The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-11-03

The following are the -,
adopted by the Mississippi d.
IS provement Convention at il
2 sion in St. Louis:
Mr.. President-The Comm;,,..
e lutions, after careful considersG,.
t objects of the Convention as -, S.,
: call under which it has assemh.5~2
e various resolutions which bqva q
mitted to the committee as ern,'.S
views not only of individual DID,
: of deleg tons from widely distant
the Mississippi Valley toucb;, ~
/ objects, and the best mode of n
r them, have instructed me on bebas,E
unanimous committee to report To fl.
vention the preamble and resolnti,-
with submitted with the recomT o-
that the same be adopted by the 60.
, (Signed) DUNKEN F. XIV.
Chairman Committee on ResolDttA
The representatives Of the comma.
[ terest and agricultural and other MAJ
industries of the Mississippi Vausv t.~
vention assembled at st. Louis, Ma N
ing:
That the Mississippi River and il,
gable tributaries, the great inland wat.
, prepared by the Creator for the u.s !,
people, are a most important and vI
part of the national domain fires ' :,
t beyond the reach of monopoly, and as,.
to the whole people tuat compsug..
transportation which benefits pr6du,.,
consumer alike; and further,
That cheap transportation is tho d.
necessity OF an agricultural people a,
dispensable condition of the easy a..
ance to distant markets Of their sisns
ducts, bulky in proportion TO value: mi
That the familiar, economical truth :,
the cheapest transportation Of such prci
is by water, is especially applicable u
great waterways Of this country, p,o,
the same is kept, free from snags s5pjl
treacherous banks and other obs,acs
navigation, do, therefore,
ReS0iUe and declare. That il j., tha nv
fest and imperative duty of the Gn,s
ment of the United States to cause h
made such improvement Of the MiSi,.
River and its navigable tributare. as
permanently secure the safe and easy n,
CATION thereof; thereby cheapening l7i,
reducing insurance and other burdens
expenses; promoting the vast inland
MERGE of the nation, and creating
avenues of foreign trade, aud thus moi M
inviting increased production and nom
ton, but assuring greater prosperity "a \
whole people. Especially is this duty I
vious, and our demand justified, in view
the donations already made by Congres, +
land, amounting to nearly 200, 900. 0Olarl
and in bonds issued or guaranteed ne,
$lOO,O0O,000 more, in aid OF the arls
highways, the property Of private iujr
| uals, thus necessarily furnishing, eyea
lowest rates, the most costly form Of tnsl
portation on large scale as compared Vi
appropriations not yet amounting to 3
600, 900 in all for the improvement OF ljg
miles of natural waterways, whose freed
from tax imposed or monopoly is prosss
by constitutional guarantees, while ,heds
service and unrestricted competition d
afford is the most eilectual corrective Of \.
orbltant charges by any route to the d
board. That the appropriations Tor VI
improvements should be separately msi
with due provisions for assuring the ps1s
of their faithful applications to the aa
and should be adequate TO the continue
prosecution of work once begun until u
same is finished, SO as to avoid the wass
destruction of work partially completed. N
reason of the delay or stoppage Thereof n
want Of sufficient appropriations; and X I
further
Resot0ed, That this Convention recoguipI
with extreme satisfaction and emphatic b.
proval, in the passage of the act Of CongraI
of June 28, 1879, ''for the appointments Old
Mississippi River Commission" and in N
comprehensive and scientific surveys AL
important recommendation made byG|
distinguished engineers appointed on AGl
as set forth in their reports 4
February IL, 1880, and January 8, 1881 III
hrst well-considered and eflectual step town.
the complete and permanent opening Of ts'
Mississippi Valley to the markets Of b.
world; but would also express its regret &.
The refusal of the last Congress, after crsg.
ng said Commission, and notwithstanlE.
The deliberate and emphatic approval 4
heir plans by the House Committee on Ill
1,royement OF the Mississippi, to appropHa.
he amount estimated aad recommends n
aid Commission for doing the work by ihssI
,areiuliy laid out and proposed; and Be d
urther
heso2toed, That in the deliberate andcsrI
81 Judgment of this Convention, deIegas
o represent the interest in that behalf u
more than one-half of the States and TemI
orles OF the Union, inhabited by morelhrI
ne-half OF its entire population, from whoiI
collected above 10 per cent. of the e1iaI
Internal revenue Of the nation, whose intel
al commerce is already one-half that Of hI
lhole United States, more than tTsgI
lines greater than the total foreign oDI
nerce OF the nation, and larger than @I
Dtal foreign commerce Of the worId-bHI
pom whose industry is this year levied NJ
ne obstacles to the safe and easy nayigataI
the Mississippi River and its naylga5sI
needless direct tax, by way VI
lcreased treights and insurance. demurpgI
Lecks ana repairs, of not less that Sl0,WI
UT Is the imperative duty Of COugrs
~ the right of people for whom this GlrI
sntion lsauthorized to speak. that the leEsI
t5on thus wisely begun be made etlectaa
- permanent by enlarging the powers 81
= hlVer Commission to include the active
,oseeutlon OF the work already recommend
oy them; and by the regular and separI
e appropriations from year TO wear Of sud-
ms as said Commission, acting under hs
asonable supervision of Congress. shallfe
'rt as necessary TO that end. so that tbs
eat and indispensable work. national 10
cry sense, shall no longer be delayed; all
1t further
ResotOed, That the scientific and compre
nslYe system of river improvement BY 5
mpetent Commission thus inaugursa
onld be applied to the complete and per
Anent Improvement and maintenance
the naylgable tributaries of the ga
'el; and be it further
ResotOed, That this Copvent;on recoqniTs
20 great satisfaction the benefits alread7
'uitIng to the navigation Of the Missi'
,Pi river, and its principal tributaries .
extension of the lighthouse sysieD
sreto, and expresses the earnest hope tbs
partial lighting of those rivers nsl
'edlly enlarge by Increasing the nums
districts and lights to such extent as 11s
snthouse Board, in consultation with iN
s s commission, shall find necessary
luer sueh service completely efficient aDu
sesatped, That the President of this Cor
l1lon be, and he is hereby, authorISsd
requested, to appoint at his earliest coz
hence a committee of twenty-one WY
Il De charged with the duty of preparing
'oon as practicable after the ConTenIig.
ourns, memorial to the Congress OF y.
l1ed States on behalf of the delegSII
posing the Convention and the peoP;o1
pm they represent, in support Of, and y
ordance with the foregoing resolutions
'odylng such statistics and informalLot,
ana committee may deem expedient; Ia
cause to be printed a sufficient numoJJ
'0ples of said resolutions and memoIN4