Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-26
afternoon Session.
The House re convened at $50 p. NJ, Speak.
err Fletcher presiding.


The House re-convened at 2:30 p. NJ, Speak.
err Fletcher presiding.
THE RESERVOIR SYSTEM.
The special order being the Senate join,
resolution asking Congress for an appropria
ton for the reservoir. system on the upper
Mississippi and its tributaries, Mr.. James
Smith, Jr., offered an amendment as follows
Amend by striking out of the memorial
after the word CONSUMERS and insert in lieu
thereof the following, to-wit:
Your memorialists further most respectfully
represent that the reservoir system is of doubt
full expedency, and should only be considered
at most as one of several factors necessary tC
solve the navigation question, and that the
continued construction of wing dams and
deepening the channel by dredging are essential
TO improvement in navigation, and that those
methods known and tried should not be
abandoned for the reservoir system, and if any
one of these factors has to be abandoned foI
the want of proper appropriation, it should
not be that of the wing dams and dredging.
And your nenorialists further respectfully
represent that the vast deposit of saw dust
sidings and slabs in the Mississippi river by
the manufacturers of lumber, must be pro-
hibited before any permanent improvement Of
the upper Mississippi can he secured by any
W
spectfully and earnestly request that you
make such appropriations as may be necessary
for the speedy improvement of the navigation
of the upper Mississippi under the direction
of the war department.
Mr. Smith said that it had been insinuated
that the opposition to this memorial was
based on local jealousy, and that some persons,
himself among the number, did not desire the
improvement of the Mississippi, because il
sx,@o ;rfo ~
roads. Ne was connected with railroad that
had done more to cheaper transportation to
the East than any other agency, and when il
ceased to carry out the purposes for which il
was built, his connection with 1t would cease.
He then proceeded to ralate how the local
jealousy between st. Paul and Minneapolis was
engendered and perpetuated. He did not lay
the i'll feeling to the people of the two cities,
but charged that itupon corporations CONTROL
ing the water power at the falls of St. Anthony.
These corporations were required by their
charters to maintain sluiceway over the falls
for the passage of logs, but when, several
years ago, it was supposed the water power
would be destroyed, and appropriation to save
1t was procured, in the new works the
,luiceway was left out. This had the desired
effect of placing loggers above the falls at the
mercy of these corporations, and they were
obliged TO sell their logs for whatever the mill
owners chose to pay. The object was to create
great monopoly and then to make it pay. Not
until compelled by mandamus from the su-
premc court Of the United States did these cor
porations permit the construction of sIuice.
Ii had been their purpose to destroy the navi-
CATION of the Mississippi below the falls, and
to keep the loggers above that point at their
feet.
Abiding to the proposed reservoir system,
Mr.. Smith alleged that in order
to secure the necessary stages of water
from the head of navigation
to Hastings or Winona the reservoirs would
be obliged to overflow the whole of the north
ern part of Minnesota and all of Manitoba.
Overflow this vast territory in the spring and
draw the water off in July, allowing the
August suns to beat upon it, and the country
will be filled with malaria. This was not a
new scheme. 1t had been tried in the con-
struction of the Licking reservoir to supply
water for the Ohio canal, and the result had
been that miasnatic diseases that had been I'M
known there before rendered the country
round unfit for human habitation 1t had
also been tried on the Allegheny and Monon-
gahela rivers IN the hope of improving the
navigation of the Ohio river, but it had never
raised the water in that stream an inch.
The speaker had been informed that by
maintaining good stage of water on the Mis-
sissippi ali the year round wheat could be
transported in barges from st. Paul to New