water w;:hou:
J jettyins.
General Phillips Cook OF Georgia. said
that Congress mus: look to the interest OF
this country. Georgia and Illinois would
go hand in hand to aid this project, and the
man who turned his back upon il should
be turned into pillar Of salt.
Hon. John Coburn responded for laia ns.
He sad the question of the prosperity OF
| New Orleans WAS only one of time. He
cited the numerous expenses OF go vern'
ment improvements in other cities. and as.
serted that it should appropriate the money
needed for the canal.
| Hon.'H. C. Burchari. for Illinois. said
Lake Michigan. by the enterprise o. Chicago.
was now tributary OF the Mississippi. He
was in favor Of any feasible projec: TO give
an outlet to grain.
Hon. w. Lougnbridge said: You can pu:
Iowa down as sound on the main question.
and my people have never known the rea.
son why we were starving: because the
question is to get to the sea by the M;ssis
sippi. The way must be opened D. wa Wi!
know the reason why.
Hon. E. Grassland, of Kentucky. said he
had never understood until today ny 1t
it took so long to get to the sea- He would
advocate whatever was decided - DO the
best plan.
Hon. G.. B. Clisbee said that Michigan fel:
deep interest in cheap transportation. and
would do anything and everything 20 aid
this enterprise.
Hon. A. H. Buckner. Of Missouri. said
that New Orleans had only to fix the
amount required to build the canal. and he
would vote for the highest: and whe n the
work was done. the Mississippi would not
only be the Father Of Waters. but the
father of wealth. prosperity and glory.
Hon. C. NJ. Lamison. Of Ohio. wanted the
canal built to the sea. for it would make
the farmers OF the West the richest people
of the world. We must not only have this
gateway. but we must have it free.
Hon. B. Lewis, of Tennessee. believed
the river should be the track OF the COM
merce of the world. The river should be
open to the largest ship that sails the sea.
And it will be done.
Hon. Thomas Whitehead. Of Virginia.
said: feel as much interest as any man in
opening the Mississippi. 1t is a national
enterprise. I come from State which now
has only red gYlIies and brown sage. We
used to make declarations of independence
and constitutions. We have raised Presi'
dents. Now we can't raise an ordinary
Governor or an average Congressman. We
want to go to the Atlantic by way Of the
Mississippi. Virginia is poor. She has no
money. She is very low down. We have
got nothing to give you but our eleven
votes. and those are yours. Virginia always
did help everybody else and never herself.
and we are going to keep it up. The States
my Western friends represent are daugh
ters of one mother. My friends never
paid a cent for an aero of them.
Virginia gave them the land, record ed the
title and paid the taxes. She is now the
cemetery of great nation. The brave
men of both sides lie in the bosom OF my
mother The bravest and bes. of the
North lie in the cemeteries of the govern
ment. and on the other side of the road are
the brayest and bes. of the Confede rates.
But that is all over. and we now want to
cheer up and help one another. If. the
United States don't give US this canal. why
III rebel again.
Before the war there was canal project
which Virginia had cherished. And now.
after the war. she still gazes on it uncom'
p!eted.