St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-14
A Mississippi Improvement
Association That Will Be z
Liberal in Scope.
State Lines Abolished and q
United Effort Proposed
by all States.
Future Greatness of the Big
River ASSuPed--Omaha
Conference.

4
neers and capitalists of the Mississippi
valley, and whose object is to cooperate
with the National Mississippi River
construction, and urge upon congress
the necessity of CARRYING out promptly
the recommendation of that Sclentlhc
body. No longer is the improvement
and perpetuation of this great American
waterway to be left to the work OF local
agitation or to the irreSponsibility of
| sectional demands.
A great organization, destined to in
clude in its membership every civil en-
gineer and prominent capitalist of the
hundreds of river towns in the mighty
Mississippi valley, is to proceed with
method in the great task ahead, and no
improvement will be pressed before
congress until it has run the gauntlet Of
scientific examination and approval by
this organization. Where once all was
lncOngruity and confusion, there will
be naught but method. The greed of
sectionalism, the struggle for local az
grandiZement, will lie a thing OF the
past, and only those appropriations will
he recommended which are designed
for the improvement of the Mississippi
river and its tributaries as one great
majestic whole.
Combining Lines Abolished.
State lines are wiped out, st. Louis is
to be no bigger than FIckSburg, New
Orleans, no mightier than Davenport
in the order of things, but all eentem-
plated improvements are to be conSld-
cred i'll the light of their benefit to that
permanent navigable water way which
has SO long been the dream of civil ell
gineerS, from the delta to st. Paul, from
Cairo to PittSburg and from st. Louis TO
Bismarck.
Congressman John Tarsney presided
at the meeting of amalgamatcd inter
ests, and the triumph of today is per-
haDS a fitting elimination to the three
days celebration of that other triumph
of engineering skill which links in sis
terry bonds the great states of the south
ern Mississippi valley, and forever
abandons the ferry boat as a CONNER
cial necessity to the railroads of Ten
neSSee and Arkansas. Immediately after
Chairman Tarsney raped the cOnven-
ton to order this morning, Hon. w. p.
Halliday, of Cairo, chairman of the COIL
nittee on resolutions, presented the fol /
lowing report:
Whereas The Mississippi river and its nav
igabla tributaries constitute the most yalu-
able natural highway for the commerce of
the country to the sea and reach the trade
of every state and territory of the Mississippi
valley; and
Whereas The permanent improvement of
the Mississippi and its nayigable tributaries
will insure stable and regular rates through
out the year by competition with the trunk
lines to the seaboard; therefore be it g
Resolved, That it is the duty of the United
A<f 1Or,.1
continuous appropriations for the improve
ment of the Mississippi river and lis plinei-
pal tributaries. so as to secure safe and free
navi CATION of those rivers.
Resolved, That 1t affords great qualification
TO the people OF The Mississippi valley to see
the growing disposition throughout the
Union to recognize rhe simple justice Of aid
being rendered by The government in the
construction and maintenance of leyees.
thus protecting and relieving the people of
the lower valley from the disaster of over
flow
Resolved That we applaud the act of both
houses of congress in encouraging the sys-
tenn of continuous appropriations for the i'm
proyement of the Mississippi river, and hope
it will be extended 10 the tributaries; and
be it
Resolved, That we express the hope that
President Harrison, who having been q
member of the Mississippi river commits
sion. knows the wants of the people and the
demands of commerce for the Improvement
of the river, will af6X his signature to the
most liberal bill presented TO him for his ap-
proval.
DeeP-Water Proposal.
'fhe report bore the signatures of all
the members of the committee except
Robert Gates, of Memphis. 81 non
concur in that report" said Mr.. Gates.
''mainly because the resolutions do not
cover the vital idea, and offer the fol-
lowing amendment:
Resolved further. That the Mississippi
river should more and more be considered
by and provided for in the congress of the
United States as the republics chief water
highway and its OILY inland sea, to the end
OF navigation by ocean vessels as high up the
river as possible
Frank Caenne, of st. Louis, opposed
the amendment. conteHding that il
would embarass friends of the cause
in congress, and lead to utter defeat of
the project of the rivers Improvement.
Maj. George B. Keece, of Memphis,
called attention to the fact that this was
deep water convention, called to coa-
slider the very subject embodied in the
amendment. Should the government
undertake to create deep water naviga-
ton of the Mississippi river, there were
$1,000 miles OF nayigable rivers interest
ed in it, extending through Kansas,
missouri and other states having repre-
sentativeS on the hOor. 1t was not the
primary purpose to demand deep water.
except as it comes through the con-
struction of Feyetment whenever need
| ed along the river.
| Col. w. Miller. of Kansas CITY, pointed
out that no differences of opinion ex-
| listed as To the ultimate object of obtain
ing deep water. 1t was different as TO
the methods by which it could be had.
1t was fair to assume that the Missis-
Sippi river commission would work cut
the greatest possible results in that
direction. For the present river craft
must be, and were being adapted to tile
river as it is; as the change in thu river
occurs, changes in river craft can be
made. The commission should be sus-
tanned rather than embarrassed by new
ideas. -,
Policy and Necessity. oI
Judge T.J. Latham saw only ones
| ton of policy as between the contend
ing delegates. not as to results Them
selves. He did hot believe a movement
| looking TO the expenditure of MANY
millions of dollars would have an etfedt
! to stop liberality.in river appropriations
| by the government; neither would lit
tend to educate congress and broader,
the views OF the natural legislature an,
this subject. The work of educating
might require decade. but it shouifI
commence with this convention.
Hon. lack Taylor held that the OBJ
Jeet was to consider the projeeI of deep
water and notify congress of the wishes
and demands OF the people The com
nerce OF the country demanded what
the convention WAS called 10 consider.
he amendment was famed to rectify
faro