St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-06
VOICE OF TWELVE STATES.

The Cincinnati Waterways Con.
ventiOn Says the Mississippi and
Its Tributaries Must Be I'M
proved.
CINCINNATI, Sept. 5.-Promptly at
1920 B. D. Wood, chairman of the exc
cutive committee, called to order the
meeting of the delegates to the Water
ways convention at the Scottish Rite
cathedral. He announced that Tempo
rary Chairman Holman had unexpect-
edly been called from the city, and
could not attend the remaining meet
ings. Chairman Nathaniel Frank, of
Missouri, read the report of the COM
mittee on credentials, showing twelve
states were represented by delegates.
Adopted unanimously. Mr.. Robinson
then read the report of the committee
on permanent organization, presenting
the following officers: Permanent
chairman, Capt. c. M. Holloway, of Gin
cinnati. Permanent secretary, Edwin
Stevens, of Cincinnati; assistant secre-
taries, j. w. Bryant, of New Orleans:
r. j. Barbour, of Kentucky; e. A. Keat-
ing, of Memphis. Vice presidents,
Capt. J. n. johnson, of Kentucky; NJ. S.
Marks, of Iowa; Thomas Fort, of Ten
nessee: William Startling, of Mississippi;
Fl. G. Harstick, of Missouri; Capt. John
Gilbert. of Indiana; j. E. Danna, of
West Virginia; William Robinson, of
Louisiana. Permanent Chairman Hol-
loWay then took the chair and thanked
the convention in a brief speech. The
report on rules and order of business
was then submitted. 1t sets forth that
the deliberation of the convention be
confined to the improvement of naviga-
ton on the Ohio, Mississippi and Mis-
souri, rivers and their tributaries. The
committee on resolutions presented
their report through their chairman, j.
II. Murphy, of Missouri. The CHAIR
man prefaced the report by saying that
after long deliberation the committee
had arrived at a unanimous agreement
with regard to the following resolutions:
Resolved, That it is the sense of this con-
vention that the general welfare of the peo-
pie of the Mississippi valley and the entire
country demands that the Mississippi river
and its navigable tributaries be so i'm
proved by the general government as to Sc
cure to the people easy and safe navigation,
as well as cheap transportation, and this
convention hereby reaffirms the declarations
of 1881. at Washington, at New Orleans in
1885, and at Memphis i'll lS87.
That this convention deeply regrets the
f9ilure of congress to make the neceSsary-ap-
prOpr1itlOnS at It's laSL session Tor cOntlnu-
ing the improvement of Western waterways
That we call upon congress, as the repre-
sentative of the people and the guardian of
their interests and rights. to protect these
great waterways, upon which it is expanding
large sums of money, from further injury or
ruin through the construction of faulty or de-
fective bridges with numerous piers; and
while we recognize the undoubted right of
railroad companies and Others to bridge a
river. the right must be exercised without in
iuring its value and without impeding or
periling Its use, as the competition the river
affords is the only guarantee of the people
against excessive rates the river must be free
and unrestricted.
1t is declared the duty Of congress to i'm
prove and protect all the waterways of the
nation, where private individuals or corpora
tons have assumed or secured by state action
or otherwise privileges on such waterways to
the Injury of commerce; the removal of such
distractions is asked.
That this convention heartily approves the
connection of the waters Of the Upper Ohio
river with the great Northwest lake systems
through the waters of Lake Erie by the con-
struction of q ship canal, if upon survey
the same be found practicable. The action
of the executive committee on the improve
ment of Western waterways was commended,
and the committee requested to continue its
work