The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-03-01
CAIRO 1918.
A CHAPTER FROM "PoLITIcs AND POLITICIANS
OF ILLINOIS BY d. W. LUsK.

CHAPTER FROM POLITICS AND POLITICIANS
OF ILLINOIS" BY D. W. LUsK.
As far back as 1918 the territory now
occupied by the city of Cairo was regarded
as one of the best sites in Illinois for a
dourishing city and it will be both interest
ing AMI amusing to read the following
preamble to an act which was approved
January 8, 1918, Incorporating the place;
"And whereas the said proprietors repre-
sent that there is in their opinion, no posi-
ton in the whole of the extent OF these
western states better calculated, as respects
commercial advantages and local supply,
for great and important city, than that
afforded by the junction Of these two great
highways, tbs Mississippi and Ohio rivers;
but that nature having denied to the ex-
IRENE point formed by their union a sufh-
cient degree of elevation to protect the i'm
pr0vements made thereon from the ordinary
inundations of the adjacent waters, such
elevation is to be found only upon the tract
above mentioned, (the present site of Cairo,
so that improvements made sud located
thereon may be deemed perfectly and abso-
lutely secure from all such ordinary inun-
dations, and liable to injury only from the
concurrence OF unusually high and stimuli
taneous lnundations in both of said rivers,
an even, which is alleged but rarely happens,
and the injurious consequence of which 1t
is considered practically, by proper en-
bankments, wholly and etfectually and per-
manently to obviate. And whereas there is
no doubt but a city, erected at or as near as
is practicable to the junction of the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers, provided it be
thus secured by sufficient embankments,
or in such other way as experience may
prove most ef1icacious for that purpose,
from every such extraordinary inund alton,
must, necessarily become place of vast
consequence to the prosperity of this grow
ing territory, and in fact to that of the
greater part of the inhabitants of these
western states. And whereas the above
named persons are DESTROYS of erecting
such city, under the sanction and patronage
of the legislature of this territory and
also of providing tor the security
and prosperity of the same, and to that end
propose to appropriate the one-thrd of all
the moneys arising from the sale and dis.
position of the lots into which the same
may be surveyed, rs fund for the con-
struction and preservation of such dykes,
levses and other embsnkments as may be
necessary to render the same perfectly Sc
cure-and also, if such fund shall be
deemed sufficient thereto for the erection
of public ediices end such other improve.
ments in the sail city as may be from time
to time considered expedient aud practical
bic, and to appropriate the other two thirds
parts of the said purchase moneys to the
operation Of banking.
"John G. Couryses, Thomas II. Harris,
Charles Slade, Thomas F. Herbert, Shad-
rich Bond, Michael Jones, Warren Brown,
Edward Humphreys and Charles w. Hunter
were designated as proprietors Of the then
prospective city"
In the sixty-one years that have passed
since this Legislation Cairo has had hard
struggle for the mastery Of the floods, but
it was fully demonstrated In the springs of
1928 that human power had overcome