Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-01-14
From the New York Evening Post
1tUO Modest Measures.

The modest ex-President Of tho late
Southern Confederacy, Mr.. jefferson Davis,
came forward in the so-called Commercial
Convention the other day to show the
government of the United States how it
might promote the prosperity Of the coun-
try generally and that part Of it in par
ticular which he made an abortive attempt
to rule His scheme includes among
other things the improvement Of the Mis-
sissippi River. This modest person, in a
fraternsl and conciliatory spirit, forget
ting nsught of all the past, but all the
past forgiving" was ready to agree that
as many millions of dollars as may be
necessary to execute this scheme Of per-
feet reunion and restoration shall be drawn
from the federal Treasury and duly ex-
pended.
Two bills relating to this subject are
now before Congress. One of them, i'll
troduced by Representative Gibson, up
propriatos SS,500,000 to secure a depth
of not less than ten feet at low water
between the Head of the Passes and the
mouth of the Ohio River; 100000 TO
secure a depth Of eight feet between the
mouths Of the Ohio and Illinois Rivers !;
S3S3,000 to secure depth of FIVE feet
between the mouth of the Illinois River
and the Dcs Moines Rapids; s6l7,00O to
secure depth of five feet between the
Des Moines Canal and st. Paul; $780,
600 to secure depth of five feet between
St. Paul and the headwsters of the Mis-
sissippi River-S5,5 100000 in all
The other bill, introduced by Repre-
sentative Young, authorizes the work of
improving the river, to be done by Mr..
John Cowdon, of Memphis, Tennessee,
aud proposes to compensate him as follows
for doing it; Of all the lands reclaimed
by the process of deepening the channel
to depth Of eight feet from St. Louis to
Cairo and ten from Cairo to New Orleans,
one-hslf shall be conveyed to him and his
heirs. When he shall have opened a
proper outlet for the river into Lake
Borgne be shall be paid the sum OF $3.50
| 600, Hhen the channel from ST LOUIS 10
Now Orleans has been deeponed to SIX
feet, 81 ,O00,0 900; when it has been dcoy-
encd to seven feet, 100000 when it
has been deepcned to eight feet, 81 ,OeO,-
900 when it has been deepened to nine
feet from Cairo to New Orleans, 81 ,000,-
000 when it has been deepened to ten
feet and cleared of snags, loose rocks and
wrecks, $1,000, 600; when an outlet for
Red River by way Of the Calcasieu has
been secured, Sl,500,000; when chan
mel has been satisfactorily opened from
the mouth of the Calcasieu through the
tide-waters OF the Gulf to the Mississippi
and Nov Orleans, Sl,O0O000 when
locks have been constructed at the mouth
Of the Red River, if necessary, or when
the AtcuataIay and Black rivers and
bayous Bartholomew and Mason have
been improved, 100000; when the
St Francis and Cache rivers have been
improved, 100000; when the Yazoo
Rivers and the Big and Little Sunfowerr
and Deer Greek have been improved the
remainder Of Sl0,000,000; for twenty
years for maintaining the channel $780,
600 q year-S4 100000 for the whole
time. What the value Of the lands TO be
granted IS We have no means Of estimat-
ing, but the amount Of money to be ex-
pended under this bill is Sl4,000,000
I We have been particular to mention the
details concerning the payment Of the
money, because they make up the sub
stance of the bill. 4 very general SUI
peryision of the work by the War Depart
ment is indeed provided for, but We are
unable TO discover any requirement of
security from Mr.. Cowdon for the COM
pIetion Of the work, or for damages which
may result from his experiments, although
free right of way aud ample authority are
guaranteed 10 him.
We hope that these bills, before they
are passed, will be submitted TO the mod.
est Mr.. Davis for his approval. We do
not know which of them he will prefer
His natural delicacy and acquired self
abnegation might induce him TO to take
the smaller SUN of S5,500,000 rather
than the larger sum OF Sl4,O00,000 but
by giving his feelings an extra wrench he
might persuade himself to accept the lat
! ter.