Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-10-27
RIVER IMPROVEMENTS.
FIRST DAYS PROCEEDINGS OF THE
ST. LOUIS CONVENTION.
Address by the President Of the Mer-
chants Exchange, Gen. Crittenden and
Others-Discussion of the Scope Of the
Observation-Disclosures of Commit
tees. SC.

| ing About 500 delegates were present from
all the states in the Mississippi valley and q
considerable number of prominent men occupy
seats as specially invited guests. Michael
| McEnnis, president of the local executive
committee, also president of the local st.
Louis Merchants Exchange, called the con-
venton to order. T. S. Wright, secretary Of
the committee, then read the call of the con-
| vention, after which McEnnis spoke as fol-
lows:
As chairman of the executive committee ap-
pointed by the Merchants Exchange of st.
Louis under whose authority this call has
been issued, it devolves upon me to call this
convention to order. The language of this
call sufficiently explains the object and aims
of this convention. 1t is strange that at this
late day there should be necessity for calling
the people of this valley together to urge
upon congress the duty and obliga-
tions to enact a measure for the inn
provement OF the Mississippi and its
navigabe tributaries. The people of the Unit
ed States are famous for their spirit and enter:
prise. Every subject involving the interest or
happiness of the people, has received due at
tention, except alone the question that has
brought us together. I mean the improve
ment of our great waterways. What causes
this indifference to question of SO vital
to the prosperity of our people? Are
we ignorant of them value, or can we dispense
with them? No, we had thrown away
much time and money over small schemes
and purely local questions. 1t is time to stop
and alter our course. This valley of ours in-
cludes eighteen states and three territories. 1t
is capable of providing sufficient to feed,
clOthe and house the world. 1t now contains
one-half the population of the United States
and could sustain ten times as many. It
now yields surplus of production that has
turned the balance of trade in our favor, and
made it the creditor instead of the debtor
nation. It's products will soon enable
us to control the financial destiny of
the world, and we will reap the rich harvest
always within the grasp of people so highly
favored But we must do our duty. This
duty is plain and imperative. We must 90 be-
fore congress with such overwhelming proofs
of the necessity of improving those rivers by
deepening their channels, removing OBJ
structiOns and giving us q free outlet
to the sea; that our petition, rather
say, demands, will meet with immediate and
and favorable consideration. The government
engineers have completed their surveys; their
recommendations have been approved and
adopted by congress and the war department
commissioners has been appointed and is now
at work within the scanty limits of the apS
preparation and doing good work. The time
has now arrived when we, the people of the
Mississippi valley must unite and insist that
these improvements shall be pushed formard
with yigor and that sufficient money
shall be appropriated to permit
work be inaugurated at all neces-
sary points at one and the same
time. And we should not tolerate any more
ten or twenty-year delays. We want sys-
tematic and statesmanlike management of the
great work. In the West the labor and cost
of properly improving these streams would
not be one-fourth that necessary for the build
ing of the railroad to the Pacific coast. Look
at the difference from the standpoint of
national advantage The one was a
private enterprise, upheld by the
credit of the government, the other
is a great public undertaking designed for the
good of all, and destined to pay every cent of
cost in a few years in the increasing revenue
to the government and the enhanced value of
the products that would float down their
waters to the sea. Have these watery high
ways improved, and the vast valley will sing
the song of happy people, bound together by
q common bond of interest.
We purpose, with your help, gentlemen, to
make this convention the dawn of new era
In the commercial history OF this valley We
do not intend to permit the actions of this
convention to be pigeonholed or buried in a
committee Sat Washington. We will CON-
plete and print the correspondence, resolutions
and actions of this convention with statistical
information that will sustain and justify an
agitation that shall not cease until justice
is done this valley and our local representa-
tives are brought to vivid realization
of the fact that they must protect the inter-
ests of their constituents, or go back to that
private life as lacking the ability or the fore
sight to discern and execute the will of their
constituents. These are my individual sentl-
rnents, and in them think the sentiments of
the Merchants Exchange are reflected. To
you, gentlemen, we surrender further consid-
Grafton of this subject. You bring 10 its
elucidation the lessons of political economy
and experience. May your deliberations be
guided by wisdow and crowned with success.
Mr.. Henry Hitchcock next delivered an ad
dress of welcome. He alluded to the first
river convention, held at Memphis, when J.
G. Culham presided, and the great river and
harbor convention assembled at Chicago two
years after, and other conventions of like
nature at Burlington, Dubuque and other
places. The Improvement of the Mississippi
is no neew project of public opinion but it is
now generally understood what an
Increasing oa en11sns uow peshIng of public It 0Pn dn
1t is stated that the cost of transportation
Oh the river is one mill per ton per mile; by
rail, one cent per ton per mile. Why does
this, the largest convention of the kind ever
held, meet to demand that the water way be
improved? There have been two obstacles to
success in river transportation. One was the
rude satuIe of steamboat machinery; but that
has all been remedied. Yet why is it those
conventions have ceased to meet? In accord
ance wit the resolution introduced into con-
gress by Mr.. Chas. Gibson in 1879, this Missis-
slppi commission was adopted After this occur
red the opening Of the Jetties These previous
attempts contained valuable lessons for the
future. He concluded by saying such gath
ering of representative men could not fail to
impress their demands on the national con-
gress, their methods being temperate yet i'm
perative.
Mr. McEnnis then appointed Gov. Critten-
den, OF Missouri, temporary chairman. He
Was received with cheers and delivered long
address.
Gov. Crittenden was received with cheers
and delivered quite lengthy address, in which
he dwelt upon the magnitude of the Missis-
sippi valley, the great percentage OF the entire
agricultural products of the country are raised
within its borders and showed the absolute me-
cessity of thorough improvement of the
great waterway running through it In
order that products may be carried cheaply to
the sea- Upon the question of improving the
Mississippi river without reference to its
tributaries, he took pretty strong grounds,
and said: "When it is determined here to i'm
prove the Mississippi river, the great trunk,
then let us agree on some plan to i'm
prove the tributaries Let not the smaller
question govern the larger one l have
seen whilst a member of congress the evils of
"omnibus appropriation bllsr for the i'm
provement of our ris.ls and barbors. Much
good is always embodied in those bills; also
| an infinite amount of demagoguery and
waste Of money. It shout be stopped
before the evil gels too large. There
are too many annoyahIe and unwattered
streams in those bills, inserted by interested
politicians for local purposes. Abolish the
evil and assert the independence of the great
Stream and its truly navigable tributaries.
congress will have been accomplished and
money OF the people will be judiciously ex-
pended. Enough money is wasted ON