Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-05-14
The People of the Future Capital
of the Union Extend a Cor
dial Welcome to the
Legislators.
Address of Mayor Brown, Clearly
Defining the Work Of the
Observation-Disclosures
Commenced.

the Union, are hung from the railing OF
the gallery. The stage is elaborately
embellished with flowers and livin G
plants in bloom, the whole present.
ing a very beautiful appearance.
The conference was called to order al
half-past twelve O'clock by Hon. Henry
7. Blow, who stated that on consulta-
ton with gentlemen from all parts Oi
the country it had been decided that
Mayor Brown, as executive of the city
Of st. Louis, should preside over the
conference, and that the members of the
local executive committee should serve
as the other officers of the conference.
Mayor Brown then took the chair and in
trOduced Bishop Bowman, who invoked
Divine blessing on the conference.
MAYOR BROwN's ADDRESS.
Mayor Brown then delivered an ad.
dress, in which, after bidding the con-
gressmen present a most cordial and
! hearty welcome on behalf of the whole
people of st. Louis, and one which be
| hoped would make the memory of their
visit pleasant, he said: at was not our
purpose in inviting you here to-day to
/ merely discuss our local attractions,
neither was it our desire to invite you
here for the purpose Of bringing undue
influences to bear on you, and thereby
endeavOr to secure your cOmmittal to
| legislation calculated to take advantage
of or injure one portion of our common
country. We have designated this
! assembly as q convention, but in char
acteT it is more of an informal and
friendly conference. We design to
submit a plain, practical exhibit of
! the needs Of the west and south for
! improved water lines to the ocean. We
! do not desire to excite discussion, nor
/ do We ask any vote in advance on legis-
lative appropriations, nor do we intend
to embarrass you by strict parliament
airy proceedings" The mayor then re-
ferred to the necessity Of improved wa
! ter-rOutes to the seabOard, and notes
what government has done for the sea-
coast in the way OF protection to life and
! property, and claims that the same
| should be done for the west. To illus
! trate the perils Of navigation on the
| Mississippi river, he says that in
one bend of that river, only four miles
! in extent there lie the wrecks of thirty
six steamers, damming up the way, and
that it is appropriately called Graveyard
bend. He says not only the west and
the south are interested in removing the
OD5NI utNAOilS 4lOAu anu hEEilGuLuE lilt
channel of the Mississippi river and its
tributaries, but the whole country, and
also foreign nations; for cheap transit
for the products of the Mississippi valley
has and must always have a great infiu-
ence on the markets of the world. He
also cites the fact that in consequence
of the high rates of freight to the
seaboard, many farmers have actually
burned their corn because it could not
be marketed without bringing them in
debt in view of those and various other
drawbacks to trade and business of the
west, he appeals to congressman to
consider the situation and accord that
which will remove the trouble.
SPEECH OF HON. HENRY t. BLOW.
Hon. Henry T. Blow then delivered an
address on the general objects of the con-
ference. He begged congressman to be-
lieve we are national in all our feelings
and aims, and would seorn to receive at
your hands a single favor that would
burden unjustly any part of the country.
We, therefore, address you as represent
atives of the whole country, as states
men, bound by narrow lines as honest
men, regarding it as your highest duty,
as well as your supreme pleasure, to in
vestigate the condition and claims of
feeble and strong alike, and to mete out
equal and exact justice to all. The
speaker then referred to the necessity Of
return to specie payments, and urged
congress to effect this at as early day
as practicable. Referring to the require
ments Of agriculture, mining and man
ufactures, he said cheap transportation
was the great thing needed. The coun-
| try is threaded with railroads over which
passengers and freight can be trans
| ported in all directions, but feeling has
grown up in this valley, as well as in
other parts of the country, that there
are existing and extending combinations
on the part Of these corporations against
the interests of the producing classes.
He then paid a glowing tribute TO the
railroad system of the country, as the
prOudest monument of progress ever
reared by mortal hands, and to-day is
the glory of republic, enthroned in
the midst of its created wealth. He
urged generous treatment of these great
representatives Of the capital, labor and
enterprise, and said he who would un-
duly impede their progress, would soon
learn that the march of American en-
terprise cannot be arrested by prejudice
or ignorance, and that our plighted faith
can never be disturbed by senseless re-
pudiation or the schemes of narrow
demagogues. As remedy for these
real or supposed combinations, he pro-
posed competition, and TO carry out this
competition he asked congress to give
the country a national water system
equal to our railroad system, the result
of which would be the admiration Of
no ra-or11 Ia vs.fay-rnA 10 h..
products and resources Of the Mississippi
valley, and said st. Louis was destined
to become the center of the iron trade
of the world, and that within twenty
years Texas would produce more cotton
annually than is now exported from
the whole country.
HON. E. o. sTANARD,
member elect to congress from
from the first district of this city. was
then introduced, and spoke in behalf of
the merchants exchange of st. Louis
and the commercial interests of the
Mississippi valley. His speech was
quite lengthy, and abounded in statis-
tical information, bearing upon the
productlveness of the country and
the great demand for cheaper
facilities for transportation. He said
=
greater capacity for cereal productions
than any equal area on the globe. Sew
enty-five TO eighty thousand miles of
railroad are employed to move the pro-
ductions and for the commerce of the
country; yet there is great and press
ing need of increased facilities and
cheaper transportation. Millions of
tons of breadstufIs are wasted in western
fields or consumed for fuel, while many
in eastern cities and foreign lands suf-
fer for want of food. The western farmer
obtains but about fifteen cents per bushel
for com, while the consumer in the east
has to pay sixty-five cents for it. The
farmer is not reimbur the actual cost
of production, while the cost of living
to the consumer is excessive and burden
some. All the profits Of production, and
more too, are demanded for transporta-
ton, and the producer is impoverished,
commerce languishes, and bankruptcy
threatens the entire country and must
ensue unless relief is afforded from the
exactions of these tyranical mOnOpolies.
A system of canals south of the freezing
line would afford great relief both in
continuity OF transit and cheapness, and
would hold railroads to uniform and
lower rates of charges. The James
river and Kanawha, the Atlantic and
Great Western, and the Fort st.
Phillips canal should be COM
pleted without delay; but notwith-
standing their completion would
be almost equivalent to duplication