Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-02-22
THE JuPRO OTEMENT OF THE MIS-
SISSIPPI RIVEIc.

claims of our great central water wap ior
immediate and permanent Improvement.
He began by tliacharginG the bill, which
he by order of his committee had report
ed TO the House and which was under
debate in Committee of the Whole, from
the misapprehension that it aimed at re-
claiming the lands bordering on the Mis-
sissippi. 1t does nothing of the kind.
1t leaves reclamation to individuals and
localities 1t simply aims at preventing
overGows and at the permanent improve
ment for commercial purposes OF the great
water way. In the next place it does not
psapose any subsidy, "the bare mention
OF which, says Mr.. Robertson. "oper;:tes
upon IL portion of the press and public
like an attack of nightmare" AS has
been so often insisted upon in these col
u,,lns the Improvement of the Mississippi
is national. 1t cannot be undertaken by
either states, municipaIs or Individuals, |
and If undertaken caunot be carried out
successfully by them. The benefits which |
will arise from this Improvement are nat
ional They will not be coutned to any |
section Or quarter, but they will i'll time
snread over the whole United States.
Mr. Robertson very justly objects to
the practice of distributing among "a
number of inllarmoDious bills the GueS-
tions relating to q river system which
| Nature made interderendent and harmo-
NOUS" The Object is orc and the ncces-
sary means ought to be committed TO one
controlling authority. The bill now pend
| iur III the House does not endorse any
theory or plan of Improvement. 1t SIM
OIv clothes IL commission CT inQuirers
with the power to decide upon what is
bcsl to be done. Mr.. Robertson has laid
down Il maxim which Leg gislatnres should
Law to heart: at is for us 10 pTcscipe
the object to be accomplished, leaving to
others the (choice cfMe) meaps."
Mr.. Robertson insists that the most
promising field now before MS for eXtend-
inr American commerce is ''that conpos-
cd of the Spanish American countries
south of the Mississippi Valley" How
can we obtain this trade: Says Mr.
Robertson truly:
The question then a1ises how can VIC
, best extend aid? When VIC consider
that eighteen Stat and two Icrril lories
are bor,lcred or interScctch by the naVi
gable portions of the Mississippi and It's
tributaries, which. viii. Il total Of 11.oSt
miles of present viGation, conNrrS"
, unitc and finally terminate at he Gull oI
Mexico, at the doors OF the Spanish Amer
lean nations: when we consider that
those eighteen States in 1876 produces
| sixty nine yer cent, OF the wheat, clSh'E
t seven per cent, of the Cur,l, scEcntY-tw"
per cent, of the rye, sevcnty-t"ur pei
+ cent OF tho cotton and c"ntal, et
hoes: when we consider further that one
of the most important elements OF sue
D ccssill tOrc1i! trace is cheap triilSpoi
tati0n from [ he great Interior to the sea
n board. we cannot fall 10 see that tI'
nightly Mississippi, when 1rcHI lfoih IL!
| obstructiOlis. is It very important 1"cto
D in extending our foreign commerce. Wlti
The nations south of uS. Opposite tn
,o | mouth of this river system, JHst acfoS
and halt srr0unt!inS tic Gulf, is tue Srca
Republic of Mexico, containing twenty
seven States and one territory Win
IS population nearly as great in proportion
to area rs that of HE United states. L
20 is the nearest, and next TO our own III
LARGEST and richest of all republics. !
ab0un,!s in silver, coffee, sugar, dye
u stuil>, fancy woods: fruits and other trnl
ical rroiuct$: but it is deficient III I'll
n class OF products and m"h!i'"c'"r "r'
which we have in excess. Mexico meet
our railway iron and supplies, mlnll
49,, machinery, agricultural implements an
I" the thousand and one articles o! o.
manufa. turo and will for years to com
to or until she herself is adequately deV'
oueu, demand what we can so easily slll
niv. She annually spends several III
- ions of dollars in purchasing cotton stu
from distant Europe, when the line
oS- cotton region of the world is near at iia'
along the Tower Mississippi. Her i"re'!
commerce is almost entirely, depcnde
"Z upon water transportation, tor there
not a single mile of railway connccti'
' her with the Unltcd states Oh 1iJ o'n
, nation.
But Mexico is not the only count
ust w lose tradc we want. There IS Bra
for instance. We sent less than live I
ado cent oftho annual imports into that gr'
empire in 1875, while more than elgh
Try five per cent. of her demands were s.
piled FROM Europe. Mr. Robertson p
the value Of the total annual imports
vuz those American nations to the south
us at the moderate sum of }}o,oOo,'
1,+ of which only little more than o
sixth belongs to the United States.
-jes SAYS truly enough that we ought to c
troll two thirds of this trade.
There is still another and Il very pot
tile reason for improving tho Misslssl
River. That improvement, MIR. Robe
son holds, is Il preventive against y cl
- fever. He says:
lay In the United States tho disease
chiefly confined to this alluvial distl
an; which is subject to overflow and u
oucutly to stAGnatc water and rarll Y
dc citation stcaming and fostering nndc
hot sun. My personal ohservHtion I!
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