The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-03-19
IMPROVEMENT OF TIE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER

b In 1873 the UnlIeu btttes 5sutso "p
pointed O committee on transportation
routes to the seaboard. consisting OF
seven members, four Republicans and
three Democrats, and OF which Senator
Window of Minnesota was chairman.
The committee was authorized to "sit at
such places as they may designate dur
ing the recess and to send for persons
and papers"
Under this authority meetings were
held by the committee at many OF the
principal cities OF the United States,
and an Immense amount Of valuable IN
formation was obtained and embodied
in their report to the Senate, covering
nearly fifteen hundred pages.
AS the result OF their labors they re-
commend to the consideration of Con-
gress fous water routes OF communion
ton between the interior and the sea-
board, designated as the mississippi
route Northern route" Central
route" and Southern route" We
shall at present confine ourselves to
the Mississippi route. OF this the COM
mittee say: "In the opinion OF the
committee no individual or company
should be allowed to exercise any ex-
elusive right upon natural navigable
highway of commerce within the juris-
diction of the United States. 1t Is the
duty OF the government to maintain I'M
restricted freedom of commerce upon
such waters. Any act OF an individual or
corporation tending to obstruct or
blockade such highways, is ON act OF
hostility to the commerce OF the coun-
try, and demands such action on the
part OF the Government as will effectu-
ally prevent its continuance
From this it is obvious that the CON-
mittee mean that this great water thor
s9nghfare, draining with its tributaries
that vast region between the Allegha-
MES on the east and the Rocky Noun
tains on the west, known as the Missis-
sippi Valley, with its outlets In the Gull
OF Mexico, should be owned exclusively
! by the Nation, and should constitute
forever a highway OF commerce and
travel free to all sections Of the great
Republic, and unembarrassed by regu-
sations or tolls OF any corporation OF
State authority. These considerations.
the committee suggest, impose the high
eat obligations on the General Govern
rnent to proceed at once to improve its
navigation, and to protect States, towns
and individuals from its devastating
overtiows.
To accomplish this let Congress ap
,nropriate annually twenty millions o
dollars to be expended in repairing. en-
larping and building new levees, and t
he continued until the whole work |
completed from Cairo to New Orleans
81 further If necessary.
The amount OF money required to az
oomplish this great work may reach on
hundred millions Of dollars, but tn
amount expended amongst our ow
people. who are begging for emplo'
ment whereby to obtain bread for the
starving families, would do more at I'll
present time to relieve the absolute pa
Derism entailed on the South by the La
destructive war and the unwise polite
measures since pursued, than all Il
legislation proposed by the polite
PARTIES OF the country since the war
AS to the lands to be redeemed fro
swamp and from overflow by this sYstel
n would be difficult. ii not impossib
10 ind figures TO estimate their val,
while to HE Government the increa
a the production Of cotton alone, as
exchange for the markets Of Inc {
world. will afford an ample remune
lion for all its outlay.
"a connection with this great !
s,roYement 30 important 70 the sou
20 shall oheerfully applaud the ssaco'