The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-04

VHAMH EW UF UVN nj HUE.
No II West Third street, Rogers Block,
St Paul Mimi November 30 1879

No. II West Third street, Rogers Block,
st. Paul, MINI. November %, 1873.
To Hon. John B. Lantte. Chairman Committee
on Invitations. etc. New Orleans La:
SRI have tho honor TO inform you that the
Chamber Of Commerce Of tho city Of IT. Paul,
ut its Il Getting on the twenty-fourt instant.
provided for the appointment of five delegates
TO the Commercial Cpnvention to be held in
New Orleans on the third proYimo. and further
instructed me. its presiding officer. to commu
nicate respectfully to the convention the VII ws
entertained by that body In relation to the i'm
provement Of the Mississippi river. In which
the entire West. and espeeialy the state Of
Minnesota. are particularly Interested. In &c
cordance with this action, | beg leave to submit
to the convention the following brief state
mant.
During the summer Of 1877 n convention was
held in this city. upon the invitation Of the
Chamber OF Commerce, at which New orleans.
ST. Louis, and other important poino on the
Mississippi river. were fully and ably repre-
scented,
Most prominent among the subjects discussed
and urgently pressed upon the attertion Of
Congress- was the deepening of the channel of
the Mississippi from the head OF navigation ut
st. Paul to tho Gulf of Mexico. and q committee
was appointed Of distinguished gentlemen. to
proceed to Washington City and remain during
tho session Of Congress-. with hono that their
labors aud iniluenee would secure appropria-
oiIret sought to be attained. Tho committee
applied themselves vigorously to me task ne
signed them. and to their vol -dirccted pif -rs
arc to be ascribci such measures rs were finally
passed for the Improvement Of tho river navi-
CATION.
It is quite evident. however, that neither Con
&ress nor the representatives Of tho Western
States In that body, with very few exceptions.
have any adequate conception OF the magnt.
tude of the evils inflicted upon the commercial
and agricultural Interests of the people inhab
ting the Mississippi Valley. by q neglect to az
Dropriate sum sufficient to render the main
stream navigabe to large steamers during ~
of tho summer months. A few thousands haNs
been grudgingiy bestowed when an enltkht-
oned public policy would have dictated tho ex-
Iitr1rn ~ mil n nal no
to commerce the immense resources Of the
granary Of the world. Large and populous
States await anxiDuSly the breaking, by tho
National Legislature. Of he letters which have
tor so many years paralyzed trade and made
comparatively proiiless the labors OF the farm
or and the planter.
Railways have as we know been indIspene a
bic to tho settlement Of the new sta % and Ter
ritories. but their carrying capacity Is not I'M
limit Il .and the day IL not far distant when
they will be mad quate to the TRANSPORTATION Of
the wheat and other staples destined o Eastern
ard foreign markets The main reliance must
necessarily be on the water lines OF the Mi-SIs-
sppi and its tributaries and the great lakes. 1t
is only necessary to present an exhibit Of the
crop of 1871. from official o.. IN the single
State of Minnesota, to subStantiate that fact:
Bushels
or wheat there was harvested 10, 900 900
of oats there was harvested .......... 16,67S 900
OF corn there was harvest sd --.---.. 1927 900
Of barley there was harvested .....-... 2,325, 900
And let it be noted in this connection that not
one tenth Of the arabic and fertile soil Of this
Less than 600 900 of the more than 100000
of equally good land In Minnesota produced
not only the crop of grain mentioned but hun
drcds OF thousands of bushels of potatoes, rye.
buckwheat aud other articles for the food of
man and beast. In aginati0n can hardly con-
ceve of the results Of the cultivation of the
many millions of acres yet to be subdued in
this State superadded to the products of the
vast grain f-ds OF Dakota on the west and the
British possessions on the north, all of which
must seek al Gutlet by the Mississippi and Lake
Superior.
The facts set forth in this paper are alike APP
plcable TO all the great Stats bordering on the
upper Mississippi river. The extra freghts
payA in single year owing to the indictments
to Navigation would more than suffice for their
permanent removal. and furnish uninterrupted
transit from this city to st. Louis in the driest
season for steamers drawing four and half or
even five feet. All the Mississippi States are
equally interested with MiLesota in securing
appropriations by Congress 20 accomplish this
object. The means and appliances of mod
ern engineering are ample for the re-
moval of sand bars. the construction
of wing dams to prevent their formation
and in exceptionally dry seasons to draw UP IN
the numerous lakes in the northern part Of our
State, which constitute an exhau5tless reservoir
for the supply OF the diminished stream.
When ocean ships of 1900 or 1000 tons burden
are enabled to receive their cargo of bread
stuffs and other products at Duluth, on Lake