Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-06-24
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY. JUNE "a, 1882.
The River and IIarbor Bill.
pecial Telegram to The Inter Ocean.

The River and ItarbOr Bill.
Special Telegram to The Inter Ocean.
WASHINGTON, June 15.-The House be-
gan the consideration of the great Omni-
bus river and habor bill to-day. Mr..
HOrr was chosen by the Commerce Com
mittee to present the claims Of the bill,
and did so in mastery manner after
Mr.. Page had made the preliminary talk.
HOrr's address was listened to with pro-
found attention for an hour and three
quarters. Old members of Congress say
1t was the strongest argument and the
fullest of facts and epigrammatic state
ment they ever heard on the floor of the
House. He showed some wonderful and
curious things in connection with the
statistics OF the Mississippi valley. He
started off with the proposition that
there was job in the bill, which was
not true. 1t was built upon good bust
ness principles. Internal improvement
was one of the distinguishing features
between civilization and barbaris
Roads, schools, and other things were
proof on this point. The Treasury was
full and we had the means to use. The
small streams which had been complained
of as are necessary to the people on their
banks as the great harbOrs were to the
great cities. He said there were 81 works
in the bill less than $1,000, but they
amounted in all to only $167,900, less
than per cent of the bill; that there
were 1877 works of $4,000, and under
that; the three cities of Baltimore,
{, Charleston, and Galveston had $28,O0O
more than these 1877 items cOmbin-
ed. The reason why some States had
more than others was because some
rot ho6 vi n nd hor r. o ho N,
others, and they must improve the rivers
where they existed.
The main stream of the Mississippi
had in the bill $5,67S.900, the Missouri
River, $990,000 the Mississippi Valley
being the Mississippi, and all waters
running into it had $8,705,500 The
Atlantic Coast and its rivers had SO, 1885,
875. The Gulf of Mexico and its rivers,
except the Mississippi, $1,45200O. The
The great lakes and their rivers had So
$4,000. The pacific coast and its rivers
had 81 ,102,508. Mr.. Horr showed that
the bill provided for National, and not
State work. For example, Michigan
had $4,000, but over half of that was
for general commerce and in no manner
local. The idea that the money was
thrown away was not true, No class of
work in the country was more ecOnOmi-
cally done. The actual commerce of a
river was the only test, not its CONNER
cial value. He then took up the Missis-
sippi and defended the method of treat
ing it adopted by the commission, show
ing that their plan was based upon sci
entifiic principles and was darwin from
actual experiences of mankind. Mr..
Horr showed that the proposed outlet
system antagOniZes the plan of the COM
mission, and we must follow one or the
other.
He then defended the levee system as
far as it was necessary to improve the
navigation of the river, and claimed
that because individuals would be bene-
flied by it on that account it should not
be discarded. He cited seventeen cities
of the United States whose harbOrs had
received over $i6,000,00O, all of which
benefited the individuals living in those
cities. The speaker showed that in the
past all the great works of the nation
had been done against the crOakings of
constitutional sticklers for protection of
property and rights of citizens, but when
which the life Of the nation was at stake,
it was to be construed literally.
Mr.. Horr showed that the tons of COM
merce of the whole country would load a
solid train of cars seven and halls times
around the earth. Turning to the coal
fields, he showed that the whole amount
Of coal handled was 66,000OO0 tons, of
which Pennsylvania furnished 42,OOO,-
600 tons from coal fields, having coal
fields measuring in extent only 1900
square miles, yet Illinois alone of the
eighteen States that bOrdered on the
Mississippi had $4,000 square miles of
coal beds, and the entire valley 10000
square miles.
Illinois alone produced eff corn, wheat
oats, rye, barley, and potatoes 1856 100000
bushels, or over 100000 car loads, and
Illinois was to-day only half under cul-
tivatlon. There were in the Mississippi
Valley 1900 miles of navigable streams
100000 square miles of land, and a
population to-day of over 10000 600. II
was capable of sustaining over 600, OO0,.
600 Of people. Mr.. Horr wound up with
an appeal for Congress to take up this
work, because when a nation ceased tC
improve they began to decay.
Such speech has not been heardlbefort
in the House for many day.