The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-28
IMPROVE THE nrvERs.

I The Chattanooga Times of last satur- day said:
 l Congressman Richardspn, of Alabama, in his speech before the river improvement ment that Tit has been demonstrated by facts and figures that the value of the commodities transported annually on the river si IS worth worth three Gs, dollars ITS for tor every ernment for the past sevenfy-five years. 't To our mind this is probably the most important announcement made during the entire session of the convention. For some reason, doubtless because of the apathy of some of our people, the govern ment authorities have been led to believe see River has been wasted; in other words. that 1t is not appreciated by the people in whose interest it has been, ex- ens. penSsa and hss for that aSs reason been gressman Richardson discredits that idea and gives the friends of the waterway something tangible; something convincing appropriations.
 We agree with The Times that this is a { most important announcement, and have no doubt that Judge Richardson was fully informed ori the matter of which he spoke. He has studied the subject and made himself familiar with the details of water transportation. and the necessity of having, as far as is possible, unin- terupted water ways to the ocean or the gulf. And the arguments used by the Alabama Congressman and The Times are not merely applicable to the Tennes- SC River, for it is only one of the several rivers in Alabama which are and will be of vast importance in the industrial and tcemmerciai life of the State.
 l While the Tennessee is an important stream, and while opening it to navigation is of vital concern to Chattanooga and other towns along it's course, it affects but a comparatively small section of Ala bama. but to that section it is vital. Stevenson, Guntersville, Decatur. Flor ence and Sheffield and various interme- diate points are all vitally interested in water transportation, and will all be benefited by making the river as nearly lopenNa and free as can be done by human l effort
 | We know 1t is something of fad to crack jokes at the efforts of some Con- gressmen to get appropriations for spring branches and frog ponds. as the jokers lexpress it, but those members get the
 money, just the same. If we had no higher or better reason for wanting money for Alabama rivers, we could
 claim it on the ground that the North and
 West get practically all they ask for and that we of the South should have fair
 share.
 ! But we have better reasons than the
 meum-et-tuum style of argument. It is
 a mistake to suppose that railroads can
 supply all the demands for transporta-
 tlon. Where a railroad can be built, 1t lcarries freight much more expeditiously
 than can be done on even an unobstructed
 water way, but rivers run where railroads
 cannot be profitabiy built, and where
 rapid transit is not important the boats
 carry freight so much cheaper that they
 are a boon to the shipper. The opening
 of the Coosa, the Tennessee. the Warrior
 the Tombigbee and the Alabama, so that 1.-the products of our mines, our farms and
 our forests could find cheap and ready
 transportation, not only to the gulf, but
 to the towns and cities situated on the
 banks of these rivers, would be a wonder.
 full help to the people of Alabama.
 It is true that the 8 for $1 spoken ol
 by Judge Richardson does not return
 directly to the Federal Government, but
 it Is a means of building up the country
 and bettering the condition of the people
 and thus, indirectly swelling the receipts
 of the government, for the people who
 have something to sell will purchase i'm
 ported goods from which the government
 derives its revenue. Thus. opening the
 rivers benefits the people directly and the
 government indirectly. We are emphati-
 cally for wide open rivers.