Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1881-06-09
THE HENNEPIN CANAL.

The Convention at Davenport, Iowa, in Fa-
vor of an All-Water Route Eastward.
The convention Of delegates from states
of the Mississippi valley ct Davenport,
Iowa, was largely attended. 1t was called
for the purpose of considering the subject
of the proposed Hennepin canal To connect
the Mississippi with the Illinois river, at
tracts good deal of attention among ship
pers ana producers in the west. The canal
when completed will form the final link in
the chain of water transportation to the
east, by way of the great lakes
and the Erie canal The first part of the
route, extending from Chicago to La Sale,
is already completed and known by the
name of the Illinois & Michigan canal.
From La Sale to Hennepin, by the Illinois
river, there is slack water navigation; leav-
ing only sixty-fve miles of the total 108 to
be finished, until the work is completed.
The advantages of the proposed route are
thus summed up ly Senator Window in
his report on transportation to the seaboard:
First, it passes through the center of the
richest corn producing area, and it formsa
connection with the Mississippi river, which
passes through the richest wheat producing
erminus is at Chicago, the largest grain
market in the west, where there is always
large supply of lake tonnage"
The resolutions unanimously adopted by
the convention:
| First That the congress of the United
States should devise by law and sustain by
liberal and efficient appropriation system
of cheap transportation by water route, con-
Meeting the Mississippi river and its tribu-
taries with the eastern Atlantic seaboard and
the gulf of Mexico.
Second-It has been the policy of con-
gress and the desire of the people of the
Northwest for many years to inaugurate
and complete a system of water channel
improvement, having the Mississippi for it's
base, aud that to give greater efficiency to
this policy there should be constructed from
the Mississippi on the most direct and fea-
sible route to tie Illinois river at Hennepin,
thence to the lake at Chicago, a canal ade-
quate to the present and future transporta-
ton needs of the people. Such work of
internal improvement is an imperative ne
cessity for relief from the expensive freight
rates on produce, and that the work SO long
needed should be Immediately commenced.
Third-The con in.ed improvement of
the Mississippi river under the auspices of
the Mississippi River Commission, created
by act of congress, is work of great ma
tional importance. Congress ought to pro-
mote the scheme of improvement by the
most liberal appropriation therefor
and we emphasize and enforce the united
and earnest demand of the people of the
entire Mississippi valley that congress shall
make prompt and adequate appropriations
for the improvement of the river and its
navigable tributaries from the Fails of St
Anthony to the Gulf of Mexico, and tina
this convention has no sympathy with any
policy that would depreciate or hinder this
great enterprise of making it fully naviga.
BILE and building up great commerce up
on this central river, natures great highwa,
of the continent.
Fourth-We have viewed with peculiar
satisfaction the increasing success of thu
barge line system of transportation on thu
Mississippi and its tributaries, and the re-
lief it gives to producers and shippers O
the Mississippi valley in cheapening freight
Fifth-We heartily favor the proposed
cession of the Illinois and Michigan cana
aud improvements on the Illinois river b.
the state of Illinois, and declare the Fri
canal should be made free of tolls; there
!: fore we hope for the early..success of the eff
forts inaugurated to secure these results.