Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1881 — WATERWAYS. [ARTICLE]

WATERWAYS.

Proceedings of the Northweetent River and Canal Improvement Convention, at Davenport, lowa; The Northwestern Convention in aid of river and canal improvement met at the Opera Hoose, in Davenport, on Wednesday, May 25. There were 379 delegates, representing all the Northwestern States, in attendance. Judge J. H. Murphy, of Davenport, was made temporary Chairman. Col. i. M. Allen addressed the convention. He stated that tha survey from Rock Island to Hennepin is sixty-five miles in length, and that the canal can be cut for less than $5,000,000, thus completing a highway from Chicago to the extreme northern boundary of the Northwest. Hon. James F. Wilson 'also addressed the convention. He said it was the “transportation problem” and not simply the construction of a canal that had called them together. People believed that the transportation system was at present too expensive and too unstable, and should be reformed. Waterways were the conservators of cheap and stable transportation, and those which nature had provided should be kept in the highest state of efficiency and supplemented by such artificial ways as were needed to effect a complete system. Such ways were not the swift ones of commerce, but were the maintainers of reasonable fates and better prices for products whose value depended on getting to market Transportation by rail had been depended On so largely that the waterway had been neglected, and hence the superb railway system had been a failure in that it had not produced that standard of equity and fairness which the country of right had expected. By the creation of an efficient water competition the railway service could be brought to realize what its duties were in this

regard. After the appointment of Committees on Credentials and Permanent Organization, an adjournment was voted until 3 p. m. On reassembling, the convention was addressed by the Hon. J. B. Henderson, who represents the Sixth Illinois district in Congress. He said the question of cheap transportation from the gram-growing districts to the seaboard was the important question before the people of the West. He Wanted to see direct water communication between the Upper Mississippi and Chicago. St. Louis and New Orleans must not think the commerce of the great Northwest could oe confined to one beaten track. That trade must take in Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Baltimore, and other cities. He did not advocate a ship-canal, but believed a water-way ample for present requirements coud be constructed for $3,000,000, or about as much as was paid for a Custom House iu any one of the large cities. The practicability of the route from Hennepin to Rock Island had been affirmed by successive Boards of Engineers. Gov. John H. Gear, of lowa, was introduced, and addressed the convention. He said that they had assembled for a most laud ible purpose, having for its object the promotion of the welfare of the producers of the Mississippi valley, by devising ways and means to lessen the cost cf transportation of the products of the farm and factory. It was true that less than half of the lands in lowa were .under cultivation, yet the resources of 5,000 miles of railway in operation in the State were taxed to their fullest extent last year to move the surplus product. In 1880 from the State of lowa alone there were exported 52,000,000 bushels, of corn, 9,000,000 bushels of wheat, 12,000,000 bushels of oats, to say nothing of other cereals. There were packed 658,000 hogs in the State, and 2,570,000 were shipped away alive out of the State over six lines of railroads. There were 372,000 head of live cattle shipped East. With the exception of a portion of the cattle and hogs, the other things were tlie growth of lowa alone. From this it would be seen that much depended upon this convention in giving such tone to public sentiment as would best accomplish the desirable results to the producers of the Mississippi valley.

The Hon. Carter H. Harrison, Mayor of Chicago, came next, and opened his speech by saving that in his opinion waterways were the only means of regulating freight charges and keeping railroad monopolies within bounds. Two •pecters threatened the perpetuity of republican institutions, and the worst of these war corperate monopoly, which had no soul and never died. Behind this stood g. maddened and exasperated people, who might in the end bo goaded to destroy the whole machinery of government in order to get rid of its excrescences. It behooved mankind to follow the plans* of the great Engineer of the universe, and to dig c mats on the lines marked out. Mr. Harrison advocated building a ship canal from Hennepin to Rock Island, and deepening the Illinois and Michigan canal.

The Committee on Permanent Organization and Rules reported the following as permanent officers of the convention: President, R. 8. Horr, East Saginaw, Mich.; Vico Presidents, J. W. Palmer, Detroit; J. L. Switz, New York ; J. W. Chapman, Council Bluffs; George Schneider, Chicago; W. I.Walker, Toledo; Charles Seymour, La Crosse, Wis.; John Dement, Dixon. 111.; E. O. Stannard, St. Louis; Charles P. King, PeoriaC. F. Clarkson, Des Moines; William Pettit, Minneapolis; JohnW. Burdette, Secretary, Burlington. lowa. Charles A. Randolph, Secretary of the Chicago Board of Trade, spoke at great length on the subject before the convention and hi favor of the Hennepin canal. Letters of regret were read from Horatio Seymour, Secretary Windom, Govs. Pillsbury, Jerome and Cullom, Senators Allison, McDill, Saunders, Davis, Logan, Ingalls and Sawyer, and Congressman Farwell. After the appointment by the chair of the necessary committees, the convention adjourned for the day.

SECOND DAY’S PROCEEDING*. After the appointment of a Committee on Resolutions, speeches were called for. Ex-Gov. Stannard, of Missouri, complained of some strictures made by the Davenport Gazette, with reference to the position of the St. Louis dele" gates. He denied that there was opposition to the canal project, but Missouri men do not want to see the Mississippi river improvement slighted. They had thought the list of committees and the earlier form of the convention had a little too much Chicago in them. But that was all.

