El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-02-26

'sDo you think the system will ever
extend west of the Mississippi?'
mot in your day or mine 1t may
follow the course of some one of the
rivers of Iowa for a short distance.
But out in our direction the rise is too
abrupt and the locks would have to be
too close together. AS to the Missouri
river, it Is quite impossible for naviga-
ton. Some of our people talk at times
of making it available for barges, but
that is vain dream.
"By the way, the condition of the
Mississippi alarms me" said the SEN
ator. 1.-THE jetty system is proving a
failure, and it is demonstrated very
clearly that the levees are raising the
bed of the river. 1 was in New Or
leans on the day of the highest water
during the last overflow. They told
me that the levees which protect the
city of New Orleans were three times
| as high as they use to be; but the
| river was trimming, and I saw the
| water trickling in over the floor of q
house at the end of the levee, 80 that
| they had to get sandbags and prote ct
! 1t from without 1 could not under
take to propose or approve any new
scheme of improvement for the griver,
but certainly the present system is a
failure
for his advocacy of the canal system.
John G. Calhoun in 1845 presided over
a waterways convention which declared
that the "project of connecting the
Mississippi river with the lakes of the
north by canal, and this with the
Atlantic ocean, is measure worthy of
the enlightened consideration of con-
gress." Grant approved the canal pro-
ject. So did Arthur. President Mon
roe in one of his messages to congress,
said of the general scheme of water
ways: "When we consider the vast
extent of territory in the United States,
the great amount and value of it's pro-
duc,ions, the connection of its ports
and other circumstances on which
their prosperity and happiness depend,
we cannot fail to entertain high sense
of the advantage to be derived from
the facility which may be afforded in
the inten SO course between them by
means of good roads and canals. Never
did a country of such vast extent offer |
equal inducements to Improvement of |
this kind nor ever were consequences
of such magnitude involved in them"
The consequences" at the present |
time Mr.. Thurston estimates at $780, |
DOC, 900 to $500, 900, 900 q year-that is, |
possibly two-fifths of the present cost |
of running the whole government.
The Hennepin canal project receiv-
ed serious consideration several times |
at the hands of congress. More than |
ten years ago the state of Illinois offer |
ed to the government the $1,000, 900 |
state canal between Lake Michigan
and the Illinois river on condition that
1t should be widened and connected by !
way of the Illinois river with the Mis-
sissippi. The distance from Hepnepi, |
to the Mississippi by the proposed can
al was 81 miles, by the way of the
mouth of the Illinois the same point on
the Mississippi was 1853 miles away.
But congress, after having elaborate
surveys and estimates made, let the [
prOjec ct go by default. One point of
difference was the choice of western
terminus for the canal, and that diff
ference would arise again. Three
routes were proposed. The cheapest
and most satisfa Glory point from an en-
view was the Marais d'Osier
Or MeredOsia route, terminating at
Albany, seven miles above Rock Is
land. Another route terminated at
q miles above Albany,
and the third at Rock Island. Cen
eral Newton, and Secretary Endicott
favored the Rock Island route, largely
On account of the arsenal there and
the consequent Importance of the
canal in time of war. The local in
terests represented by the three term
mi duplicated congress for years, and
much to do with the defeat of the canal
bill.
GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.