, 1879-01-30

hHSHDHQkHh 'S"E1HtcaF+ NHHs ~
No more important subject is before Congress,
nor isnny entitled 10 more earnest consideration,
than the Improvement OF tEe Mississippi River.
Att sccttons have an interest IN IT, as ali witt saaro
morc or less in whatever viii reclaim IT from
u.e unwlsc policy thlt las heretofore proved SO
utterly impractieahlc, as well as wastcfut ex-
pcudturc OF the public a,0ney. The leycs sya-
ten will never cfTcct the object IN view, We caru
not what amount Of time mud nIeans arc .pent
on II. The whole theory Ia nntaronsttc tu
every principle Of science ~ we'll as those Of
rntniaou sense, atni as tar rs accomplishing any
practical result savo nt exaGgcrhtl0n OF tho taf-
flcultlcs Inl injuries now existing, the Govern
mGnt might Just rs well throw tho money thus
used into The Gulf OF Mexico.
In striking contrast to thls Is the outlet plau
Of Capt. Cowdttn. of Memphis, which We defy
a,Y nlnn to examine aml not beconnc consinccl
OF It's entire pracilrabl,tyt The Committee On
Commerce OF the House had 1t under conaiti-
Grafton tho whole session, aud hare becn eup-
piled with m array nj facts aueh - few spras-
urss lavc had the benefit Of: al,l tle printed
matter uraercd by the House embracing Cow
duli'a memorial and his explanations accom-
pan,ing It arc just beginning TO sttract the wnl-
cat attention a,nl pruduee the very best lmpres-
sion amoug the peopie IN ths Ai'ssissippl Tullr,.
Congress can't afford to tribe with tAis subject
any longer; The day Of n'ud;gsnks IA a"l foy;
lllvcr has hem e1pertmcuted with lnr,g
cnnugh, AMI tic tltne has arrived wl.ril
kuc xenxGlcss and expensive operations
must ba abandoned. Tie Committee on cbnl-
tncrrc Of s!H llnNsc caunot Afford to tgnore tlIa
question any longer. ur The tmportant facts tc-
tora them. Geu+ Reagaa and bis asawtntes M
tl.c Comm'steu owe II to ulu House and ths
country ~ nske better u8a Qt ,them thao they
have. aild to put stop to afurther waste Of thu
public Mouev OH lGgeeg, which every year aids
l., their failure Atal lj!e injury lhcy are nalrt-
tng. licre Is a proposition worth moro 10 tho
south thin ail the 0slerx Its politics has erct
4uggcstctl: nnd, ustoDtshing NJ thc fact H.
scarcely public man from or q newspaper MAti
belonging 10 that section considering 1t but,
DourIon Ike, hangs on tn ihr mistaken IDEAS
Of the past with Is much prtluLtcc as do tho
red men of The forest. 10 thf!r nude
forms of civilization. The South ls atl
the time complaining OF the want OF help
and yct fails ~ make nse of m opportunity
rrsss among thrm progressive enough to i1kr
hold nt this simple Drorcss und inatat upun its
alioplfons Tile amount OF MONEY asked fNr to
derionstrato IT, practjeabltty IL less tl,an Il
wanted TO provide for . rowing commission, ol
Whjri1 there Ii about on uc1I mccarthy IA tlpru
would be fnr iifth wheel to WaEun. Gu thIA
potut members OF Congress- CHI vet nli the In
formation they want by uquifiuS w!iet1scr there
10 mt Rlfcudy commission OF nrinY cngiycrr4
engaged tloing precisely tic aai,lo work. ~
N0ar1 Of Army Engineers, consisting u Uehs.
+. q. Barnard, Il. u. Towers, a,Ml II. q. Wright,
weru ordered III July, 1878. 70 examine this wuuls
c0,nmlssiu,. Can mean nothing else than ta uro-
yIJr sDlt, lazy plarts for few tayortc epgt-
nccrs, who, 10 doubt, would du their part to
pcrpctunte the Mutl.bapk experiment Just a.
long ~ tic Government would continue thrUi
iu Office,