TABLE OF CONTENTS. IV. Ohio River; Lower Portion; Ice Harbors; Commerce, V. The lower Tributaries of the Ohio...... X. Reservoirs at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, Falls of Saint Anthony, and Upper Tributaries...100 XI. Mississippi River, between the Illinois and Ohio.........109 XV. Lower Mississippi River, Construction (continued)......154 XVI. The Illinois River; Fox River, Wisconsin; Coosa ERRATA. Page 16, line 21, omit "slight." Page 28, 4th line from bottom, for "July 7th, 1887," read "July 5th, 1884." Page 29, line 26, for "cutting way its," read "cutting its way." Page 68 and 69, read "Yallabusha" wherever "Tallabusha," and in the second table on page 69, read "Tallahatchie" for " Yallahatchie." Page 72, line 15, for "1884" read "1874." Page 113, line 13 from the bottom, for "formed" read "found." Page 124, line 4 from the bottom, should be a foot note. Page 133, line 9 from the bottom, for "river will" read "river it will.” Page 135, line 11, for "coucentration" read "concentration." Page 150, line 7, omit word "only." Page 180, line 16, after "action" make a semi-colon. Page 180, line 18, omit first two commas. THE 'HE present condition of the system of improvements of the rivers and harbors of the United States is somewhat anomalous.. The practice of both political parties, since the war, has been one of liberal appropriations for that purpose, and beginning with 1866, general bills have passed, granting sums of more or less magnitude, every year, excepting three, 1877, 1883 and 1885; and in addition to these many specific bills for particular purposes were passed when emergencies called for prompt action. With the growth of the country and its expenses, and particularly in times of large revenue, the tendency has been to increase the number of objects for which money has been given, and also the amounts allotted to many specific and well known rivers, and harbors. But it has happened of late years that the opposition, which always existed, has increased in strength, pari passu, with the magnitude of the bills; and whether the components of this opposition base their action upon principle, jealousy, or opposing interests, they are now united in active and effective shape. That the practice followed by both political parties, when in possession of one or both houses of Congress, during eighteen years past, of thus applying amounts varying from one and a half, to nineteen millions of dollars, should be suddenly dropped, because an active and intelligent opposition has shown, by argument, this practice to be wrong in principle, and inexpedient; can hardly be the fact. That an organized and persistent minority can defeat legislation, to which it is opposed, has been repeatedly shown; especially during the closing hours of a Congress;-that this course would be pursued if it could be shown that such legislation were for the best interests of the country, is in the highest degree improbable. That men from every section of the country should devote months of patient work in the preparation of these bills, and the necessary study of the subject; and that successive Congresses of different political parties, following the same course, should each and all of them wilfully conspire to waste the public money, or worse yet, misapply it; is logically and humanly impossible, and yet this assertion is shamelessly repeated year after year. But that errors may be made in the conception and execution of these plans, and the making of the bills, is but an instance of human fallibility. |