Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1885-09-09
THEIR WORK ENDED.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST.
ERN WATERWAYS CONVENTION.
An Appropriation OF SEQ, 900, 900 Yearly
To Re Asked of Congress-Su
stance of the Resolutions
Which Were Adopted.

ST.. PAUL, Mimi, Sept THE North.
western Waterway convention adjourned
Friday night after passing resolutions and
adopting memorial to congress advocat-
ing river improvements on large scale,
the sum Of SEA, 900, 900 yearly being asked
in the way of national appropriation. AT
the afternoon session the resolutions were
presented and adopted enthusiastically.
They ask the immediate and comprehensive
improvement of the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers and their navigable tributaries to
the fullest extent Of their improbable Ca
pacity flavor any meritorious projse for in
creased water transporting facilities by which
the general interests of tho wholei country
may be conserved, and commend liberal
policy in that regard to the careful con-
Sideration and Intelligent support OF con-
greSS; but we deem the immediate and
permanent Improvement OF the Mississippi
and Missouri rivers and their navigable tri-
butarieS according to some comprehensive
plan embracing the whole subject, as
of paramount Importance and claim that
sufficient approx riations should be made
to give ~ iea,t six feet Of water in the
Mississippi river from Cairo to tho falls of
st. Anthony at the earliest practical day;
commend 10 congress the careful conSldera-
ton Of the report of the resident engineers
to the war department on the reservoir
system of the upper Mississippi; urge upon
the government to appoint upon the Mis-.
souri, river commission engineers and civil
Guns residing upon ana interested in the i'm
provement of tho Missouri river, whose
other Interests are not incompatible with
their duties rs said commissioners; favor the
enlargement of the Illinois and Michigan
canal and tie extension of the same by the
construction of a canal from the Illinois
river at Hennepin to the Mississippi river at
Rock Island. thereby connecting the great
lakes with the upper Mississippi and giving
a continuous line o. water transportation
from the Mississippi valley to the Atlantic
seaboarl i'll the interest of cheap trans
portatiun and the now immense growing
commerce of the northwest
Further resolutions recommend the inn
pr .ve,rent of the Saut Ste Marie canal; the
com, .l.t;un OF the Hay Lake channel; the
Improvement of the Rod River of the North
AMI tls tributary al jaceut lakes and
streams: the completion of the Fox and
Wiscou III rivers, with Il view of providing
through route by water transportation
between the Mississippi and the great lakes;
the Improvement of the Yellowstone, Chip
pewa and ST. Croix rivers, and the continu-
ance and extension of the lighthouse sys-
tenn and snag and dredgeboat ervice.
John P Altgeld, of Chicago, offered the
following;
Resolved, That inasmuch as tho country
west of the Aleghanies possesses more than
half of the shipping of the country, and con-
tributes more than three-fourthS OF the
money expended by the federal government
for public improvements, it is rank injustice
to this great section that it receive only
about one third of the money appropriated
for river and harbor improvements, as has
so long been done. While We favor the
Improvement Of our waterways throughout
the country to meet the demands of produc
ers and con runners. we demand from this
time forward Is much proportion Of these
appro priations for the northwest as may be
necessary to meet the demands of the grow
ing trade Of this section Of the country.
The convention adopted q memorial ask
ing congress to act upon the question of
waterways. It sets forth that the two val
legs represented by it have an aggregate of
744, sos square miles and 1900, 900 people
who are principally devoted to agriculture,
mining, and stock raising. The
annual products of this section amount to
So, 400, 400 900, which could be transported
to the markets OF the world at minimum
cost if the national waterways of their Sec
ton of country were to be improved as
recommended. As part of this system of
waterways Improvement there have been
devised and the cost thereof estimated by
some high authorities, certain canals de.
signed to connect the lakes system and to
become part of them SO as to avert OBJ
sta cles which canals, if completed, would
greatly facilitate trade and cheaper trans
portation. The results already attained
by the work on these several rivers,
harbors, and canals, with the meager
amount heretofore appropriated, have been
eminently satisfactory at all points, fully
demonstrating the feasib lily and wisdom
of those plans. The cost Of the work re-
Quired to perfect these waterways will be
far less than the value of the 35, $40, POT
acres of land which congress donated rail
ways within the nine northwestern states
and territories to say nothing of subsidies
and state grants upon the plea Of affording
cheap transportation and in pursuance of
national internal improvement policy, while
the direct AMI immediate benefit will be
many times greater.
Between 300 and 400 delegates to the river
convention went on an excursion down the
river Saturday morning. They arrived in
Saltwater at 10 o'clock, where lunch had
been prepared for them in the dining hall
of the Sawyer house Senator Sabin wei.
coined the delegates, and the mayor ten
dered them the freedom of the city. After
visiting the penitentiary and other points Of
interest in the city, they returned. The
general impression seems to be that the con-
vention has been an effective one, and
every one seems satisfied.
Near Blunt D. r., Thursday, natural gas
was struck at depth of 145 feet
Myriads of grasshoppers are devastating
pasture and clover folds in MONTGOMERY