National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-01-30
ON TIE ANENIIE.
smoIr Talk Abon, 1rsn ANA Measures.

Small Talk About 5Ien ana Measures.
"Ono great difficulty which VIC have to
struggle with" said Con. &. l.. Wright secre.
tary Of tho Mississippi river Improvement
| convention, 'is that OF getting appropriations
regularly We don't so much need TO get n
big appropriation any one year as to have
regular provision made for the work each
year otherwise the work begun in one season
may be almost destroyed by the floods of tho
next season before VIC got means to finish
it. / suppose this government can only make
appropriations from year to year. They do
things better in France. Directly after tho
close Of the Franco Prussian war, the French
government voted 10O,0O0,0OO francs about
100000, for the improvement of the Seine.
This fund was taken care of by a board of
control which is obliged to report what it
does, but is allowed to go right on without
being obliged each year TO work for n new
| appropriation"
:" Does the lower Mississippi really need all
the money spent upon it TO make it naviga-
ble2 Are not boats able to 80 up and down
now without trouble?"
"There nre many bad places where tho
water is not deep enough and bars arc likely
to be formed at any time when the river
changes its course, and IL is likely to change
any night. You see we settled that Missis-
sippi river country about two centuries be-.
fore the Almighty got it ready for u.s. Tho
river hasn't found its true bed, and suppose
it wouldn't find it for 200 years moro if left
to itself And have VIC got to sit down and
wait two centuries for that river to get set
tied before we go on and do business? Not
much. We must confno the river
so that it will clear its own way
and make means of transportation
for the products of tho country. Tho
cost of the improvement cuts no figure
can show you in unmistakable figures that
the saving to this whole country by the per-
| manent improvement of the Mississippi
river would be $300,O0O,000 q year. Besides
that the river is the only limo they can't pool.
1t isn't possible to make a combination to
keep up rates for anybody can put boat on
the river. The whole country is interested
in it, and we are going to have convention
next week. Tho best mon in the country arc
coming. There isn't going to he any foolish
ishncss about the convention, no champagne
suppers, no hurrah, but business meeting
of business men,"
90
Mr. Harris chairman of the democratic
congressional committee of the second district
of Kansas, now vacant because of the death
of MIR. Haskell, was in Washington yester-
day, and was observed to be in close consul
tation with Mr.. Randall, Mr. Tucker, and
other leading democrats. A gentleman who
talked with him says he expressed great con-
fidence in the ability of his district, with
such aid as could be obtained from the dem
ocratic congress- to return Mr.. Samuel A.
Riggs, who is the democratic candidate for
Mr.. Haskell's place, and who claims 60 be
able to capture the anti-monopoy and green
back votes.
80
'"THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN must he
splendid advertising medium" said Lieut..
Powell, Of the signal corps. zone of its re-
porters interviewed me some time ago about
the peculiar red sunsets. l said they resulted
from kind of dry fog, Ever since that
interview have been receiving letters from
all portions of the United States. making
inquiries about dry fog Some of the letters
come from the extreme west, and others
| from the extreme south. The REPUBLICAN
must have very extensive circulation"