Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-27
THE sAWDUsT QUESTION.

Is tie Mississippi Ricer the Special Prop
erty OF Minneapolis, and mast All the
Legislation Of the State and of Congress
De Shaped to Serge this Burg at the E.s-
peRSe,0f the Entire Stotc?--This is Simply
Htse Question Nosc Before the Legislature.
To the Editor of the Globe.
will take the affirmative of this question
And the first evidence of it is the action OF the
committee of the Senate on the sawdust me
mortal. That stupid or more than stupid
committee is 20 report against asking
Congress for law to prevent filling the river
with sawdust. Capt. Reaney informs me that
they actually allowed the Minneapolis men 10
persuade them that sawdust was benefit to
the Mississippi river-taking their opinion in
preference 10 the opinions of the United States
engineer, Farquhar, who was so impressed
with the injury of sawdust to navigation that
he copied the Michigan law on the subject and
handed Il 10 The committee cf the chamber Of
commerce, with a view of having such a law
enacted by our own legislature taking their
opinions in preference 20 those of Capt. Z. I.
Bell, who IS an old river man for twenty-five
years and an expert in the matter of river im-
proyements; Of Capt. Blakely, who testified
that the paddles of his boats used TO turn up
the sawdust as far down as Lake Pepin, twenty
years ago, when not a hundred pounds of saw
dust was then thrown into the river, where
now hundreds of tons are thrown in; and Of
Capt. Reaney, a lifelong river man, whose
opinions are made up not only by personal OBJ
servation, bat on the testimony
Rhodes, Diamond 10 and every man
who has run steamboat on the river for the
last twenty-five years. That committee ignores
the law Of Michigan, and of every other State,
almost, which have saw dust laws on their
statute books It ignores the unanimous ad-
vice of the Mississippi river commission III It's
report 10 Congress, based on the testimony OF
engineers and experts. Itignores the memorial
of the Quincy river convention, composed OF
several hundred intelligent delegates, which
asked Congress for stringent sawdust bill; and
this committee asks the State OF Minnesota TO
place itself directly in the face OF all this in
fuence, and directly against this most import
ant measure for the Improvement of the river.
AL the State must be compelled to suffer to
save little expense to the mill owners OF
Minneapolis. For be ii remembered in the IN
terview published IN your paper sometime ago,
Of Minneapolis men, one man testified that he
burned all his sawdust with machine costing
only few hundred dollars, and Ex-Governor
Washburn said il was an easy matter to dis
pose of the sawdust without throwing it into
the river. Please turn back and republish
these two testimonies, as the legislature is
now about 10 stultify the State, unless the
sophistries of these lying witnesses are ex-
posed. Now few weeks ago the opinions of
engineers were everything, when applied
to the reservoir system, while concerning the
sawdust matter, they are nothing This is
logic on the Minneapolis plan.
Now, am getting tired of running this
State for the benefit of Minneapolis alone. We
all have some claims TO the Mississippi river.
II U101 m 1U n no do 70
benefit of one town. All the bounties of the
government are swallowed to the amount of
over 5000, GOO to make q water power there,
while not half this amount has been expended
20 make the river nayigable from st. Paul to
Rock Island. Our Representatives in Congress
work for these eZtraVagant bounties for one
town, and neglect the main river so much
That the pitiful sum Of $150,000 is all that they
got into the river and harbor bill for the river
proper, while last winter and this, they have
gotten 1925, 000for the damming up of lakes 10
increase the water power at Minneapolis and
float logs TO their mills. This 1 hold is an IN
famous record for every man who misrepre
sents Minnesota in Congress, particularly.
Washburn, Window and Mcmillan, who isn't
man enough to smash such things, and get
something for the State at large. No
wonder Washbun rejoiced when
the telegraph Informed him his faithful friend
and ally was still to be on hand to hold his
tongue when St. Paul and the State at large
was to be stabbed by killing the sawdust bill
for the benefit Of Minneapolis Mcmillan is a
good enough Representative for Minneapolis to
justify Washburn's rejoicing at his election.
And while the river is damned and damned and
doubly damned by these two men, here is
Window asking and getting S550,0Oo for Fox
river, Wisconsin, slackwater navigation, and
more money for Minneapolis public build
ing than he asked for the entire Mississippi
river. Now, in view of all these things, ask
the Senate and House to pause and inquire if
they are called together to pass laws for the
benefit Of the State of Minnesota, or for the
city of Minneapolis alone. Only a year was
asked last winter in Congress by these Mime
apolis men to get ready to take care of their
sawdust, and the bill was postponed year 70
accommodate them. Now, instead OF carry
ing out the understanding and allowing the
law to pass, they are asking memorial
which postpones the thing indefinitely, and
allows them to continue in their devilish mis-
sion to dam, ana damn and doubiy damn the
river for all time to come.
a VOICE FOR THE WHOLE STATE.