Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-05-14
Hon. r. C.. catohinas' Speech on
the Rivara ana iiaFbora OH.

y Mf iHHiulant iNn NlIfuNlNflt proposed Ng
rr es%ffirn4n ff1m ohio 'uf WARNER ID hu lf.
.ilAiHs aii4ei lpan DE- whole pian adnpfei b.
Congress-, lnutiHg ~ tnn Improvement uf tIr
Mississippi river. White pretending o purpose
ihal 30 plan " N pf1Yeilrnt gllall ba pfofe
c1fed aud pursued tNe amendment hp suggests
HnHld suspend it entirely, as. ] Will SHOW pres
entity. ~ ufnunaps ~ transfer the prosecution
Gf TIE work ~ the SECRETARY Oi War, hnd my
friend from Iowa IMr Hepbufnl comes WIN Z
usual manllness and ifankBess and unmasksthe
bHttery planted by iIe gentleman from y iO,HHd
presents before " The question. fairly whether
We will or Will not continue the system VI lH.
%prUttment which has been iuauguraied l1ukiits
ID tie beitef and safer navigation Of the Mlssis'
tits well. Mr.. Chairman, for The House to IN.
derstand ihat this amendment o. THE gentleman
from Iowa., II adopted. viii be followed lfninedl-
ately by one striking out the eniirr clause max
Ing the appropriation because u VIII DESTROY TIE
plans PROPOSED By the river commission, ana rs
i matter 81 course we will not need the money,
and 30 the issue Il fairly presented whether we
will call = halt ana abandon all purpose " IN.
proving the river or continue II on the present
system.
This is the only plan which has ever been sub:
mited looking 10 the systematic Improvement Of
the navigation Of tlle river. For many yeatstlle
Government did nothing beyond 4 little dredg.
ing at an occasional bad bar which had formed
In the Tiyero pulling s1sgs where they lmpeded
the navigation, and II was only IN 1870. wlell Il
commission of engineers was appointed 10 ILL
yestigate the question, that any action was seTl-
Ously taken toward the inauguration OF TINS
work.
MIR. Chairman, ] have been surprised at the
various points from which this work has been
attacked. My friend from Kansas Mr.. Ander-
SON Opened the fight by announcing with poll
derOus gravity that the river does not need luz
prOvement; that 1t is already suf11clently II 'ViSa
ble Tor all commerce which seeks II. why, mr..
Chairman, that gentleman has surely not INFORM
ed himself upon this subject. | have some SIa'
tistlcs here which were compiled many years
ago, which have been published as Il part OF lhe
report filed with Congress by this commission OF
engineers, 1t was estimate d that from 1864 to
1872 there had been q period OF flfty-two days all
nu4lly in which there WAS a less depth OF water
in the riv. r than 6 feet, and Of siXty-nine days
annually in which its depth was less than 10 feet
the county, and yet my friend says that
there is no necessity for the improvement Of
that river because there is q sufficient depth Of
water navigation. Another gentleman ga $ there
is no necessity for this Improvement because
there is no commerce upon the river to BIZ btne-
fitted by 1t Again, l must be permitted to say
that gentlemen are reckless in Their assertions
upon this poi.t. l have in my hand a state
ment, which l have taken from the census re-
por $ for 1850, which may perhaps occasion
some surprise to gen lelnen who have under.
taken to deTide the value aud extent of the
which floats upon this great river
According to this report OF 1880 the tonnage upon
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers was 5ll 1873, G95
aid they car, led 3 500 tons.
/ suppose the value of that tonnage was not
less Than X or seven hundred millions Of dol
lars. and yet gentlemen assert II re-, as II they
were in no danger OF contradiction that there Is
no seeking the Mississippi river
which can or ought 10 be benefited by its i'm
prOvtment.
Here the hammer feel
Mr.. Blanchard was recognized and yielded his
time to Mr.. CatchingS.
MIR. Catchings. But, Mr.. Chairman, enough
has been said TO show that the real animus Of
&Is- ,E--I e, NIAg- aa N1A 1AArr ~
certain gentlemen that some part OF this money
will be expended III the construction OF leVeeS
along the ranks of THE river, whereby the south
ern planters who OWN cotton and sugar plant A.
tons MAY derive some benefit. They have assert
ed here that the motive which prompts, us gentle
men who live along the banks of the river to SO
streuuously advocate the continuance Of this
work is the hope or expectation that we VIII de-
rive some individual and personal benefit from
the expenditure OF tins money not at all connect
ed with the improvement of the river as a great
highway and artery of commerce.
Now, l know something about levee building
on the Mississippi river. Isay that the district
which l have til honor to rep es-nt is alb Olute
ly independent OF this appropriation, $ far as
Its levees are concerned. The nine river cUun
ties which l represent have expended more than
So 900 CO.. themselves in the construction of then
levees. They are not only building them bul
they are willing 10 build them, and take care OF
them when built. SO far Us my section is con.
cerned the charge l have referred to is entirely
without foundation [ was looking this morn.
ing at a report Of the last annual meeting OF the
board of levee commissioners, showing al eX-
penditure last year Of ABOUT $50, 900 in cash, and
provision made 10 an expenditure of as much
more this year for the maintenance OF their
levee system.
But there is an incidental benefit which will
accrue to us if this plan approved by the COM
mission is made tffectual. 1t is the scientific
opinion of all engineers who have made an eX.
animation Of the facts that one OF the prime
and chief results which will come from this i'm.
prOyement is the lowering OF the flood liues and
the prevention of the caying OF the river banks
Ii YOU can accomplish that, we can and vii
make the leveeS as permanent as the hill.
themselves without asking the Government t.
spend a dollar. That is a pT ointment feature
which is brought forward Uy the engineers
They say that the construction If these levee.
SO dee ems the channel that the food Level be
comes lower, and in the course Of time thu
necessity for the ltVeeS will cease to exist.
,yisb IN eta+a i very rsu .rkahI fact ui,I
raferanca In tI'is which noes IN corr ohnrsta au,
iinrHish an iwnreGnaGie HsSiis for dis c"mclmsinn
nannot turn tn tha nagn NJ mo rsnnrt or IN,
n,nmant Rnt viii sfafe tba fact 'appd ! I m ere ~
n ~ ott"blish II If IL b w diSnr+ va l Im = :,
ne hre9GiTg nmt nt tha VIZ tha n v ~ iivin =,
along the bssnks Of the RID RiverHone If III,
%renfaS ~ nd m0s+ no,yarfI1I rivars IN III. coTti
80 800 nounrfnI IN iJs n,aiaetv .nd tha roIoait,
~ nf II, PPo"d. and rn,mi4Jg y he N III
InaS throngb' an sIlnViai s6il iTst ns nnrohis III,
frisIie as fhat Hvi,ich lines thSs htnts IF tIn AZ
SieSinni"haJ 9" Ieyned mat river Ind tie a1od,,
I'D heen Gu restrained fherph1 fhat in tH,
n ~, ~ Cor tna ahsnnai hioor, ,m"S a. Sm'
G tbat 1o Of y eysn me me ci aaaatast pe GanG so Spo Ve abt ",
water IN sohiyh as IN I0ncb The hasa 6 4 tbes,
Iavaas ~
TSa radrotiou of tho aood limo yvoe On oor
tinunus fI"t 81 lonS 10 the lavees ,Iprn Din
tiineI tue neo,iia - aLenluteiv nrotantai
iR nt Gnring The var and since flat tiTe n,
Duu Wy Wv ~ 1n"u .hnO W