The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-02-26
LATEST NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL.
THE MON0NGAHELA RIVER.
No Money This Year, but congressman Ao-
cept Junkot Invitation.

The old story with regard TO tho freeing oI
tnc Monongnhcla to general navigation was
repeated 10 the House Committee ON Rivers
and IIorbors 1hursiny morning.
There were present the representatives of
the Mononguhcln Navigation Company. plead
| Ing for II TO bc allowed to live, or II II must
ro9sr To hn'e the Government pay proper
| price for n. There were representatives of
| tho Conl Exchange aud the National Bunrd
of Steam Navigation On hand to show good
rccaons why the rivcr should be- made free.
The henrlng was not satisfactory ,ns scarce
" hall n dozen members oi the committee
were present. Nearly nll of them havo hcnrd
The arguments pro md con In thli cnsc he
fore, aud there seems 10 hc n settled idea that
no money will hc Appropriated this ycnr for
the purchase of the plnlt 40 the interest was
not very marked.
The River and IIntbor Committee Intends
making tour NJ the Monongnholn and Ohio
rivers next month, nnd Will look more fully
into the needs Of that fc'tlon then. They
expect 10 stnrt from FHirmont W. W., about
the 18th uf March, run down the Monongn-
hcla to rlttshurg, From Iittsburg 10 Gin
cinnnti the committee win be the guests of
Captain u. u. blackburn on his new steamer
Nirginn.
Captain bravo presented most interest
Ing argument. saying among other things,
a few fn"ts will demonstrate the grrnt
commercial value ~ the Munongnhcln river
the commerce Of which exceeds the comhln-
ed ynlue Of that Of ~ other main tributaries
of the Ohio. which have cost tho National
Government sli.si5si2, while not ono dol
lar of Government funds has boon expended
In the Improvement Of tho ~ miles Of the
Monongnhcln In pcnnsylvnnin, which fur
nishes 80 large share Of the tonnage Of the
Ohio aud Mississippi rivers.
The commerce of the Monongnhcln II II
nT If
improvements Of the Missouri has cost over
SSOOO.O0O. but the S3 milca of the Monongn-
hcln, with IT, II times greater trnillc, has not
received n penny uf public funds for I'm
provcmrnt The costly Missouri ~ FREQ 10
all nnvignturs. Tho frcght-produclug but
ostrariscd Monongnhcn isbarricadcd nqnlnal
FREQ navigation
The commerce of the Monongnhcln ~ eight
times greater than that ~ tho Tonncaspo
The improvements Of the Tennessee have
cost over 3 4 800 900; the eight times r.rcntrr
commerce Of the ~ miles of the MononVnholn
IL left out In the cold. .rNiod from nll putrrnal
recognition. Tho Tennessee is free Ia tho
nnvigntors from all cllmca and all colors-
corporation tullgates confront the nnyigatofs
of the Monongnholn. forcing shippers to pay
annually some $3.50 000 for what tho Ton
n'ssec shipper gets for nothing n free river
Tor n free commerce..
Tho Monongaholn furnished 30 per cent Of
the commerce Of the Ohio. other commerce
~ the Ohio exceeding the combined commerce
of the upper md lower Mississippi aud
Missouri rivers. Forty-six millions Of Unit
ci Sntcs funds have been expended for the
Improvement Of these riycrs In the mean
time, the SS miles of the freight producing
Monongahela nre denied nny practical Con-
grcssionnl recognition.
These ~ miles have furnished for moro
than half n century, fuel for tho sugar plan
tntions and cotton presses OF tho South and
furnished the fuel Of great steamers which
have sailed every ocean Of the globe, laden
with the products Of the farms and shops Of
the empire valleys Of the Ohio and Mississlp-
pi. and yet these W miles have blended In
vain Mt the doors of Congress for release
from the grnsping exactions Of giant cor
porntion. Great ns is the tonnage Of the
Monongaheln, II would De twofold its present
magnitude II II were not for the hlnderlng
potency Of toll charges.