The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-23
THE ST. PAUL CONVENTION.
Report Of Col. Louis hush to the Cotton
Exchange.


NEW ORLEANS. October 10, 1877.
To Mr.. VIM. @. Black, President, and Members
Of the Cotton Exchange:
GenAenaen-As your delegate 10 the river con-
ven ION held at st. Paul, Minnesota, beginning
on the 18th instant. have the honor Of submit
ting the following report. Having read very
carefully the call for the convention, I enter
tanned some doubt concerning the scope OF the
matters TO be considered by the delegates when
assembled, and spprehended particularly that
they might probably strive to exclude the ques-
ton Of improving the Mississippi by means of
levees. l communicated these doubts to your
honerable president.
these doubts, the conclusion was reached that I
should 70 on, and when there, that should find
the purpose to be to looalize the proceedings
should abstain from participating.
Accordingly ! proceeded to st. Paul, which
point reached on the evening of the 10th, too
late to consult with delegates from other points
Fortunately Mr.. John Augustin and Mr.. J. M.
Walpoe, also delegates to the convention, accre-
dted by the city of New Orleans, like myself.
reached st. Paul by another route earlier than
did on the same day, and had the opportunity
that evening OF oonversing with other delegates
and with various members OF the Chamber of
Commerce Of the city. These conferences i'm
pressed on their minds the conviction that the
fixed purpose of the convention WAS not to enter
tain or consider the question Of levees in any
form, and in consequence we concluded, should
there be NO change OF views the next day, to re-
frain from presenting our credentials. The leader
in the st. Paul Dispatch the leading journal of
the place, on the morning of the 11th, q copy of
which is annexed, clearly warned us
that we had nothing to expect favor
able to our levee system. After this
perusal the three delegates above mentioned
agreed to call at the Office Of the Chamber of
Commerce with view Of determining the course
to be pursued and acting as would best secure
the ends We had in special charge. There your
delegate had an interview with the Hon. H. M.
Rice, ex- United States Senator from Minnesota,
president of the Chamber of Commerce. under
whose auspices the convention had been called,
in which he was questioned as to the purpose OF
the convention. and informed that IL the matters
to be considered were purely local, as the morn
ing papers insisted, Cnr mission was at an end,
inasmuch as we could accomplish no good and
might perhaps, breed discomfort and discord.
On his positive assurance that the COW ntion
was intended to consider the improvement OF
the entire river from st. Paul to the Gulf, which
communicated to my colleagues, we agreed to
participate in the organization Of the convention
and await events.
After the organization, which was effected by
electing Mr.. Joseph Brown, OF st. Louis, presi-
dent, and Mr.. J. NJ. Walpole. of New Orleans,
secretary, a committee ON resolutions was or
dered, to be composed OF two members from each
state represented, on which we're placed Mr..
John Angus'in and your delegate for Louisiana.
The formation OF this committee OF the whole,
90 II was termed, being completed, resolutions
we're called for, under direction that they should