American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-11-05
RIVER IMPROVEMENT CONVENTION
Proceedings OF the Meeting mt St Louis
Resolutions Adopted.


| Proceedings of the Meeting mt st. Louis
Resolutions Adopted. a.
The Mississippi River Improvement Con-
vcntion, which met Mt st. Louis on the 18th
of October, continued in session three days
and was attended by about 500 regularly sp-
pointed delegates.
Michael McEnnis, President Of the local
Executive Committee, and also President of
| the st. Louis Merchants Exchange, called
| the convention to order. George L. Wright,
| Secretary of the Executive Committee, then
read the call for the convention, issued by
the St. Louis Merchants Exchange
| Governor Ciittenden, of Missouri, was
made Temporary Chairman OF the Conven-
| ton and made brief address. ~r
A preliminary discussion occurred as to
whether this should be convention a fhe
Mississippi Valley States or Of all the States
Of the Union, which was decided by the
| Chairman reading from the call that all
States were included.
The usual committees were then appoint
ed, that on resolutions being composed as
Arkansas. William NJ F1ahback; Alabama.
Thoma; sayIer; Iowa, wi Ian y; vandeser;
sss; a. Ei,.; Ksnsa' = NSSt; MiPnS.
sion, j: n. Gregory; West virein,a, F: J.
wanna. G. II. Anderson; Texas, J. J; Gam
mage; Ohio, S. +. GOWN 9ton; Mississippi
Judge IL. +. Simrnll; Illinois. w. T. Dowdali.
The Committee ON Permanent Organiza-
ton reported the following list Of officers:
Chairman-IIon- Mark II. Dunnell, of Min
| nesota.
secretary-GcorgeL I. Wright. Of s.: Lonis.
Assistant Secretaries-Frank Gniennie and
| Nicholas NJ. Bell. of st, Louis.
Vice observation-disclosures Il. Taylor. Ala
Jones, Iowa; Eugene Underwood, kentucky;
NJ NJ Hurley Indiana tL. Geo. 9: Wa e , Lou
Governor Lionen 4: sheldon. New Mexico;
Chase 4 rsstgrsw paao
Campbell. West Virginia; Phiio Parsons,
MICHIGAN G. 8. Osborn, New York; r. c. Gray
Covington, Ohio; IL. Fullerton: Illinois; Y: T.
| simrall. Mississippi; james S. Rollins, Mis-
souri,
Upon taking the chair Mr.. Dunnelf re-
| turned thanks for the honor conferred upon
him, and in very brief and general remarks
said as delegates they were here from TWEEN
ty States and Territories, extending from
Minnesota to the Gulf Of Mexico, and from
| the Eastern seaboard to the Rocky Noun
tains, to discuss the question and devise
means of improving the great rivers Of the
Mississippi Valley, whose productions had
given the balance of trade to the country.
The question was not only of great interest
to The Mississippi Valley, but to the whole
Nation, and should be treated with dcliber-
alton, and with view to impress its impOr-
lance upon Congress and inducing that body
to extend the aid SO much desired.
Communications on plans for the improve
zment of the rivers, ETC., were then handed
in and died for future reference.
Letters were then read from Capt. james
b. Eads, Hon. Randall l.. Gibson, Senator
James b. Beck, Senator A. p. 6orman,-
Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, Postmaster Geneg-,
al James, Hon. r. G. Horr, Senator Jdnas,
Senator Hawley, and others.
There was also read Il paper prepared by
Gen. Gilmore, President of the River Com
mission, in regard to the operations of that
|. The Committee on Resolutions reported
| us follows:
Mr.PresideeEThe Committee on Resolu
tions, after careful cons deratiOn of the OBJ
iects OF the Convention rs set forth in the call
under which 1t has assembled, and of various
resolutions which have been submitted to the
committee a; expressing the views not only
f. ON widely dtstant parts of the Mississippi
Valley. touching these objects and the best
on behalf of tiieunanimous committcc to re-
port to the Convention the preamble and res
Notwithstanding tho Same be adopted by the
Convention
(Signed DUNCAN +. kENNER-
The representatives of the commercial in
terests and agricultural and other productive
vention assembled ut 81. Louis. No. ;bcliev
Ing; ,r..,..,.
tributnres, the gressa Inland waterways pre-
pared by tire CREATOR for the use Of tho peo-
PIE are most Important s and ssiSa6ls part
reach of monopoly, and aRordfRg TO the
whole people that competition in transporta-
tion which benefits producer and consum-r
That cheap transportation is the great
pensable condition of the easy conveyance to
distant markets of their staple products, bulky
in proportion to value; and
That the familiar. economical truth, that
the cheapest transportation of such products
sre n wa,erways fshis eounsry pro~id d the
same is kept FREQ from snag., sand-bars'
ResoIre and declare, That it is the manifest
and imperative duty of the Government of the
United states to cause to be- made such i'm,
provement of the Mississippi River and its
navfgable tributaries rs shall permanently Sc
thereby cheapening frcights, reducing nsur-
ance and other burdens and expenses; pro-
ton. ana dc creating new avenues OF foreign
trade, aud thus not only inviting increased
greater prosperity to the Whole people Es5
pecially is this duty obvious, and our demand
Justified, In view of the donations already
made by Congress, in land. amounting to
nearly 2O0, 600 900 acres. and in bonds issued or
guaranteed nearly $lO0,0O0,O0O more, in aid OF
artificial highways, the property Of prfvntein-
dividuals. and necessarily furnishing, even at
lowest rates, the most costly form of trans
portation on large scale as compared with
appropriations not yet amounting to SIS ,OO0,-
900 in all for the Improvement of 900 mills
of natural waterways, whose freedom from
tax imposed or monopoly is protected by con
stitutionnl guarantee, while the cheap service
and unrestricted competition they afford Is
the most eftectual corrective OF exorbltant
charges by any route to the seaboard. That
the appropriations for such improvements
should be separately made, with due prOvts
application to the same, and should be ado
quate to the continued prosecution OF work
once begun, until the same is finished, so MS
to avoid the wasteful destruction of work par
italy completed by reason Of the delay
stoppage thereof for want of sufficient ap-
preparations; and be it further
with extreme satisfaction and emphatic, APP
proval, in the passage OF the-act OF Congress
of June ~, 1873, "for the appointment of u
Mississippi River Commission" and in the
cornprchensive and scientific surveys and
important recommendations made BY the
distinguished engineers appointed on that
February II, 1880, and January 8, 1881, the first
we'll considered and effectual step toward the
complete and permanent opening of the Mis-
sissppi Valley to the markets of tho world;
tho refusal Of the last Congress, alter creating
said Commission, and notwithstanding the
deliberate ana emphatic approval of their
plans by the House Committee on Improve
ment of the Mississippi, to appropriate the
amount estimated and recommended by said
Commission for doing the work by them
carefully laid out and proposed; and be 1t furT
Their
Resolved, That in the deliberate and earnest