The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-07-05
THE MISSOURI RIVER.
WHERE THE APPROPRIATIONS
SHOULD BE EXPENDED.
The Amendment Offered by Delegate Ma
ginnis-A Gallant but Futile Fight
for Justice.

under consideration in the House. on
the 18th inst, Delegate Maginnis made
a good fight to secure Il larger share OF
the money appropriated for the Missouri
river for the upper portion Of the stream
but without success. Anybody but a lot
OF nincompoop congressman should see
that his position was unassaiiablc. The
bill as reported from the committee pro-
vided for an appropriation of 5000, 900 for
the Improvement Of the Missouri river
$500, 900 from its mouth to Sioux City and
500, 900 from the latter point to Fort
Benton. Mr.. Maginnis sought to amend
as will be seen in the following:
Mr.. Maginnis-T move the amend
mcnt which J. send TO the desk.
The clerk read as follows: On page
SO, lime IA to III, amend as follows:
"Improving Missouri River from its
mouth to Sioux City, 500, 900. Improv-
ing Missouri river from Sioux City to
the mouth Of the Yellowstone, 500, 900.
Improving Missouri river from mouth
Of Yellowstonet to Fort Benton, 500. 600"
The Chairman-Does the gentleman
offer this rs a substitute for the amend
mcnt of the gentleman from Missouri?
Mr.. Maginnis-Ies, sir. Mr.. Chair
man, | was glad 10 hear the gentleman
representing the Committee on Conn
mercc declare that this bill was not
framed with reference to extent OF terri
tncy- IN, tho nInlhnr nf &~nfnc ~ tho
amount of customs. or the collection of
revenue, but on the tonnage of the
stream appropriated for. The Commit
tee on Commerce proposes to appropri-
ate 5000, 900 to the improvement of the
Missouri river, $500, 900 Of it below Sioux
City and $780, 900 above. Now, / believe
that the tonnage Of the river above Sioux
City, for which 100000 is proposed to
be appropriated, is five times larger than
the tonnage of that portion of the river
for which the committee propose an APP
preparation of $500, 900. At all events /
will make this declaration, and [ chal-
lengc its contradiction; that the COM
merce of the Missouri river between
Sioux City and Fort Benton is three
times larger than the commerce of the
Missouri river from Sioux City down to
the mouth.
Mr.. C1ark-In connection With the
remark Of the gentleman, / wish to say
that the proposed improvement OF this
river is to begin at the mouth, and MAJ
ior Spttar in his rnnorf-
Mr.. Maginnis-The remark of the
gentleman from Indiana some time since
was correct, that below Sioux City the
railroads have practically rendered the
Missouri rivera nudity; but above Sioux
City the Whole country depends upon
~thenayieation Of this river for its trans
portation. I hold in my hand q list Of
tWenty-four boats running above Sioux
City, most of them running principally
above Bismarck and the mouth Of the
Yellowstone, while With the exception
Of Il semi-monthly line from st Louis to
Kansas City and some wild boats, as
they are called, there is practically no.
navigation on that portion Of the-Mis-
souri, river below Sioux City which gets
ninc-tenths of this entire appropriation
for the river.
Mr.. Chairman, the Missouri river is
about three thousand miles long. 1t IS
divided naturally into three sections:
the portion from its mouth to Sioux City
or say the m0ffh of the Platte; the por-
ton from Sioux City, or from the mouth
of the Platte to the Yellowstone, and the
PORTION from the Yellowstone to Fort
Benton, OF the Three Forks. We only
ask, in view of these facts, which no one
will dispute, that the money shall be
reasonably and rightfully distributed.
We do not ask even that; we only ask
5000 900 out of the $500, 900. 7 know that
below Sioux City there are the votes of
The Iowa and of the Missouri delegation,
while above Sioux City there are no
votes, that region having 40 representa-
tives here except the Delegate from
Dakota and myself. But. Mr.. Chairman,
while we have no votes we have the
facts behind lis which show that OH this
portion of the river the greatest activity
prevails in steamboating. The North
ern Pacific, the NORTHWESTERN, and the.
Milwaukee and Saint Paul roads all
touch upon the river, and from these.
points their freight is distributed upand
down the valley Of the river by several
regular lines of steamboats,, not to men,