The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-07-31
HOPE FOR HENNEPIN.
Bill Agree Upon the Hennepin
Canal Item.


Bill Agree Upon the Hennepin
Canal Item.
After many ups and downs during this
session of congress, the Hennepin canal
bill. in slightly modified form, stands q
good chance Of passage, although its
fate is not yet a certainty. The Chicago
Times of today has the following special
in regard to the canal bill:
The conferrees on the river and harbor
bill have reported back that bill in prac-
tically the same form in which it was
passed by the senate, and in direct con-
dlct with the instructions by the house
that they sho uld not agree to the pur-
chase of the Sturgeon Bay and Portage
Lake canals, the acceptance and construc-
ton of the Hennepin canal, nor the re
establishment of the control of the Mis-
sissippi commission, besides disregarding
the wishes of the house in reference to
other and less important senate amend
ments TO the bill The house conferrees
were Willis of Kentucky, Blanchard of
Louisiana, and Henderson of Illinois.
Gen. Henderson has never wayered in his
support of the Hennepin project Mr..
Blanchard has also supported it by his
vote in the house. Mr.. Willis has taken
the position from the beginning that he
would not consent to the appropriations
for canal projects, and would rather the
bill should fail to become law than to
commit congress to the construction of
canals, If any schemes of that kind are
to be entered upon by the government, he
maintains that they should be considered
separately upon their merits and not be
floated through in the river and harbor
bill by the log rolling method Blanch,
ard and Willis held out some time against
the senate conferrees, in obedience to the
instructions of the house, but when it be>
came absolutely certain that the senate
conferrees would not recede on
any of the important points in
controversy, Blanchard went over
to tine other side. This left Willis in a
minority. and Blanchard and Henderson
agreed with the senate conferrees to let
the senate amendments stand, with
slight amendments that do not materially
affect the purpose the senate had in view.
BY his flop Mr.. Blanchard secured the
concession of an increase of % per cent
in the appropriation for the Lower Miss.
issippi and the continuance of the opera
ton of the river commission under its
own plans for the improvement of the
river.
The Hennepln section, as amended by
agreement of the conferrees Except
WilliS), provides for the acceptance of the
canal b. the United States, and appropri-
ates S3O0,0OO for charging the portion
of the canal already constructed, and to
pay the cost of surveying and locating
the route for its continuance to the Mis-
sissippi river. The paragraph relating to
the purchase of the Sturgeon bay and
Portage lake canals is amended so as to
provide that the money shall not be paid
until the proposed purchases are respec>
lively approved ny the secretary of war
and chief of engineers. The report OF
| the conferrees WAS submitted to the house
by Mr.. Blanchard and Mr.. Willis will
threw his influence actively in favor of
rejecting the report. The opposition will
apparently be very strong, and the com
mon opinion tonight is, that the report
will be rejected BY the house and the bill
sent to conference again. 1t is difficult,
however, to form an accurate judgment
| OF the outcome of the struggle, because
so much money and so MANY interests
are involved in the fate of th1t bill
Judge Murphy, always enthusiastic,
thinks the matter will be easily sets
tied tomorrow in favor of the Hennepin
and the bill But other earnest aGvo-
Gates of river and harbor improvements
do not take that roseate view of the sit
uation They say there would be no
trouble if the senate would consent to
eliminate the canal project from the bill,
| and the alternative now is; Shall the canals
| 90 out of the bill or shall the bill fail?
The fight against the conference report
was begun as soon as it was sent to the
clerks desk to-day by MIR. Hatch, of Mis-
souri,, and it is known that the svmpath
izers of Carlisle, Randall, Holman, and
other prominent men are with him in this
fight He began by calling for the read,
ing of the whole bill agreed upon by the
conferrees, with the accompanying writ
ten statement in explanation of it. His
| object was to consume time and prevent
a vote until to morrow. or n vote at any
time unless there should be reason to be =
lievc that the report certainly would be
rejected. The reading of the bill alone
occupied about two hours. and adjourn
ment cut of the reading of the statement
of the conferrees until tomorrow. Mr..
Hatch said tonight that he was in Favor
of appropriations for Improvement of all
the important rivers and barbors of the
country, and in favor of excluding from
river and harbor bill all canals and un'
navigable streams. 1t seemed almost i'm
possible to keep out all of the latter, but
there ought to be no trouble in prevent.
ing the Inauguration of canal building oil
purchasing. If the government should
undertake to build or improve canals, il
would cost so many millions of dollars
that the improvement of really mertor'
ious natural waterways would be checked
for years-at least until public sentiment
put stop to appropriations for canals