St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-16
1t Will Be Submitted to the
Chamber Of Commerce
This Morning.
Some of the Benefits Which
Would Come From Proper
Appropriations.
United Effort Needed With
Congress From All Along
the Line.

CoHliiilelOO vi AhiSSlSSipp l llfcI, VI NilCl
Mr.. McClung is chairman, which will be
forwarded to the river improvement
convention to be held at Dubuque. 1t
is as follows:
The st. Paul chamber of commerce re-
specially acknowledges the receipt of
the circular of the mayor of the city of
Dubuque calling convention for the
improvement OF the upper Mississippi
river and asking the appointment of
delegates, and that we contribute our
influence and abilities to promote its
success. The subject is one in which
this chamber has always felt the greatest
interest, and to which for the past ten
years it has devoted large amount of
its time and abilities. 1t called the first
convention which ever secured an APP
preparation OF dollar for the improve
ment of the upper MiSsissiI pi river
channel on the 18th day of October, 1877,
and which was followed by other con-
ventiOnS which resulted in giving us
over 81 ,000, 600. Had the people of the
upper Mississippi manifested any intel
ligent appreciation of the benefits of inn
proving the river, and by strong pub
lie opinion inOculated their representa-
tiveS in congress with any interest in
the subject, these ten years would not
have passed with such slow progress
and such meager results as we are
compelled to witness to-day I'D the
improvement of this great highway so
vital to every interest of the Northwest.
Congress has never taken hold of this
subject as if it really desired and really
meant to improve the Mississippi river
and make it what it is capable of being
made-the greatest regulator of freights,
more potent than any interstate COM
MERGE bill, and factor for developing
the resources of the country and Great
ing new wealth more efficient than any
which has interested our representa-
tiyes in congress. Appropriations have
been dOled cut in quantities entirely in
adequate to accomplish success, and
with grudging parsimony showing no
interest in the subject and 10 desire to
push the improvements to successful
result.
While the river has been called the
Father of Waters, it has really always
BEEN THE ORPHAN CHILD,
without any protection. and has been
left to languish and suffer for want of
the very necessarieS of life. Who is to
blame for this? The representatives of
the valley of the Mississippi
have for years been a majority
of congress, and have had the power to
make the river what the creator in
tended it to be, and what the govern
III ent engineers have recommended it to
be. The will alone has been waiting
among the men we have sent to con-
greSS. If you will scan the votes which
have several times defeated the river
and harbOr- bill, you will find that your
own representatives from the state of
Iowa, with others from Illinois and
Kansas tho mhnSn UntaS do
feated the bill.
THE REMEDY.
What, is, the remedy. or is there
any remedy? The remedy must
come from the people themselves.
They must be educated and made to UNI
derstand that the cost of transportation
settles the cost of every article they buy
and the price of every article they sell :;
that transportation by water costs about
one-tenth of transportation by rail; that
the improvement of this river will COM
pei every railroad to reduce it's freights,
as was done at st. Louis when the car
rying of wheat and corn in barges was
inaugurated, and every railroad met the
must be educated by facts and statistics
to know that minimum of five feet of
water from ST. Paul to the gulf means
the introduction of bargeS on the
Upper Mississippi, with low water
rate of freightS. which will compel every
railroad which does business with Iowa,
Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, to
make the same low rate as was done at
st. Louis, and thus save annually
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
which we now pay in eXOrbitant
freightS as tribute to the railroads.
When they realize these facts they will
vote only for congressman who will also
realize them, and vote for such appro-
What can this convention do
to bring about this remedy?
They can appoint committee who will
organize Northwestern commercial
league composed of all the merchants
and shippers in every town and village
in the Northwestern states. One thou
sand men belonging to such a league
and paying the small pittance of SIS per
year would give the organization a
working fund of 5000 a year-enough
to pay the salary of firSt-class man
who could devote his whole time to col
lecting and publishing statistics and
working up public sentiment which
would compel our public servants to
carry out the wishes Of their constit-
uents. As things have been managed.
IL
bic to send committee to congress to
press this subject upon its attention.
The railroad interest is always there
with powerful lobby to kill any river
and harbor bill. The Mississippi river has
no one to meet them. The st. Paul
convention of Oct. II, 1887, appointed
an able and talented committee to go to
Washington, and the cities along the
river raised fund and paid the expenses
of that committee to go to Washington,
and remain there until an appropria-
ton was secured. The result was that
we received the first S250,000 for the
upper river.
Your committee can make this the
the work of such league as is here
proposed.
THE RESULTS.
The immediate results to be expected
would stimulate an interest in forming
such league and make its success
CERTAIN AND IMMEDIATE
The want of fund of this kind has
often prevented good and able men from
| going as delegates to river conventions
and thus reduced the numbers and
weakened the influence and efficiency
of such conventions. An organization
| of this kind could influence the legiS-
latureS and governors of the states to
contribute an annual fund to aid it in
carrying out its purposes. To further
| promote the efficiency of such an organ
iZation and give to the Northwest its
full share of appropriations. a river
commission, whose duty should be to
look after the interests of the
upper Mississippi, as the present
river commission looks after the
| interests of the lower river,
| might be considered, and congress asked
to appoint such commission. AS APP
| propriations have gone heretofore the
t lower river has always received the
! lions share. The lower river has also
! received the greatest attention from the
| river commission, while the upper river
has been given but slight attention, and
! most of the time no attention.