The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-02-25
IMPROVEMENT OF TIE MISSISSIPPI.
RIVER.
Its Effects upon Immigration.

the great carrying trade between the
Mississippi valley, and the large cities
OF the Atlantic seaboard, the, Lower
House Of Congress has finally passed
the bill appropriating u 900, for
the Improvement of the Mississippi
river s. 81 = z. ~.
The effects Of this appropriation, if
judiclously applied by tho river COM
mission, will be to advance the ma
.terial interests of the entire country.
IT will effect a great good, not only in
Improving the navigation Of the river
mot only in adding strength to that
impulse which has of late tended to
turn tho transportation of grain TO-
ward the mouth of the river and the
gulf, as an outlet, not only to the
: advancement OF New Orleans as q
great commercial e,trepot, and mart
out the purchase and sale of produce
but this Improvement of our great
reservoir and thoroughfare must have
a. marked effect In attracting atten-
-tion, and turning immigration toward
the southern and southwestern states
that portion Of our country to be es-
I pecialIy, or rather more Immediately
fbenenttetly by this great public work,
One Of the strongest points, mis-
talkenly merged by the opponents OF
the bill, was that the appropriation
would be applied to the relief of the
riparian proprietors by introducing
system Of levees, local and partial in
9 their purposes and protection.
It was only when disabused OF this
idea by Gen. Gibson and Others, that
Congress was induced to make the APP
Precipitation. But whilst it is tho fact
that no general system of levees can
be Instituted under the act, yet it Is
well known that large portion of the
amount must be expended incidentally
In this way. Some important levees
must be constructed in order to pre-
vent the ontflowing OF the waters in
to side streams, which will not only
have the effect of increasing the gene
raj depth Of tho river, but will Mt the
same time reclaim a large portion Of
country from overflow and render land
which ia now worthless, of great value
In the production of corn, cotton sugar,
rice, etc. ipe
There has been no purinel in the
history of our rapidly growing coun
try when the tendency of immigration
has been SO unsettled as at the present
time. Heretofore there has been some
one prominent, objective point to-
ward which the vast body of immi-
grants have turned their eyes-eithcr
an Ohio or Missouri California
or Kansas, as the longed for Edo
RADIO in the directionsof whichthe new
settler undoubtingly turned his steps.
But now there is no one decided point
preferred above all Others. AT the
same time our southwestern country |
Is attracting more attention than it-has |
ever done heretofore. More than this
we find that Northern and English
Capitalists are falling in love with the
South, as being a.rich field for manu-
featuring purposes.
From all this, the conclusion is in
evitable that the people of our own
sSssssS"" prescribing NuV
advantages to the immigrant, and yet
the least known of all the states of the
Union should use at this time, use every
effort to induce the farmer, the
laborer the mechanic and the capitalist
to come aud see US, to examine our
lands aud institution, to settle and
make their homes within our borders.
Were the vast resources, the varieties
of soil aud of production, the genial
temperate climate, the heaathfulness-
and in fact the Incompatible advan
tages in every point of view of Louisi
ana, ts we'll known at the North, the
East, and in Europe, rs are the charac-
teristtcs Of Kansas or California, our
State would more than double it's pop
nlatiqn within tho next decade ]! Aud
here is,the true cause of our tardy
growth. In the ignorance of the public
regarding our advantages, we find the
true solution of the problem presented
by our want of a new, thrifty, hardy
population. ass