The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-25
MISSISSIPPI COMMISSION.
The Members Meet to Consider Their
Annual Report.

New York, June 24-The Mississippi
river commission convened in the army
building here to-day and Immediately went
into executive session to deliberate, and
possibly make some changes in the annual
report of the commission.
The report, as soon as it has been put
in the desired form, will be forwarded to
Secretary Of the Navy Long, some time
between July l and TO- Until the report
reaches Secretary Long, the commission
will not disclose it's tenor
The congressional appropriation for dam@
ages to property from the overfowing of
the Mississippi river amounts to 81 933, 1888
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885,
This sum will be distributed by the COM
mission after the hearing of testimony
on damages sustained in the three dis
tricts extending from Cairo to the Gulf
and under the executive and dis
bursting supervision of the commission
secretary, Capt. H. e. Waterman of ST.
Louis and district officers, Capt. George
McC. Derby of New Orleans, and Lieuts
II. d. Newcomer and NJ. NJ. Patrick of
Memphis. These officers are in attend
ance on the meeting of the commission
OF the commission there were present Col
G. l.. Gillespie of New York, president;
and Maj. B. NJ. Hariod of New Orleans,
Coils. Henry Flag and Amos Stickney of
st. Louis and Maj. G.. H. Haldbury and
H. L. Marinden of Washington. Only
one member of the commission John r.
s. Taylor of Fort Wayne, Ind, was alb
sent.
When the commission went into open
session, Senator Berry from Arkansas,
addressed the members: He said that the
future of the Mississippi river depended
upon the report which this commission
uyn1Ild a IA favrr ~,
sufficient sum of money would be ap-
propriated to protect the banks. He re-
viewed the action of congress in it's ap-
preparations, and said that it was only
by the most strenuous efforts that s., $685.
SS3 had been granted. He was not there
to tell the commission how to make the
apportionment, but to emphasize
the necessity that the money should be
so distributed as to cause no charge of
partiality
Gov. McLaurin of Mississippi said that
ii was as much the duty of the govern
ment to protect one side of the river as
the other. The people of the levee district
| themselves had expended a large amount
of money. Two districts alone had spent
| about $11,OOO,0OO up to date and he de-
clared the people were taxed to the lin
it to protect the levee.
Congressman Catchings of Mississippi,
Messrs. Board of Louisiana, McRae. Nc
Culloch and Brunrige of Arkansas, Nandi-
yer of Missouri, Levo and Williams of
Mississippi also addressed the commits
| sion.
Stuyvesant Fish, president of the Illinois
Central railroad, said that the railroads
| depended upon the security of the Missis-
| sippi sections for their business. Mr.. Fish
| said the federal government was to blame
| for its action in denuding the land in the
northern states in railroad grants. AS
| the government had been responsible for
| the greater severity of these floods 1t was
| only just that it mitigate by liberal ap-
| propriatons some of the mischief done.
| Upon the conclusion of Mr.. Fish's
| speech, the delegates from the levee dis
| tricts in the various states presented min
utely the needs of their particular sections
| for appropriations. Nearly all the delegates
who addressed the board this afternoon
| dilated on the millions that has been ex.
| pended since the levees were constructed
| They told of the enormous amount of tax
| es raised to defray the expense of keep
| ing up the levees and nearly all of them
| complained of empty treasures, devastat-
| ed lands and impaired credit They all
| stated they had gone to the limit of tax
| alton.
Each delegation had engineers with It,
| many of whom had made levees a life
| study. One delegation said that they had
skill and energy, in fact everything but
| money.
The meeting adjourned until tomorrow
| morning.