The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-11-05
The River Improvement Convention al
M LAMA

nhe ASuuAus
We remarked in recent issue Of the In.
TRLLlaEScER that Wheeling, Pittsburgh and
other leading points in the Ohio Valley,
had become ACKNOWLEDGEMENT MS it
werc-to certain degree Of independence
Of the riycras a means Of distributing their
manufactures. This has been especially
the case during the last year, including rs
II does last winters long freeze up and the
long drouth Of this summer and fall, Val
liable, however, as are the railroads to lis
and to all cities and townsin the valleys Of
the great rivers, yet they can never super
sede water navigation, and indeed in some
respects can never successfully compete
with Il We know that the coal Of the
Ohio Valley must always seek the markets
Of the South by the river. There Is simply
no comparison between the transportation
Of coal by rail and river One large tow Of
coal would exhaust the available railroad
resources at Pittsburgh ut several times
the cost Of barge transportation. The
same thing Is true Of wheat shipments by
the Mississippi between St. Louis and New
Orleans.
A single steamer will tow from st. Louis
to New Orleans string Of barges carrying
nearly 100000 bushels Of grain, or 10000
tons, 1.-THE equivalent Of 80 trains Of 20 cars
each. New Orleans and Boston are the
only ports which have exported breadstuHs
in tho first niAe months Of 1881 TO greater
extent than last year, New Orleans sending
out grain and flour to the amount OF 81, 6S1,.
900; Boston to the amount Of Sl2,373, 900.
81. Louis has eight elevators for the river
business, and can discharge in week down
the river what her Eastern rail lines would
require month to move. The charge
from 81. Louis to New Orleans is q cents
per bushel, while from Chicago to New
York II Is from 10 10 %, according TO the
war Of rates, But St Louis is only at the
beginning Of a river system which pene.
trates tho heart Of tho country for 10000
miles, draining the great interior basin
which produces three-iourths Of the ex.
portable provisions Of tho country.
The Mississippi river is nota local in.
tcfest AS Gen. Garfield held in his letter
ofacceptanec, II Is oisuch vital Importance
as d waterway for the products Of the
West that the whole Nation Ia interested In
itsimprovenent and use. II Is The natu.
raj check upon railroad greed and mis-.
management. Open the river and the
great trunk lines, the Nanderbilts and Jay
Goulds and JOwetts, will DO battered and
hafnessed by competing rivalry more
ihetciless and certain than government
commissioned Finks and Adamses The
true way 10 regulate transportation Is TO TN.
bride the natural channels aud forces and
leave the natural laws Of commerce 10 act.
lle the problem. We must purstic This
policy In defense Of our own producers
against their rivals In other nations and
against each other. The lakes and the
Mississippi regulate the trunk lines, a. the
sne1 canal regulates our pacihc railroads
and "a the Panama canal will regulate then
still more.
But the country has a right to demand
that the improvement Of the navigation o.
the Mississippi shall 10 carried out In pur
auanee Of asystein duly settled to be Tx
best and most economical in the long run
Governor Criitenden, Of Missouri, In ap
pointing the delegates Of that State to lhil
Convention, asked for 'six feet Of watei
from 81 Paul 10 81, Louis, eight feet from
sl. Louis to Cairo, and ten feet from CairC
to New Orleans" with corresponding I'M
trovunenls Of the Missouri and Ohio
rivers. In 1872 q commission Of engineer
was appointed by direction Of Congress Il
mature q plan which would "cotrrct, per
tnanently locate and deepen the Chafne
aud protect the banks Of the Mississippi
river. improve and give safety and ease L
the navigation thereof, and promote and
facilitate commerce, trade and the postal
service" This commission, including Gil
more, Eads and Others, have considered
the subject and adopted scheme for let.
tics al various point along the river 10 scout
out bars and shoals.
From conversation with Col. AleCk
Campbell Ns to what was done at st. Louis
W. learn that nothing specific In liz char.
Aeter was undertaken. The convention
was pledged to the support Of men for
Congress who favored liberal apptuptia.
lions for the Mississippi and itsttibutafies.
All effort will be made this winter 10 bring
such pressure 10 bear on Congress a. wifi
rsultin such appropriations Is will make