The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-08
THE HENNEPiN PROJECT i.
Congressman Murphy Enthusiastic
over it-..His Encouraging Opin-
lon Of the Outlook.

Congressman j H Murphy, of Daven-
port. has been numerously interviewed of
late upon the Hennepin canal, the pet
project of this entire section of the coun-
try. In conversation with correspon>
dent at Washington the other day, he
said that no question would come up at
the coming session of congress of such
importance to the public good as the
question of cheaper transportation over
present rates. Il am of the opinion, he
said, that congressional action on the
improvement of all our water ways--riv-
ers, harbors, and canals-would afford the
quickest and cheapest remedy, and then
the people of the north and south and cast
and west would get the benefit, the Gus
toner as well ms the producer. We know
that for the past ten or fifteen years the
question of interstate commerce has been
agitatcd in and out of congress, and local
legislation has been invoked to act against
the eXorbitant charges of railways, but,
1
same hole they went in at; nothing has
been accomplished, Now, when ii is an
admitted fact that water transportation is
at least so per cent cheaper than any 9th
er method, would it not be the part of
good craftsmanship to improve our natu''
raj waterways and construct artificial ones,
like the Henncpin canal, which will pro
duce so much good by such ac'ionf We
has appropriated large sums of money in
the construction of canals. Take, for
lexample, the Louisville and Portland
canal, the Des Moines rapids canal, the
construction of canal around the cas-
cadcs of the Columbia river, the Green
Bay and the Mississippi canal. the SAINT
Mary's canal in Michigan, the 81. Clair
falls canal, the Patapsco river and Chesa-
peakc bay canal, the Muscle shoals-in
the Tennessee rivcr-canal. In the con
struction of these canals tho government
has expended $40. 1857, and who Will
say that it has not done good?
Il can demonstrate to the most skep>
tical that the construction OF this canal Is
but opening up II waterway from the
Mississippi river and its valley to the
lakes and the ocean in the interests of
commerce. In other words there is n
bar right in the middle of the channel.
Remove that bar, and then the water
| ST I.nlliS the
south and ST Paul GU the north, to New
York city--a distance o. tw" thousand
miles-will be uninterrupted, which viii
do ID ore good for commerce than any
other appropriation in the river and
harbor bill"
The general prejudice" he said.
against the canal has disappeared very
much, and the local prejudice against the
canal in St. Louis has also disappeared
for they are beginning to realize the fact
that st. Louis is one of the western
' termini of this water. To my mind
St Louis has more interest in the con
struction of this canal than any othel
point including Chicago, for the bull
will be broken of the grain that is ship
ned eastward and of the commerce ant
= the manufactured products that are ship
i ped westward, and therefore, it please
v me to say, the feeling in st. houis for tho
construction of this canal has improved
: very much in the last few months and
, that improvement continues believe tina
" thew will realize the Importance of 1t
construction to the commerce OF st
Louis and will cheerfully indorsc it.
. have met while in Washington the pas
y few DAYS a number of St. Louis pcopl
who talk more favorahly of it. am no
> only the advocate of the construction O
the Hennepin canal, but all other water
WAYS that will give relief to the com
. merce of The east and the producing in
y terests of the west. Again, we have to
day millions of dollars rusting in the
; government treasury, and the great agi
u tation is, what shall we do with it? TIT
y method l suggest will not only rcduc
Transportation charges so per cent, bi
|
~ meat, in consideration for labor to thor
v sands of the hundreds of thousands WI
= are today almost starving. In the eli
. of Chicago today there are forty thousan
'" poor men, husbands and parents OF chi
drcn. who do not know where they ca
- find the bread and meat to fill thei
- mouths which they are in need OF. Nov
:" if we construct this Hcnucpin canal
- give employment to twenty or thiri
thousand of these poor people, hlrin
them at q cheap rate, especially inrnisi
:" ing them with bread and meat in consi,
;" Grafton of labor, and in this way we pro
- duce two good Notwithstanding lab'
y to the poor and cheap transportation to Il
people. We held n convention south las
April, in New Orleans the It'll sth an
9th of April and the lienncpin canal g
he generous Endorsement. And the san
H. can be said of the convention held in 81
II Paul on the 81 and 4th of September las
of The name of Dewitt Clinton will new
l. be forgotten by the American people, f.
nc he was the author of the construction
=, the Erie canal, and the great benefits th
t. people have enjoyed by its constructi'
ed would be more than qua1ruplcd by Il
lie construction of the IIennepin, which, 4
| IL, Of mil an