St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-11
BOARD OF TRADE.
Important Report on the Navigation of the
Minnesota Ricer-CaU for Il Mass
Meeting of the Board-The Dis
trict TeIegralh-E9adorsi1,g
+Io 0nJoha

Meeting OF the BO0TG-IRe Dis
triet MISUNDERSTANDING
the "GIobe."
The regular semi-monthly meeting of the
GIankato board of trade took place at a. m.
yesterday and was well attended. Several
railroad projects of more or less Importance
were discussed and an unofficial report or
tatement of their status was made by the
president.
S. F. Barney, chairman of the committee
on legislation, made the following report and
recommendation, which was adopted with
enthusiasm:
Your committee on taxation and legisla-
ton, to whom was referred the matter of es-
tablishing the head of navigation of the
Minnesota river at New Ulm, would beg leave
to report and recommend the adoption of the
following:
To the senators and house of representatives
of the United States of America.
1t having been brought to the notice of
the board of trade of the city of Man
kato in the county of Blue Earth, state
of Minnesota, that a bill has already
been introduced in congress limiting and
fixing the head Of navigation of the Min
nesota river at or near New Ulm, in Brown
county, now, after having duly considered
said proposition and its effects on the inter
ests, rights and general welfare of the dis
trict Of country bordering on said river, as
well as of the whole State and country at
large, do, by this memorial, enter its earnest
protest and remonstrance against the pass
age of an act by congress calculated in the
least to limit, abridge or restrict the free nav
igation of said river, and among the numer-
GUS reasons which may be urged against
such action present the following:
1t has been demonstrated beyond Ques-
ton that water carriage is the cheapest, and
in fact the most efficient mode of transpor-
tation in the conduct of extensive CONNER
cial intercourse, and it it would seem that any
act in the least calculated to limit or restrict
such natural and easy mode of transportation,
would be directly in opposition to the inter
ests of commerce and the fixed principles of
nublic policy.
Nature having so wisely provided, through
numerous water courses, extensive lakes and
high seas, these most needed and effective
means Of transportation, so distributed and
located as to meet the requirements and
needs Of the commerce of our country; the
high seas affording the means of interna-
tional intercourse and trade; its system of
section o. our country can be transported in
exchange for those of another; its numerous
rivers and streams, the great Missis-
sippi and its tributaries, extending from
the extreme northern boundary and running
centrally to the Gulf of Mexico, perfects a
system calculated to meet the requirements
of this growing and prosperous country, and
it does seem that any act which will inter
fere with or restrict such system would be
suicidal to the best interests of our country.
The location and course of the Minnesota
river, its source being in the northern por-
ton of our state, thence in a southerly direc-
ton into the very heart of our state, its
abrupt change of course to q north
sasterly direction, where it empties
into the Mississippi river would sug-
gest the manifest wisdom in thus affording
such adequate means of transportation to the
district traversed in its course, affording
cheap and easy means of transportation Of
the products of this most fertile and produc-
tive portion of our country-not only to the
commercial center of the northwest, but
through the Mississippi to the markets of the
world
Judging from apparent indications that it
Is the fixed policy Of the government to make
use of these natural and easy facili-
ties for transportation, by the extern
sive expenditures of money in improv-
ing the rivers and harbors, building canals
and providing slack water navigation, we can
but deem it the best policy of the govern
ment to retain these natural resources Ill
timately to be so improved as to afford trans
portation by water, and at a moderate ex-
penditure of money, and unite the head
waters of the Minnesota with the waters Of
the Red River of the North, thereby opening
up a transcontinental communication the
entire length of the continent, and thus &C.
ment by mutual interest the people of our
vast country.
The mum erous cities and towns situated
on the banks of the Minnesota, its course,
such as to pass along sixteen counties,
double the number to be traversed in
direct line, would indicate that this river,
although not at alltimes navigable its entire
length, yet was intended to answer some
greater purpose than simple drainage of the
lands, and is regarded Of no little import
ance to the locations situated along its
course.
We look forward to the time when the