768.  Ibid.,  chs.  51  and  54,  the  Taylor's  Falls  and  Lake  Superior  and
the  Duluth  and  Iron  Range  railroad  companies,  resp.
769.  Ibid.,   ch.   49.
770.  Ibid.,  ch.   63.     Other  special  acts  were  chs.   50,   52,   57,  58,   64.
771.  General  Laws  of  Minn.,  1875,  p.  218;  Joint  Resolution  No.  19.
Suit  had  been  brought  against  the  First  Division  of  the  St.
Paul  and   Pacific  railroad  company.
174  MINNESOTA   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY    COLLECTIONS.
tion  for  extended  and  improved  water  transportation.  By-
joint  resolution  Congress  was  requested,  verbatim  as  in  1874,
to  make  a  survey  of  the  "water  routes  between  the  navigable
waters  of  the  ]\Iinnesota  river  and  the  Red  river  of  the  North,"
to  ascertain  the  feasibility  of  a  canal  connection  between  the
two.  Surveys  had  been  made  of  the  two  rivers  and  measures
were  progressing  for  improving  the  navigation  on  the  rivers,
it  is  stated  in  the  resolution,  but  the  surveys  were  not  being
made  witli  the  idea  of  connecting  tlie  rivers  and  making  them
a  continuous  navigation  system. '^'-

C'ongress  was  in  like  manner  "requested"  to  survey  the
Red  or  Otter  Tail  river  to  ascertain  the  feasibility  of  improv-
ing that  river  from  Fergus  Falls  upward  to  where  the  North-
ern Pacific  crossed  it  near  Perham."'"'  The  senators  and  repre-
sentatives of  the  state  in  Congress  were  urged  to  use  their  in-
fluence to  secure  the  improvement  of  the  Red  river  between
Breckenridge  and  ]\lanitoba,''^  of  the  Mississippi  river  at  St.
Paul,"''  and  of  the  ^Minnesota  river. ' ''^  It  was  believed  that
navigable  streams  and  canals  under  the  control  of  the  federal
government  would  forever  remain  in  competition  with  rail-
roads and  tend  to  keep  down  their  rates.
