Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-08-23

0oE 30 Qoo0t1oA 81 River lnnpeOv
AsaAsaGaass lE ss
I9fyos ziehach hos resolved from Hal
Nv. =: R0gsrs, mayor Of Quincy, Illinoll
a Invitation Is intend Asrivsr Improvement
convention at Qaiacy on the 18th day d
'fOeaoser pexa TAsnllfor he ~conveatiun
whtoh issignsd;by many Of the leading d
tisens Of the stats Of Illinois. says 9Th,
rapid increase In the agricultural and man
ufhcturine predictions Of she states border
Ing on the Mtssissippi river and it, tsibu-
tariea. and the consequent necessity for en-
larxed] facilities for cheap. safe and certain
transportation. give more than usual i'm
psrtaacs to the subject Of the improvement
Of the navigation Of these rivers, and, II
would seem, ought to enlist the immediate
attention Of oil interested In industrial pur.
suits In such states, and who deslre . far.
thor Development Of their resources.
"The importance Of tie subject Is much
enhanced By the recent deepening Of the
channel into the gulfat the mouth OF the
Mississippi river, and BY the ceaseless tariff
wars which prevail among the railroad cor.
porations TO the great embarrassment and
injury Of ,cemmercs. taso,sg,x
with Q Wow to promoting the Improve
ment of the navigation Of the rivers named,
and to removing, as far as possible, the
evils with which commerce now has to
contend, 1t has been determined to hold q
convention in Quincy on the 18th Of DC.
tober. 1879"
The main object of the convention, as In.
dicated BY the call, is to advocate the i'm
proyement Of the channels of the Mississ-
ippi and its tributaries to make them more
available for the transportation Of freight
10 barges. While this 10 undoubtedly teas.
ible so fer as the Mississippi and some Of
its important tributaries are concerned, we
question whether it can be practically ap.
piled to the Missouri. A stream to be
available for the successful use of barees
must have Q well-de6ned and uniform
channel, or one which can be 80 placed
and maintained BY the jetty or som other
effective system. While the Missouri fur
nishes good navigation for steamers of no
mean proportions. its cratic character and
ever changing channel would in our opin.
ion make it's improvement for the use of
barges q question Of extreme doubt. Hence
We would regard q project having that OBJ.
ject In view ~ q objectionable wisdom.
The only benefit which the country Dor.
dering on the Missouri river can receive
from the results Of convention such as Is
proposed at Quincy is to Impress upon the
government the necessity of appropriations
for the improvement of the river for stesm.
boat navigation and the necessary work at
important points to con6ne the channel
and thereby protect valuable public and
private property. Small appropriations
have been made for this objec. at vermil-
lion and Sioux City, but from the best in
formation We have been able to obtain the
want Of good, practical common sense in,
their expenditure failed to develop the
benefit which it was desired to obtsin. An
appropriation of. $4,000. ju%diciously ex-
pended, would be sufficient to throw the
channel of the river along the rock bank in
front of Yankton, end permanently stop.
the washing away of the banks at Green
Island and In the lower part of Yankton
II appropriations for such objects can be
obtained through the fundamentally Of the
Quincy convention, then 1t would be we'll
for interested points on the Missouri river
to haye representatives In that body.