The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-03
The Richmond Convention.
Enormous Schemes for
Spending the Peoples
Money.
Convention Of Short.Horn
Breeders.
Patrons of Husbandry.
Meeting of the State Grange
of Ala.--Address of the
w. M.
Tweed's Case Dismissed and
the Boss" sent back to
Prison.
Accidents, Crime. Fire, etc.

ACVAuCACSs SX4AA0s = AXos GU
RICHMOND, Dec 1.-The Cheap Trans
portation Convention met this morning
Col. B. w. Trobel, of Georgia, read the re
port Of the Committee on Artificial Wate
Routes. The report states the fact tina
the United States Senate Committee o.
Transportation recommended the four wa
ter routes endorsed by this convention las
year and then quotes and adopts as its owl
the Senate conn ittee's report
Hon. j. G, Southam, of Virginia, pre-
sented supplemental report in which h
argued strongly against the idea that rail
roads will answer for heavy transportation
and insisted upon the necessity of the fou
great water routes, viz the connecting o
the Mississippi with the great lakes, a cen
trail route between the Ohio river an(
Chesapeake Bay, via the James Riyer anG
kanawha Canal, the great Tennessee and
Georgia Canal and the improvement of the
Missis s ppi river,
Resolutions were introduced to recon
mend congress to extend such reasonable
| aid to the Texas Pacific railroad as will in
sure its speedy completion to mem, rializt
congress to prohibit, under heavy penalties
all combinations between competing line.
of transportation, whether by land or wa
ter, from initiating their capital by waterec
| stock, and also to create court of com.
mercial justice, whose decisions shall be
u jest to re,i w by the Supreme Cour,
OF the United States; that congress should
nix by law the maximum rates for all rail
road tariffs crossing state lines; that the
sentiment of this convention is adverse to
an Increase OF taxation upon the people in
the shape of interest created by an increas-
ed bonded department. that congress be
recommended to adopt national gauge of
4 feet 81 inches and that it offer sufficient
inducements for all trunk lines of 200
miles and over to adopt this national
gauge, all which were referred to the com
mlttee on resolutions.
The committee on natural water routes
not being prepared to report,F F.G. Conant,
Of St. Louis, submitted resolutions de,
claring that congress would be held to
strict account for failure to make ample
appropriations for the improvement of the
mouth of the Mississippi river, which was
also referred to the committee on resolu-
tions.
A committee was appointed to wait on
Gov. Kemper and invite him to address
the convention.
MEMPHIS, Dec. 2,-The cotton ex-
change crop report for November issued
this morning, gives the following sum
mary derived from l07 responses from
west Tennessee, north Mississippi and
Arkansas, north of the Arkansas river.
Sixty four report damage by frost, forty
three no damage. Average damage by
the frost 81 per cent; average decrease
in acreage, IL! per cent The corn crop
of this district is about 33 per cent. short
of the average of the past two seasons.
The aggregate responses does not indicate
any change in the morals Of laborers. The
prospect is that the entire crop will be
saved in better condition than ever knowr.
The committee are of the opinion that the
decrease of the cotton crop in this district
from last year will be about So per cent.
New York, Dec. "A Montgomery,
Ala, dispatch reports meeting of color
ed men representing twenty cotton coun-
ties of Alabama to concert measures for
wholesale emigration to states where the
colored people are in the majority, The
emigration feeling is represented to be very
strong.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, Dec. 2.-The second
annual convention of Short Horn Cattle.
Breeders of the United States met here
to-day in the hall of the House of Repre-,
sentatives. About 100 breeders were pres
ent, including Lippincott, Duncan, Brown,
David Christie Nj, p p, of Ontario, Can; /;
II Il a.. Mr
Briggs, of Des Moines, Iowa +. W. Stew
art, of New York DIR. G. Sprague, Of
Iowa; l.. L. Allen, of New York, and A..
IS. Matthews, of West Virginia.
The convention was called to order by
DIR. A. &, Stevenson, of Greencastle, Ind.
On taking the chair he paid high eulogy
to Illinois and its resources, and its ad-
vanced position in breeding and improving
its cattle. He showed clearly that there
was difference of ii per cent. in the in
rease in weight of short horns over COM
mon cattle, when fed alike, and of 3S per
cent. in value when sold, making So per
cent. advantage to TIE breeder OF short
horns. The beef was Of a better favor,
and more milk and butter could be pro-
duced from short-horn cows. He advo-
Gated speedy change from the common
to a higher grade Of cattle. His speech
abounded in valuable statistics, and was
well received.
L. T. Lockridge, of Greencastle, was
made temporary secretary, in the absence
of Mr.. Campbell, of Boston.
The reports Of the officers were read and
approved.
Mr.. Duncan, of Towanda, read an essay
on the principles of breeding, and to per-
petuate life and breeding qualities
A number of other essays will be read
read during the convention.
The convention will probably last until
tomorrow. Its membership embraces
about 200 names.
The State Miilers' Convention vas also
held here to-day, but the attendance was
very small.
MONTGOMERY, Ala, Dec, 2.-The first
annual session of the Alabama State
Grange met yesterday, w. II. Chambers,
W. NJ, presiding. Fifty county oranges
out Of 65 are represented by loo delegates,
and others are yet coming in. Each county,
with twelve oranges or less, sends one del.
egate. aud those with more send two All
the State officers are present but one. The
address Of MIR. Chambers was very elabo-
rate and able He advised prompt actin
on the constitutional amendment submitted