The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-14
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
His Appearance at the Jefferson
County Agricultural Fair.
GREAT THRoNe OF PEOPLE FROM
THE SURROUNDING couN-
Try.
No Allusions of q Political
Character made.
THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND
IT'S RESOURCES AND DEs-
TINY.
Improvement Of the Mississippi River
Educational Interests,

Educational Interests,
MR.. DAVIS AND HIS VISIT.
Special to the 81, Louis Republican.
(Continued.)
1t is now three years since / was first
brought into conference with the Missis-
sippi Valley society Of London. They
asked me, what can we do to open trade
with the Mississippi vsliey?" told them
1.-THE first thing to do is to send regularly
arge ships to New Orleans" They said,
How can we get large ships to New Or
leans2 The bar at the mouth of the river
wont let large ships get in" To that an
swered, There are three methods; one is
to dredge the bar, and by perpetual dredg-
ing, as you do upon the Clyde, keep the
channel open. If you can make steel ho-
mogeneous and make your ships of steel
they will then have equal tonnage, with a
lighter draft, or adopt the plan of Mr..
Hirsch of double-keel ships, which he
assures me will 60 in on sixteen feet, with
capacity to carry 10000 bales of cotton
or its equivalent in anything else" Since
that fourth has been added. Your fell
low citizen, Eads, has gone down to make
jetties, and he says he is going to make
deep water. Take one method or the 9TH
er I care not which-take whichever is
necessary of these methods-we can adopt
it, and. adopting it, we can get large ocean
steamers to come to New Orleans, and
your grain will 60 at price certainly less
than one-half that which you now pay. 1t
will 60 from New Orleans to Liverpool at
price one-third less than that which you
L. of 1~n
age and storage and intermediate commits
sion, and every cent you save is another
cent put into the pockets of the producers,
and this amounts to millions of dollars in
any year; millions, and many millions in
any wear. What, for instance do you sup
pose the exports Of the Mississippi valley
are, annually? Not one penny less than
three hundred millions. You send it now
to New York-a large part of it--and from
New York to Liverpool. That brings me
to the consideration of another item of this
question: You must have
DIRECT TRADE;
you must bring in the ships sailing to the
mouth of the Mississippi those articles
which you require for consumption ii
the valley of the Mississippi; and thus the
vessels having freight each way can re
duce their rates of freight still lower thar
the terms which | have expressed. The
people of England-the manufacturers, anC
moneyed men of England are aDx;ously
looking to the trade of the Mississippi val
ley. The Mississippi valley is to them nov
what in ancient times was the land o
Ophir, or what at later day was tn
country beyond the pillars of Hercules
bok xyhop Waokarr Erroro Id hooo,,o
commercial power in the world, becam
known as the East Indies. It is said el
cry country which was engaged 10 tha
trade became rich. They see that tn
Mississippi valley is equal to the sam,
They look upon this valley more anxiou
ly than they formerly looked on the Eal
Indies They consider our trade will yiel
far more than the gold of Ophir, and yiel
to them even more tabled wealth tina
that which lay beyond the pillars of He
cules, and they are praying for this 70
eign market where they could sell the
goods to the foreign farmer, who will e.
change with them food for their starviu
millions. 1t is yours to avail yourselve
fit.
have said that the people of the Nil
sissippi valley were one. have said the
condition was peculiar. / have stated b.
small Part Of the peculiar character
tics which belong to them. Running FRO
the north to he south you are alway
crossing parall Is of latitude. When yC
follow the Mississippi and its tributarit
the consequence is you are always compa
ing the,products of one country with thos
Of another. Thus it is you have hon
market for the exchange of your produ
tons; you furnish grain to the south, an
in return you are furnished with cotto
and sugar. This constitutes market
you as valuable as any other, perhaps, hi
been, and for many years will be the be-
market you have. But | would not sto
at this. 1t is true you have had an owe
production Of grain. 1t is true the cost
transportation has at one time been sue
that corn was used as fuel; but shall tt
ingenuity and the enterprise of our poop
show themselves unequal to overcomiu
the obstacles which have thus been DIT
sented? Shall you burn food for flu
when millions Of your fellow beings on Il
other side are starving for bread; or sha
you in your might of intellect, in your m
terial power solve all the problems tn;
lie in the way, and give the free currel
OF trade between those who have to sc
aud those who have to buy? Thus ma
your ambition be twice blessed, blessir
him that gives and him that takes.
wall not leave our grand old river yet
has been decried by those who have int
ests elsewhere as being frozen up so larJ
portion of the year as to render it uni
for the purposes Of commerce, and that
dries up so large portion Of the year tn
sizeable boats cannot navigate it. In r
gard to this, / know / need not answer
you that rarely was the Mississippi frog,
more than u week in the year, aud rare w
the time when boats constructed for Il
purpose could not navigate it.
Then you have only to resort to Il
measures which have briefly sketched-
for find mysel! physically unable to
into any details and expand the views
have presented to you-you have only,
say, to
DEVELOP TIE MEANS WITHIN YOUR REAC
That the country may go on producil
until hundred million farmers in the va
ley of the Mississippi shall annually
contributing to the wants of mankind, al
the surplus shall go forth as the benefce
means of feeding those who are hungr
and bring back to your people those thin
which others can make cheaper than you
selves.
i have only spoken Of the main arter
The Mississippi might be described as
giant resting his head on perpetual sno,
and his feet bathed in the waters Of Il
tropic, with his arms extending to the ca
and west and bringing evervthinp IN n