Author : Mississippi River Improvement Committee
Release : 2018-02-19
Genre :
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 134/5 ( reviews)

GET EBOOK

Book Synopsis Improvement of the Mississippi River by : Mississippi River Improvement Committee

Download or read book Improvement of the Mississippi River written by Mississippi River Improvement Committee. This book was released on 2018-02-19. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Improvement of the Mississippi River: May 3, 1878 This river system, considered as a whole, extends from north to south, from one climate to another. Nature has provided that different cli mates shall furnish different products, and it is but in accordance with those designs and sound principles of political economy that the chief commercial exchanges Of the United States should be in the same direc tion. In America, at least, those principles of trade have been disre garded, and the exchanges have been too much on parallels Of latitude. But, regardless of what has been the practice, it is a fact which cannot be gainsaid, that the most important trade for the United States to secure is that of the nations lying south of us, and within easy reach of the Mississippi Valley. Of the valley itself it may be said that the northern and southern portions are, in climate, resources, and products, the supplement of each other. Of the valley, and the spanish-american nations, it may he said that one is, in climate, products, resources, supply, and demand, the complement of the other. The Mississippi River furnishes facilities for exchanges on that principle, and is, there fore, economically correct. True public economy requires that such laws of nature and trade be not disregarded. Again, this highway is in accordance with the rule of political economy as well as common sense, which is that channels of commerce be located in regions which are sufficiently fertile and settled to furnish products for transportation. The most productive portions of the United States are the rich valleys extending up and down the Missis sippi and its many tributaries. The highway was located where most needed, and where it can perform the greatest service in the shape of transportation. Again, it is in accordance with the strictest principles of political economy in that it was constructed without expense. The single State of New York had, up to the close of 1866, expended in the construction, improvement, and enlargement of her miles of canals. It will be Observed that the mileage of these canals which cost such an enormous sum is not quite one-tenth the mileage of the Mississippi River system which cost nothing. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.