National Republican., 1884-03-04
An Army Engineers Inviting Scheme for
Controlling the Floods.
He Proposes to Master the Mississippi
by System Of Reservoirs.
A Virginia Negro Says Good Word for John S.
Wise.
Many Miscellaneous Letters on Variety
OF Topics.
THE GREAT SCHEME MATERIAL
IZED.
To he EtlNor.

40 Ht ENtOTs
| So long rs our river system annually destroys
| III aud property In the Mississippi and OHIO
valleys ami carries terror to hundreds OF thou.
sands Of people equhled only by that caused by
| pestence and famine, aud 50 long as these great
| Calamities can be Hyered by the use OF money,
| why should the surplus revenue be so fearful TO
| contemplate? II Cana Ia poured tigers and Lions
into our northwest to terrify and duvour our peo-
| pie, the surplus revenue would br drawn on for
| bountcs for the destru ton of tn 'Se enemies of
| mankind. Why not chain the Hood by every
| method known to engineering skill? Why not
organize the unemployed IHbUrcrs OF the country,
| black and white. into an army ana march them
| against the enemy whiCn now dcuSes the cities
aud the farms a ong the Ohio river and It's trlbu.
taries2 What vii. not labor, fed aud laid. accom-
psh? What greater work can this generation
! accom- plish than to make our great water system
| the servant of internal commerce Instead Of the
cruel aad furious enemy OF all who live along iLs
| fertile bauks2 A great scheme is what Is needed,
| and popular enthusiasm created that Will count
easily obtained revenues Tor its execution ble's-
ing rather than an excuse, Tor disturbing changes
| in our revenue system.
| So says THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN of
the fourteenth instant, and so say | who have
| devoted moro thought to this subject than
he who penned the words quoted, which are
good as far as they CO. In the river improve
| ment question the American people have u
subject to discuss and dispose of which is
| grander and Of more vital interest to them
than any other that they have IN view at this
time, for on its proper settlement dep nds the
| future prosperity of the country. Why not
| chain the flood by every method known to
engineering skill2 Why not? Ask the
Mississippi river convention; nsk the Mis3s-
sippi river commission; ask ex.Gov. Il. o.
Stanard ask Mr.. George l.. Wright; ask
anyone you please, but if you ask me l will
anticipate your question by saying thai the
engineering talent ofthe commission is either
catering to the politicians or else thoy are not
equal to its solution.
| The Mississippi river commission had in
their report, as | have shown by my review
| of it, spoken in favor of the reservoir system,
which is the only practicable, possible solu-
tion OF the question; but they have dark
ened counsel with much words, so that tho
truth which is, is covered by the veil Of that
which is not, and confusion is the result So
countless millions may be paid, and count
less millions may be lost, and the people, who
| pay all and endure all, will be
none the wiser in the end. In thor
name and in their power l ask con-
sideration of "a great scheme that is
| needed" and that l prOpose-plain, simple,
and unknown to fame as | am-which, If our
legislators will only call upon our river com.
mission to consider and develop, protest will
answer the need of the occasion; will solve the
much-vexed problom, tho greatest economic
question Of the day. 1t is the only possible
solution, for it is the crystalization Of the
experience and the genius of the ages that
have gone before. | am not its author; can
only claim, and that do not ask, to be held
its compiler.
The supreme authority, congress, has
evoked O commission to which is intrusted
the ways and means of meeting this roaring
lion of the floods and drouths. | only ask
| that congress will enable me to present my
| plan or scheme for their consideration, and
| if l cannot convince them 10 follow their own
report to its logical conclusion then l hope to
enducate congress up to Il better knowledge
than tho commission possesses to the adopt
ion of plan of improvement that will meet
the d0mand, not half way, as the present sy5.
tenn proposes to do, but that will
rise to tho height of the highest
floods and quell them; that will effect u full
and complete and permanent solution of the
question of river improvement, not for one
river alone, nor for one stage of that river,
but for all rivers and for all stages, and for all
seasons and for all time 10 come. call them
to legislation upon this grand question III
accordance with its proportions. Lot us have
no more attempts to dam the floods of the
Mississippi system with bulrushes, but lot u:
inaugurate grand, complete system worthy
the age and the people aud the occasion.
j. p WALKER,
Captain, United States Army.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.