Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-06-20
DEFEAT OF THE HENNEPIN CANAL
SCHEME.
Speech Of Hon. Burr w. Jones.

Another new work inaugurated
| herein is the construction of a canal
| from the Illinois River, near the town
of Hennepin, to the Mississippi River,
at or below Rock Islsnd, For the
| beginning of the work the sum OF
100000 is recommended by a majority
of the committee. The minority, who
claimed that said work was not within
| the jurisdiction of this committee
have reserved to themselves the right
| to state the reasons when the bill is
under discussion"
Our representative being on the COM
mittee on Rivers and Harbors, and dis
senting from the recommendation that
100000 be appointed for the beginning,
of the work above referred to, led the
opposition to the bill. The Congress
sonal Rockford contains the following
report of his speech:
Mr.. JONES, of Wisconsin. Mr.. Speak
er, as | do not purpose to occupy the
whole time which | am allowed under
the rules, if any member wishes to
occupy any portion of my time l will
be glad to yield.
do not rise so much to oppose this
bill because l am satisfied that oppo-
sition will do no good-as to state the
reasons which will influence my vote
against it. They are in the main that
the appropriations are larger than l
believe will be sustained by the judg-
ment of our people by some two or
three million dollars. The amount
appropriated by the bill is about twelve
and a quarter million of dollars. Add
to that 81 100000 which have been
given to the Mississippi River I'M
proyment during the earlier days of
the session and it will make thirteen
and quarter millions.
know sir, that it is claimed that
there was no appropriation year ago.
| know it is claimed that this is for
that reason an appropriation for two
years but gentlemen will not forget
the river and harbor bill, well known
to fame, which passed two years ago.
They will not forget that that bill was
nearly twice as large as the average of
our river and harbor bills for the last
ten years. A year ago at this time
there was uneXpended a large sum of
money, which was available for differ
ent improvements of rivers and har-
bors, and there was no such crying
necessity LOT SuCll dill appropriation do
gentlemen then inSited.
These facts have to be taken into
consideration, Mr.. Chairman, and l
think this House, this side of the
House especially, would do well to con-
slider that heretofore when the Demo-
cratic party has been in power i'll this
House it has been somewhat careful
in regard to those appropriations, If
remember correctly, in the Forty
fourth congress when good record
was made in the way of economy, the
appropriations for the two years were
only about $j,O00,000. We may be
very sure that if the appropriations
are Sl3,230,000 this year a good deal
more than $l3 100000 will be demand
ed next year. | venture the assertion
that if it had not been for the wide
spread condemnation of the river and
harbor bill two years ago, which some
gentlemen not now of this House can
easily remember, the bill this time
would not be for $13,250,000 but many
millions more. Now sir, these are,
speaking generally, my objections to
this bill. | think that we could
apply to it with propriety the princi-
pie of the horizontal cut. Laughter
| am satisfied that we could do so
with the entire concurrence of our
constituents and without any injury
to the interests of our rivers and har-
bOrS.
Now / wish to call attention more in
detail to some of the objectionable
features of this bill. 1t will be noticed
by those who have given it their atten-
ton that the llennepln Canal
project comes in for an appropriation
- q IF npnnln
where in this country are interested
in the Hennepin Canal it is undoubted
Nv the people OF the northwest. l do
not stand here with the light | have
before me 10 condemn that enterprise.
But have one or two practical sug-
geStions to make i'll reference TO it
which | think are entitled to some
weight. If we are 10 make an apprO-
priation for the IIennepin Canal, that
proposition ought to stand upon its
individual merits. If we are to make
an appropriation for that canal, it
means not the Appropriation of $780,
600 simply, as provided III this bill, but
it means the Inauguration OF 4 work
which is going TO cost before its com
pletion ut least $6,000.000 and i'll all
human probability before we.are done
with it fifteen millions.
If we are going to inauguratC such
a work we ought to inaugurate it with
our eyes open and with Il full under
standing of the subject. We ought to
do it with bill which can be discussed
and passed upon a full showing of its
merits and dement's. This appropria-
ton of $500, 900 for this purpose is the
initial step of an enterprise which will
require many million dollars, and
should be treated precisely as We
would treat bill appropriating $S,O00,-
600 or S10,000,000 for the llennepln
Canal.
This is only the first installment.
How many members, l ask, have given
the proposed scheme and route the
necessary study and thought to vote
for such an expenditure OF money after
Il few moments debate?
This 100000 is in comparison with
the sums which will be hereafter asked
mere bagatelle. 1t will draw support
from members from all sections of the
country, not because they favor the
Iennepin canal, but because they have
their own plans and local ends to be
furthered, and they know, or think it
probable, that the bill and all its pro-
visions will stand or fall together.
We all know that has been the usual
history of these bills. 1t may be that
we need this canal. But if it is such Il
work as the people of this country
want undertaken, if they want to spend
ten or twelve or fiftern million dollars
for it, then it should only be after the
fullest investigation and discussion /:
not until the best practicable route
has been aScertained and the best
method of construction devised.
In reply to question asked by Mr..
Durham, member from Illinois, Mr..
Jones said that he did not call the
IIennepin Canal local question, but
said that it appealed for support to
members not upon its own merits
alone, but because it was in company
with a hundred or more other matters
in which most Of the members have a
local or personal interest. lie then
made further explanation as follows:
What do say is that legislation
which inaugurateS the work on this
canal and which is to cost, as | have
already said, anywhere from five to
! fifteen millions of dollars and puts it
| into a bill which contains more than a
hundred other appropriations in which
all members. or a large majority of
| them, are more or less interested, is