The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-06-09
THE IlENNEPlN CANAL.


The Convention ut Davenport, Iowa, in Ia
vor OF an AH-Watcr Route Eastward.
The convention of delegates from states
Of the Mississippi valley at Davenport,
Iowa, was largely attended. 1t was called
for tho purpose of considering the subject
Of thoproposed Hennepin canal. 10 connect
tho Mississippi with the Illinois river, at
tracts Il good deal Of attention among ship
pers ana producers in the west. The canal
when completed will form tho final link in
tho chain Of water transportation to the
east, by way Of the great lakes
and The Erie canal. The first part of the
route, extending from Chicago to La Sale,
is already completed and known by the
name CT The Illinois 4 Michigan canal
From Ia Sale to l4ennepin, by the Illinois
liver, there is slack water nnv,g cation; leuv-
ing only sixty five miles of the total los to
be finished, until the work is completed
The advantages of the proposed route are
thus slammed up ly Senator Window in
his report on transportation to the seaboard:
First it passes through the center of the
richest corn producing area, and it forlus q
connection With the Mississippi river, which
passes through the richest wheat producing
Al en- on tho continent. Second, its eastern
,erminus is at, Chicago, the largest grain
market in thewest. where there is always a
large supply Of lake tonnage"
The resolutions unanimously adopted by
the convention:
First That the congress Of the United
States should devise by law and sustain by
liberal and efficient appropriation Il system
meeting the Mississippi river and its tribu-
tarics with the eastern Atlantic seaboaraand
the .5nlt Of Mexico
otcond-lt has been the policy Of con-.
o1e<s and the desire Of the people . of the
Northwest for many years to inaugula:e
and complete a system Of water channel
improvement, having the Mississippi for its
case, nul that to give greater efficiency to
this policy there should . constructed from
Tie mississippi, Oh the most direct and fea-
Stlc route to tie Illinois river at Hennepin,
thence to tie lake At Chicago, q canal ade-
l,at, to the present and future. transporta-
;iHu needs Of the people. Such y work of
internal Improvement is III imperative ne
cessi;y for relief from the expensive freight
rates on l'ro,',1cn. and that the ork so long
needed should be Immediately commenced.
Ihlr,i-Ihe con illtcl Improvement Of
The Mississippi river u:ader the auspices Of
the Mississippi River Commission, created
ttNe ~
tionol importance. Congress ought to pro-
mote the scheme of Improvement by the
most liberal appropriation therefor,
and we emphasized and enforce the united
and earnest demand Of the people of the
entire Mississippi valley that congress shall
make prompt ant! adequate appropriations
for the improvement or tho aver and it's
r;:viyal,le tlibut ,rics from the Falls Of St.
Anthony to the Gulf Of Mexico, and. that
this convention has no sympathy with any
policy that would ileprcciatc or hinder this
Great enterprise II making it fullr naviga-
'.ln and building una great commerce up
cn this central ri:e1, natures great highwa.
If The continent.
t'ourth-We hive viewed With peculiar
satisfaction the Increasing success Of the
l"',5e line system Of transportation on the
iEiSsi>s;rii and its tributaries, and the re-
lief it sivcs to producers and shippers of
the A'i>sis sippi svailcy in cheapeline freight.
I:;f'iiNe heartily favor the proposed
;es>lnn Ct the Illinois and Michigan canal
AMI improvements; on the Illinois liver by
the sl.st>' cf1llinois, and declare the Eric
canal should be made free Of tolls; there
fore VIC hope for the carIy,,H11cccss Of the cf-
forts inau!,lratcd - secure ;hcsc results