The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-10-10
4 per cent. would suffice to perpetuate
your work for all time,


Thus, we observe that, though the
prevention of destructive floods, as en-
joined under the second head Of your
duties, would primarily be of more or
less purely local benefit yet, In the
end, the good would rebound to the
nation at large in a degree and to an
extent not exceeded by that to result
from any other feature of your useful
ness. -.
now pass to a survey of the third
and last head of the duties devolving
upon your honorable body-that Of
tpromoting and facilitating commerce,
trade and the postal SERVICE" To in
troduce this branch of my theme, I
can find no phraseology more At than
the words of my learned and distin-
on June 21st, 1879, on the floor of the
House of Representatives, in successful
advocacy of the final passage of the
bill under whose provisions your hon
orable commission is called into being.
He said:
"NIr. Speaker, am persuaded that
every gentleman in this House who
has made himself acquainted with the
vast interests of the Mississippi Valley
and with the difficulties to be overcome
In the protection and Advancement of
those interests will hesitate long before
he will throw himself in opposition to
this bill.
"The Mississippi river is national
river, the grandest highway of COM
merce in the world. And yet, while
the Federal Government has with un-
stinted liberality made appropriations
for our ocean front and lakes andsup-
land rivers, nothing has been done for
nsNN SN0n
pended enormous sums for harbors and
Water-gaps upon our eastern seaboard
and you support a navy to protect our
foreign commerce upon every sea un-
der the sun. You have established
sheltering harbors and piers upon the
lakes at the cost of millions. You ap-
propriated ten millions to unite the
Wisconsin and Fox rivers, and four
and a half millions to build Il canal
around the Des Moines rapids. These
are but a few instances. believe
every dollar so expended adds to the
wealth, comfort and happiness of the
American people.
"But why is it that nothing, abso-
lutely nothing, In comparison with the
interests involved, has been done for
the Lower Mississippi, from Cairo to
New Orleans, a distance of 1000 miles,
lAtSAAuS u SOuSV AlOAS Va <OVO ulAlSS OH
our great inland sea, whose commerce
and trade even now exceed in value
our whole foreign commerce"'
1t has been a matter of great interest
to compare the expenditures of the
merce on the seaboard with those in
the Mississippi Valley. The former
have been going on ever since the be-
ginning of this century, and up to this
time they exceed $500, 100000. It is
difficult to arrive at the exact amount
from any statistics now furnished. At
the ensuing session of Congress shall
move the House to ask the Secretary !
Of the Treasury for a statement show
ing the exact amount of money ex-
pended since the formation of the gov
in the interests Of commerce
and navigation on the seaboards of the
that is to say, for harbor i'm
break waters, life saving
services, light houses, surveys Of the
coast, and all other purposes, exclud-
ing of course all works warlike, such |
as the construction and maintenance |
of forts and navy yards, with an ac-
statement Of tho amounts |
devoted to the Mississippi |
river and it's tributaries. At present,
however, 1 can furnish only approXi-
mate estimates, which put at about
1925, 10000 for the seaboard, and not
lar from S26, 200, 900 for the Mississippi
liver and its tributaries, including the
whole projected cost of Capt. Eads'
,reat work in the South Pass. Now
his is vast discrepancy when we
ome to consider that the registered
onnage OF our seaboard shipping is a
title less than 2,0o0, 900 tons as against
bout 900, 900 tons actually employed
n the navigable waters of the Missis-
ippi Valley. That is to say, for the
case and safety of 9, 600, 900
ons of American shipping employed
n our seaboard commerce, the govern
nent has expended at the rate of $1124
'er ton, while for the similar benefit
# 100000 tons of Mississippi river
hipping, of course American, it has
expended less than $50 per ton.
1t should be borne in mind that in
peaking of 100000 tons Of river
hipping, I necessarily have reference
'nly to that propelled by steam and
hereby coming under the regulations
'f the government; but have no
means of knowing how much more
onnage there is in flat boats and
oarges. It would seem, however, safe