The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1880-02-01
The Mississippi River System.


the Mississippi river and its
tributaries to the Committee on Levees
and Improvements Of the Mississippi
River, and on the general subject Of i'm
proving the navigation Of that stream
and its tributaries. In discussing the
subject, Mr. Chalmers said:
The internal commerce Of the country has
been growing so rapidly that IL now equals
the external commerce. and in many respects
their interests are divergent. The railway
commerce has increased 80 rapidly that IL has
created a necessity for the Improvement Of
water-routes Of transportation to lessen the
railway exactions ia rates.
Again, the rapid aud recent increase in our
exports Of heavy productions such as wheat
corn, meat, and cotion-seed meal makes IL es-
sential to improve the facilities Of water car
rage because these heavy products are un-
able TO pay the costof railway transportation,
and these are principally produced in the
| States bordering on the Mississippi River and
its tributaries These States have been class
| fled in the census as the Mississippi River
| system, and the PRgilc system and this Mis-
| HIHstppi River system contains ,Gs3,3J3 square
miles, and exceeds the area Of the other sys-
toms combined by 38J 1903 square miles. This
Mississippi River system is not 0uiy great in
territory but equally great in population, and
! under the census as II now stands has n major
! ity of the electoral votes, aud when the new
apportonment is made that majority will
| be largely increased. The interest OF this
system II one, and il is unified and bound
together by nature. lis interviewer by the
! Mississippi River aud it's tributaries, which
pcrcolate aud sustain h MS the veins and ar
! LAT. tl.
| tenn It's walGrs How through many ATTITUDES
| through single channel TO the sea, bearing
| upon their bosom the rich productions Of its
varied climates ~ the markets Of the world
and II there II any one interest IN the United
Slatcs which demands seperatc consideration
! by separate Committee it Is the improve
ment Of the Mississippi River and il, nayiga-
| bic tributaries.
| In this connection ask the Clerk TO read
! the following extract taken from tho memorial
! OF the Convention held in Quincy, Illinois, in
| October 1879
Tho Clerk read Ms follows:
,o-,.,
IN lolV inc tothl production OF wheat IN the
United States ana Terri ores was about four
hundred an MY mutton bushels " TINS
amount lhe MlssisssipP' system Pfoduce' over
49, ,,,,,cL ne ,l, ntLo,s cou,Lir.d oc corr ,Lo
whole country produce, in round numbers
> fifteen hundred million bushels the Missls.
p sippl system produced nearly twelve hundred
: million, or four times as much as the others
combined. OI other cereals, ofcotton and hay
of tobacco, sugar and rice, OF cattle and
hogs, and OF all products not included IN man
uiActured articles, lheIe was produced IN the
river System an amount III value exceeding
, one aud one half billions OF dollars, snu
that staggers the imagination to contemplate
The SUMMARY would not be complete withou
l. considering the manufacturing interests an'
capabilities of this region Careful calcula
tons, recently riyeu to the public by an emf
ncnt stntstieinn, demiling the growth AM
progress in this particular, shows that 1t vii
soon equal, II 1t does not surpass, the oldc
a communities IN the north and east foN
facts Of growth viii Indicate what the nen
d future VIII be- IN 1878 the State of lllinoi
c d,oV or rorooJ and G nr ""
q '.,i,,coJ os ,nnny iror rnils a. a." on,;
In lie same year The four Stntcs If uIiroi
Missouri. and Kansas produced D7G 708 I'm
of rails. more than 80 per cent of nil madc /
tho Halted States In that war tLo to,ai 80,
] duction of rolled iron of nil kinda In XII
4 country was 800 SO tons Of which the STATE
of Illinois Indiana. Wisconsin, Michia.,
d Missouri and Kansas produced onc.scvcntl
V
The price obtained for the surplus 6xes IN
T. value of the whole production MS the HON
:, markets generally rules nj tho price If IN
u foreign. less the coat of the transfer Thua IN
is saving to the people of the valley who iii IN
f soil of one ceni n bushel on whcat aud cor
for the yenr 1879 would according IN IN
figures of production, apprcate n sum fatal a
coarly $l5,0OOO00 II Is not unreasonable /
estimate that the deepening Of the channel a
the Mississippi River will lessen the reivb
carriage of cereals alone to the scaboard n
least five cents bushel which gives !,
round numbers $4,000 600 ppr wear an tI
present Weld YourmcmoriRlists arr tbero
, fore, tree to declare that the cost of the i'm
l. proyomnnt vhe,brr II no Ton an ~, - ~
n drcd millions of dollars. win nnt do,or H.
lie pcoplc by its magnitude. since the SAVING :,
d tho producers and tax-payers. ON two orifcIo
AZ alone. will annually equal the highest sum
u Mr. 'halmtrs' Mr. Chairman, there ar
e sun other reasons why the appropriations TO
Is this Mlsslsslppi River and its trhutarei
d should be taken from the Committee on Com
n mercc and given TO u separate Committee
i The rule, as proposed by the amendment
v limits the appropriations to naygable waters
II There Will be no danger therefore, that tn,
J. money OF the Government will be throw
J. away IN dry creeks and spring branches Al
- admit the constitutional power ofthc Govern
ment to make Improvements of these grea
navigahlc steGmsi and those OF us who dpsir,
!; their Improvement are unwilling that our an.
! preparations shat be jcopardised or stigma
X tied by association with the kiskiminetas