Ex-Gov. William Brosa, of Chicago, replied to the St. Louis representative, and said Chicago was as much interested as St. Louis in the improvement of the Mississippi. There coull be no difficulty between St. Louis and Chicago. Gov. Stannard had talked about the shipments of wheat amounting to 6,000,000 bushels. That amount would not fill one Chicago warehouse. Hlinoii paid last year $23,000,000 internal-revenue tax, and all she asked from the General Government was 5 per Cent, of that amount for the improvement of her waterways. The Hon. Julius C. Starr, of Peoria, pronounced in favor of improving all internal water ways and developing all possible highways of commerce. For this purpose the combination of all interests was needed. It was only by this means that Congress could be brought to appropriate money for improving the rivers and canals of the West.

At this point of the proceedings the welcome announcement was made that the Committee on Resolutions was ready to report, and the Chairman, Gen. Henderson, presented the following : This convention, representing the people of the Mississippi valley and of the Northwest, in pursuance of the call of the convention, and in furtherance of the purposes thereof, unanimously declare: 1. That the Congress of the United States should devise by law and sustain by liberal and efficient appropriations a system of cheap transportation by water routes connecting the Mississippi river and its tributaries with the Eastern Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico.

2. That it has been the policy of Congress and the desire s f the people of the Northwest for many years to inaugurate and complete a system of water-chan-nel improvement, having the Mistrissipui for its base; that, to give greater efficiency to this policy, there should be constructed from the Mississippi river on the most direct and feasible route to the Illinois river at Hennepin, and thence to the lake at Chicago, a canal adequate to the present and future transportation needs of that great part of the Northwest to whose people such a work of internal improvement is an imperative necessity for relief from the excessive freight rates on the produce and commerce of the country, and that the work so long needed should be immediately commenced. » X That tfiexontinued improvement of the Mississippi river under the auspices of the Mississippi River Commission, created by act of Congress, is a work of great national importance; that the Congress of the United States ought to promote that scheme of improvement by the most liberal appropriations, in a separate appropriation and bill fficrelor, and that we emphasize and enforce the united and earnest demand of the people of the entire Mississippi valley that Congress shall make prompt and adequate appropriations for the improvement of the river and its navigable tributaries from the falls of Bt. Anthony to the Gulf of Mexico, and that this convention has no sympathy with any policy that would depcjciate or binder this great enterprise o j

making fully navigable and building up* great commerce upon thia central river—nature's great . highway of th* continent :. . t t That we hail with peculiar aatiafaction the increasing euccera of the barge-line ay stem es transportation on the Miasnwrippi and its tributaries, and the rtltef it was to the producers and *hippers of the Misaiaalppi valley in the cheapening,of freight*. 5. That we heartily favor the proposed cession of the Illinois and Michigan canal and the improvement* en the Illinois river by the State of Illinois, and declare that the Erie canal should be made free of toll*; therefore, we hope for the early success of the effort* inaugurated to secure the-* reMita. * The following resolutions supplemental ,to the report of the Committee bn Resolutions were presented by Mr. Russell, and adopted: fl. That the commission • under the auspices of which this convention has been called be continued, with the proviso that its membership be enlarged by the selection of an additional member from each State represented in this body, which additional member shall be namad by the delegate* of the respective State*, said commission to afterward elect it* own officers and mature its own organization. 7. That the commission, when reorganized as contemplated herein, be requested to select two gentlemen from each State to present to Congress the appeal for the support to the work of internal improvement which is contemplated by the foregoing resolutions. , . . .. A number of resolution* handed to the committee were reported back without recommendation and without being read. Mr. Edhussen, of Davenport, read the resolutions in regard to tiie continuance of the canal commission, which the committee has not considered germane to their work, but highly approved of. Bam M. Clark, of Keokuk, moved to adopt the report. A delegate from Council Bluffs moved to include the words “ and Missouri valley” where the word “ Mississippi ” occurred, Mr. Henderson said the committee had been unanimous throughout, and there had not been a ripple on the surface to disturb their harmony. Mr. Btarr, of Peoria, wanted something said about the Copperas Creek and Henry improvement* in the resolutions. Mr. Henderson thought it would do no good for th* convention to say anything as to the cession by the State of Illinois' to the General Government of these improvements. Murry Nelson, of Chicago, moved to lay the Missouri valley amendment on the table. The vote was t aken on the amendment direct, and it was sustained by a large majority. . Mr. Start’s resolution about Copperas creek was carried amid some confusion. The report of the Committee on Resolutions was adopted unanimously, and {.he resolutions offered by Mr. Russell were also adopted. Mr. Howard, of Toledo, called up and advocated the passage of the two resolutions in regard to O do canals. Mayor Harrison, of Chicago, opposed the resolutions as inopportune. Lieut. Gov. Campbell, of Missouri, favored, and Mayor Lake, of Minneapolis, opposed the resolutions as not germane. Mr. Grinnell, of lowa, pleaded for harmony, and asked the withdrawal of the Toledo resolutions. They were voted down by a considerable majority. After passing the customary resolutions of courtesy the convention adjourned sine die..