The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-25
Public Hearing Before Mississippi
River Commission to Con
tinue To-Day.
STATES ASK QUICK ACTION.
Urgent Need for Immediate Award
of Contracts Under Appropria-
ton Provided for by Con
gress in Advance.

When the public hearing before the Mis-
sissppi River Commission adjourned yes
terday afternoon. representatives of all the
levee districts from Cairo TO Poncho Train,
Louisiana. had been heard in their geog-
raphicai order. and at another session 20
be held on the eleventh floor of the Full
lerton building this morning at 10 o'clock
others from the lower river district will re-
ceiye an audience.
Prominent among the speakers yesterday
were Congressman J. L. Ransdell, men,
Der OF the River and Harbors Committee;
former Lieutenant Governor Snyder. who
spoke for the Fifth Louisiana Levee dis
trict; John NJ. Dickinson. Chief Counsel for
the Illinois Central Railroad; a. G. Coch-
ran, Chief Counsel for the Iron Mountain
Railroad: Congressman Richard Bartholdt
Cape Girardeau.
That part OF Congressman Nandtvers
district along the river front south of Cairo
is the only part of Missouri directly 10 be
benefited by the expenditure OF the ap-
preparations, and the Cape Girardeau Rep
resentative laid before the commission in a
convincing way the needs of protection
from the floods in his section.
1t was the sense vc all arguments pre-
StHltU Dy SlltdhtTs tEdl lIc money 10
be appropriated by Congress for river i'm
provements should be drawn on In advance.
so that needed work sould be started at
once.
State boards set out plans by which the
money could be used TO more advantage
now than by waiting from year to year
for it to be dealt out in fractions.
Offers were made to carry certificates on
Government allotments for the contractors.
and If necessary pay interest upon same
that the repairs which are necessary to
tvs he ~ rS ,,11 .ar@
along the lower river might not be de-
layed by waiting for the anticipated ap-
preparations
COLONEL GAY SPEAKS.
Following Governor Snyder's graphic ac-
count of the hardships encountered by the
citizens OF Louisiana in keeping back the
water from their homes and property.
Colonel Edward ]. Gay, former resident
of st. Louis and one Of the large planters or
the lower river, spoke of the need of help
from the general government in the Atcha-
faiaya district. With an allotment of sl00.
90 Colonel Gay thought the local forces
would be able to cope with the situation.
Attorney F. NJ. Rogers and r. W. Smith
appeared for the Desha levee district They
expressed themselves as ready to cooperate
with the Government in the river improve
ment work and recounted how much had
been spent by the State and county in forth
fications.
They promised that if the commission
" ould make the allotments contemplated
for the next two years at once they would
increase their efforts and undertake to ac-
ccmpiish in a year what would otherwise
take two or three years to execute
EXPECT ADJOURNMENT TO-DAY.
After the adjournment of the hearing this
morning the visiting delegates will be taken
in charge by committee from the Mer-
chants Exchange and driven to the Worlds
Fair grounds for luncheon, after which they
will be shown over the grounds.
The members of the commission all of
whom are attending the meeting, are: Gem
eral Oswald II. Ernest of the Corps of Engi-
neers OF Chicago, B. VI. Harrod of New Or
leans, Robert S. Taylor of Fort Wayne.
Ind; Henry L. Merindin, Assistant United
States Coast nd Geodetic Survey, Washing
ton; j. A: ockerson Of ST. Louis. Lieutenant
Colonel Henry NJ. Adams. Corps Of Engi-
Thomas l.. Casey. Corps of Engineers, L s.
A. of st. Louis. and Captain William B.
Ladue. Corps of Engineers, L. S. A, of
Washington.