The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-04-01
The Mississippi River.


approved July 5, 1884, entitled Gan act
making appropriations Tor the construc-
ton, repair and preservation of certain
work on rivers and harbors and for other
purposes" and "that it is within the dis
cretion of the Secretary of War to direct
the expenditure of this balance upon
any work or works which he may select
or designate" The fund being aceessl-
bic, Gen. SYPHER argues to the Score
tary that il Is the interest of wise pub
lie policy, and Of an economical admins
tration, to direct the expenditure Of this
balance Of $4,000, 600 upon works of the
highest national Importance, and upon
such works as, if not protected by con-
tinuation Of operations, will be entirely
destroyed, and that the principle, if not
the only public work Of this character,
IS the improvement Of the Mississippi
River. TO demonstrate the Importance
OF this work, attention is called TO the
large amount Of money already ex-
pended on it, and the Inability of its de-
structioD by the next food in the river
unless protected and preserved.
"There is only one Mississippi River"
says Gen. SYPHER. at is an inland sea
The rainfall upon the roof trees of over
one-half the people of our country, finds
an outlet through its channels TO the
ocean. Nineteen State4 and Territories
Of the Union are watered by this river
and its tributaries. Two thousand yes
sells ply upon its waters, representing
over $l0,G00,O00 of invested capital.
Twenty million tons Of freight and
5000, 900 passengers are ira nsported an
nualy, employing over $4,000 men.
The comm cree
Of the Mississippi is the commerce
Of nations. and its products feed and
clothe, in great part, the civilized
world. The sugar crop of Louisiana
alone is worth from $20,000,0O0 to
S25, 100000 annually, and if a secured
levee system was maintained, furnishing
adequate protection to capital and labor
to cultivate the available sugar lands in
the delta, the yield of domestic sugar
would be ample for home consumption
and the vast sum Of 500, 900 now
paid annually by our people to foreign
countries for this article of food, would
be retained and distributed among oul
own people. We have the ability t.
produce an abundant supply of cheal
sugar upon American soil with American
labor and American capital
"The value of the cotton crop which
may be produced behind secure levee
protecting the land from overflow woult
exceed S2O0,O00O0 annually. This
largely an export staple, and no argu
ment will be required to show chat 5000
100000 placed to the credit side of GU
international balance sheet would al
and encourage all branches of America
industry"
1t detracts nothing from the able pre-
sentation of the case made by Ger
SYPHER that he is the attorney of
system of railroads dependent in grea
measure for successful operation on th
protection of the alluvial lands of lowe
Louisiana from overflow. The Souther
Pacific Company has $500 miles of il
own line extending west to San Frar
cisco, to say netting of its connection
at FL Paso with the City of Mexico, an
at Deming with the Atchison, TOPEKA an
Santa Fe Railway, besides it's numerou
connections in Texas. The Texas Pacifi
Railroad, reaching the Mississippi q
Baton Rouge on the west bank and TO
lowing the river for ninety miles to Ne
Orleans, has about 1900 miles of railroad
in addition to its numerous connection
from the North and South in Texas
"a single break in the le7ee on the ives
bank, between Baton Rouge and a poir
thirty miles below New Orleans, flood
almost the entire country between th
Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, {
once cutting of the trunk lines leadin
: to New Orleans; thus, to q great exter
destroying its western traffic"
This statement, made mainly in Il
interest of the two trunk lines leadir
to the West of New Orleans presen
!: but small part of the damage to pro
, erty ard commerce in the States
: Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiar
e which results from the overflow of ii
c Mississippi River. 1t is conceded tn
the local communities are unable
arrest the annual destruction of pro
erty, and the all-absorbing question
whether this country shall be protecte
= by the general government or give
= over to the rayages of the floods. In ii
answer to the question, millions of oil
fellow-eitizens living in the Mississip
Valley are interested. They find I
obstacle in the principles of the const
tuition, considering as they do. that Il
action of Congress- heretofore had, b.
i settled that discussion in their favo
u A refusal to make appropriations no
!, is either return to the WORKOUT do
trine of the strict eonstructionists, or
denial to a vast section Of our commo
0 co intry of its fair share of the blessing
of common government.
The Mississippi should be chaine
1t has been running at large long enough
That it is Herculean task, should bu
incite to unexampled effort, since il
successful accomplishment would be til
greatest practical achievement of tn
age. 1t has been characteristic of ma
that difficulty and danger but stirre1
his determination. Let not this grea
work which has passed beyond the limi
of experiment and conjecture, fail 70
the waat of the heart to treat it as it
importance deserves. All the resource
of genius, of wealth, of skill and in
genuity, we have, and they should b
called into action.
We are glad thst the attention of tn
: administration has been called to thi
} unexpended balance, and we trust tina
: President CLEVELAND and his Cabinet
finding the precedent already estab
lished by ex-President GRANT, in 1875
will presume, as he is legally authorizes
to do, that, but for the knowledge .ha
this sum of $4,000, 600 was at the dis
posal of the Secretary of War Congress
would not have been guilty Of the foil
of adjourning, without first providin