The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-06-12
THE MEMORIAL.

ings:
THE MEMORIAL.
To the Honorable Senate OF the United States:
GENTLEMEN-Inasmueh as the
House of Representatives has
deemed it proper by certain
amendments to the river and har-
bor bill, which passed that body,
to cast discredit upon the Missis.
sippi River Commission, and either
to effectually deprive said River
Commission ofits proper functions
in controlling the work of i'm
provement of this great stream,
or at least to create doubts and ap-
prehensions in the minds Of the
people touching this matter, your
petitioners respectfully pray that
you will rescind the Objectionable
amendments referred to. or at last
that one offered by Mr.. Hepburn.
which is evidently designed to
emasculate the River Commission !;
for if it is non effective, as some
Congressman maintain, it should
be removed, from the bill as only
serving to raise unnecessary
doubts and create ambiguity, and
| II it has the effect which its mover
designed We feel certain that it
will prove exceedingly hurtful to
the vast commercial interests
which We in part represent, and
which we conceive are dependent
upon a wise and intelligent con.
duct of the work of improving the
navigation ofthe Mississippi river,
which was so auspiciously begun
and carried Forward under the
able management ofthe River Com
mission until it was unfortunately
brought to stop by the refusal Of
the Forty. Eighth Congress to make
provision for its continuance.
We further desire to show that
ourselves and great majority OF
the people in the Mississippi Val.
ley whose interests are concerned
IN the Improvement and nsviga
ton of the Mississippi river, as
has been evinced in the action ol
the several river Improvement
conventions held at sundry times
and places during the past year
have entire confidence in the wis.
dom and ability of the Mississippi
River Commission to deal with
this great problem, and we fee
every assurance that if allowed to
proceed in the work without EN-
barrassment for want of means OF
from restrictive legislation, the
said Commission will carry it ia
ultimate and complete success.
We further wish to impress the
idea that so great a problem al
this can only be successfully solv
ed BY well conceived plans of op
erations based upon patient ant
painstaking experiments, and /,
thorough knowledge Of the Mlssis
sippi river derived from intelligen
and accurate esobservations Of III
} phenomena.
We feel assured that the Rive
Commission has pursued the onl,
proper course in dealing with thi
subject; that it has acquired
vast deal Of information necessar,
. to the purpose in view not here
! tofore known, and that it has al
t ready made valuable progress to
: ward its attainment, as evidence,
by the important and substantial
relief to navigation afforded b.
; the efforts made in various local.
ties on the Mississippi river, nots
/ bly, at Horse Tail Reach, wher
the works cover about twent,
miles of extremely bad river, an,
where the low water depth ha
been increased to more thai
double the original depth ther
prevailing; at Plum Point reach
covering about eighteen miles O
bad river, where the depth ha
also been doubled, and this i'm
I provement maintained notwitt
: standing the absence of all furthe
e attention, for lack of means, sine
January, 1886; the channel acros
Bullerton bar, heretofore one q
the most troublesome to navig,
s tors on the river, from its shiftiD
nature and shoal condition, whic
has renamed unchanged as to Il
cation, aud easy navigable dept
maintained since the accomplish
ment of the works ofimprovemen
y at Providence Reach, coverin
about twenty miles of bad rive
r where formerly very serious oil
It structions to navigation prevaile
: at every low water season, wher
the depth has been doubled, an
the improved condition maintain
ed, Notwithstanding the lack {
J means to bestow needed attentio