The age-herald., 1902-03-24
Washington Day by Day

in the committee of the whole House, Con- gressman Bowie made the ablest argu- inent for the continued improvement of the Coosa river that has been ever yet delivered In Congress, old members de- clare.
 It was Mr. Bowie's first set speech and although he was handicapped by a subject that had been already threshed out so far as the House was concerned, by the committee on rivers and harbors and the 1 House was eager to sustain the commit tees report, the young Alabama Con- l gressman held the respectful attention of an assembage ordinarily indifferent to speeches, and when he had finished his remerks he was loudly applauded by men who could not vote with him.
 Alabamians do not need to be told of the consummate ability of Mir. Bowie whu is considered to be one of the ablest and most promising men whom that state has sent to Congress in a half century; but all his people are interested in the fact that he is already maxing all enviable reputation in Congress-
 The amendment in favor of the Coosa
 
 House. and all the appropriations for Ala 1ama were adopted precisely as they were reported from the rivers and harbors com mittee; but the main points Tn MT Bowie s argument deserves widest circulation in i Alabama.
 At the outset" decIared Mir Bowie '.I wish to disclaim any idea of attack ing the chairman of the rivers and harbors committee on account of any supposed partiality or prejudice. l have not the slightest doubt In the world that the committee has done the very best It could with all the projects before it. and have no complaint to make against the committee so far as the expenditure l for these thirty-one locks is concerned The committee has made an appropria- tion of $10,000 for further investigation into the matter, and with that action of the committee, in that respect, l am entirely satisfied have got no complaint to make nor do l come here to ask of this House that 1t shall appropriate SC, GOO GOO, or enter upon any such appropriation as that.
 "The chairman predcates his opposition to this Coosa river project. as he calls It. upon the report of Captain Judson of the engineer corps. It is confessed that Captain Judson changed his report in the course of three months And whereas he has made report favorable to the general improvement of the Coosa river, he subsequently, made report condemn ing it. And upon that the chairman of the committee predicates an argument which which he has addressed to this House. Now, MT. Chairman, 1 desire to state that 1 accept the report of Captain Judson, and am perfectly willing so far as this House and this session are concerned, to stand upon the recommendation of Cap tam Judson, and if this committee had come in here and brought a report in ac- cordance with the recommendation of Captain Judson. there would not have been word of complaint from the friends of this much-maligned river.
 We ask that the committee appropri- ate S192,o0O to finish the lock No..4 upon which the government has already made some progress. We ask it in strict ac- cordance with the report of Captain Jud- son. We believe the whole Coosa river project entitled to better treatment We believe it is entitled to be worked in the future, but for the present we are en- tirely satisfied with the recommendation of Captain Judson. Now l submit 1t to the House that if it is fair to use the re- port of Captain Judson against us. 1t is fair to use the same report in our favor If the evidence Is to be used to impeach the project in a certain sense. that same evidence is fit to be used to support and uphold the project.
 l The WOrK the COOSa improvement has gone on until it is almost in sight of ten towns and villages which the comple- tion of the lock referred to would open up to navigation. We are then In the condition of a man who has a well 100 feet deep and who has bought only 90 feet of rope to reach the water. Suppose he Is told he needs more rope and he an- swers: No, I have bought 90 feet of rope and couldn't reach the water. and I don t propose to waste any more money on 10 additional feet of rope
 "The chairman of the committee has referred to the lower counties on the Coosa. the counties of Shelby, Chiffon, Autauga, Elmore and Coosa, saying that they had some SS,00000O assessed values. and at the rate of taxation allowed in Alabama 1t would require all their taxes for fifty years to carry out the improve ments contemplated In answer to that question I wish to refer to the valuations of those counties which border on the F miles of the river affected by the comple- tion of lock 1 in St. Clair county. These four counties are Talladega. Calhoun, St. Clair and Etowah, the total tax values of which according to the census of 1890, twelve years ago, was $24,214,000. The rate of taxation for state and county purposes now prevailing would in seven months raise the entire sum of $l92,O00 asked for to complete lock No. 4. The county of Calhoun Is the fourth county in size in Alabama. Talladega is the seventh, and Etowah is not far behind; and in these three counties are nearly half of the cot ton mills of Alabama.
 "In the testimony taken by the rivers and harbors committee. Capt. c. A. Flager of the United States Engineers testified, In answer to a direct question from the chairman as to what would be the cost of transporting ton of coal from Gadsden to Mobile:
 From the ore fields from some dis tance below Gadsden. from where they go, it would be about 22 cents giving every possible margin to the boat com pany doing the work. Then these boats would carry other things" And Captain Flagler proceeded to testify:
 :" The coal is now obtainable in this (Gadsden) region at a dollar and a half A ton and it can be delivered at the Gulf for a dollar and seyenty-ive cents a ton. 1 sec coal has already increased to five dollars a ton for export. That is apparently what coal is worth when ex- ported If coal can be brought down from the Coosa valley and delivered at the Gulf ports for a dollar and seventy five cents a ton, it certanly can be sold at a figure that will increase the export of (Alabama) coal enormously And Captain Flagler answered a question as to what does 1t cost to transport coal by rail by saying: The least it has ever been has been dollar and fifty cents a ton
 Captain Flagler further testified: The neopla living lID and down the COOSa