The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-07-01
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH SUNDAY JULY ]. 1883

Mississippi River steamboats, and OF
the naval vessels suitable for defense in
time of war. The Secretary of War is
authorized and directed to cause to be
made proper survey, land estimate
for channel improvement and locks and
dams in the beds of the Illinois
and Desplaines rivers from La
Sale to Lockport, so as to pro-
vide navigable waterway not
less than one hundred and sixty feetwide
and not less than fourteen feet deep,
| and to have surveyed and located a
| channel from Lockport to Lake Michi-
gan at or near the city Of Chicago, such
channel to be suitable for the purpose
aforesaid, the necessary expenses of
such surveys, estimates, plans and To-
cation to be paid out of the sum herein
appropriated for the improvement of
the Illinois river. An amendment d.
recting the Secretary Of War to locate
a canal from the Illinois river, Henne-
pin, to the Mississippi river at the mouth
of Rock river, was then agreed to.
after protest by Vest, that it would
commit the government absolutely to
the construction of the canal.
Senators German and Beck denying
that it did so and Allison declining to
commit himself one way or the other.
The last amendment to be acted on
was the insertion of provision abolish
ing the Missouri River Commission.
Vest spoke of the utter decay on the
rivers and canals, there now being not
single steamboat on the river
between Kansas City and St.
Louis. That was something beyond
the power of Congress to prevent, be-
cause time was great element in COM
merce. He recognized, however, that
canals and rivers were UNNECESSARILY
valuable factors in checking the exor-
bitant rates of the railroads, and there
fore he favored them. The amendment
was agreed to.
The bill and amendments were then
reported from the committee to the
Senate, and amendments, upon which
separate votes were not asked were
agreed to. Separate votes were de-
manded on the Hennepin Canal amend
ment, abolishing the Missouri River
Commission and the amendment for the
Green ard Barren River improvement
in Kentucky, but there being no
quorum present, no further progress
was made with the bill, and the Senate
proceeded with executive business.
After the doors reopened, the confer
enCo report on the ulpIOmbIlC
and consular appropriation bill
was presented and agreed to.
The only question between
the two Houses had been the Senate
amendment for the appointment of
commission to visit and report upon
tle upper Congo basin. The result Of
the conference is q substitute for the
amendment appropriating $4,000 for
salary and expenses OF the commercial
agent at Domain, the lower Congo
basin, with authority TO visit and re-
port on the commercial resources of
the upper Congo basin and its opening
for trade with the United States.
Bills from the calendar were
taken up and passed as
follows:l Senate bill appropriating
$4,000 for a wharf in Astona, Oregon,
for the use of the light house establish
ment. Senate bill appropriating $50 600
for light house on the highlands near
the mouth of the Umpuque River, Ore
gon. Senate bill to establish four addi
tional life-saving stations in Oregon
and Washington Territory. There
were also thirty-four private pension
bills taken from the calendar and
passed, all of them House bills except
one, the Senate bill increasing the pen
sion of William J. Warren to $500
month.
Adjourned.