Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-06

8H
gable rivers of the Atlantic formed
into one stream"
No desire for territory ever enter
ed the minds of the statesmen of that
day. Only one object prompted them
and that was to secure for all time
an unobstructed outlet for our pro-
ducts to the markets of the world.
Many believed the territory would be
detriment, not a blessing. President
Jefferson was denounced and outra-
geously villifled. 1t was stated that the
price paid would bankrupt the nation.
The sum OF s15,00O,O0O to be paid
In Spanish milled dollars, the croak-
ers declared, if placed one upon an
other would reach high enough to
pierce the clouds. The population diff
Tered in language, custom and relig-
ion from our own people, and we new.
er could, they stated, have assimila.
ton, so essential to national life and
advancement. But all this did not de-
ter Thomas Jefferson, and we should
honor the genius and wise statesman
ship which gave us this vast territory
and secured the free navigation Of
the Mississippi for all time. We
should profit by his example and not
be deferred by opposition and croak-
erS.
Some reason, then, when the nation
was young and poor, to carefully con-
slider the expenditure of $15,000,000,
but behold the wisdom of the expendi-
ture. Out of the land secured we have
carved some Is states and territories
do not know. its value, but the coun-
ty in which I live (Hennepin) the as
sessed valuation Is ten times this
amount, and Hennepin is only one
county of one of the states.
The county in which Ottumwa is sit
uated is worth more than all these
states and territories cost us. (The
speaker explained the vast benefits
from the river in the development of
the county,
The possession of this river was
absolutely essential to our growth and
development. If this statement Is true
how much more important now. Then
the states along it's banks were
sparsely settled and the commerce
small. This, too, was before Fulton
gave us the steamboat. Itssonly navi-
cation was then by barges, fiat boats
and crafts managed by hand power.
Now the mighty west has grown so
rapidly that the center of population
is in the Mississippi valley. It's basin
contains 100000 square miles and
produced, according to the census of
1899, SO per cent of the sugar, "a per
cent of the COAL SO per cent of the
corn, rs per cent of the wheat, SO per
cent of the cotton, 80 per cent Of the
swine and rs per cent Of the cattle
raised in the United States. The sur
plus of this vast product should have
its outlet via the Mississippi river and
its more than 40 navigable streams.
All that is necessary to secure such
a result is a united effort on the part
of the people. They must not only de-
mand it, but must fight for it.
1t needs no argument to demon
strate the desirability of deep water
ways. Freight always follows water
routes where the channel is of suffi-
Gent depth to warrant it. Since the
deepening of the 500 Canal and the
enlargement of the locks, this is evil
denced in marked degree. A year
or two ago the shipment in tons by
vessel from Duluth exceeded that
from New York, Chicago, San Fran.
cisco or Baltimore, showing clearly
the wisdom in the work of deepening
said canal. AS further evidence that
the traffic will go where there is a
deep waterway, quote from the Maui
teal Gazette:
ST. Mary's Ship Canals.
June broke all records for freight
traffic through st. Mary's ship canals.
The net tonnage for the month was
6,057 ,491. The tonnage for the period
last year was 3,129,236. The total for
the first three months of this year is
3,133,444.
1.-The number of vessel passages
last month was 3055, an average of
more than 100 day for the month.
The tonnage in iron ore was 4,672,467,
coal S0S,097, general merchandise
96,204, nearly all of which was west
bound. The traffic in lumber was
126,496,O00 feet and in grain 6,110,SS6
bushels.
+" If the traffic continues during the
rest of the season at the same rate
as a year ago the total at the close Of
navigation will be over 41,000,000
tons, or more than five millions great
er than the record breaking year Of
1902.
There is reason to believe more
monthly records viii be broken before
the seasons close and there seems to
be no doubt but that 1905 will be the
greatest year in the history of the
canal"
Also other facta and figures pre-
sented clearly demonstrating the vast
increase in shipments since the canal
was deepened
Consider the possibilities of the Mis-
sissippi and its navigable tributaries
amounting to 10000 miles. a distance