The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-04
TENNESSEE RIVER.
Senator Morgan and Others Have pc
veIoped Work.

From the Knoxville Sentinel
Senator John t. Morgan, Senator E. w.
Carmack and Senator Lee S. Overman
have done a great service, not only to
those interested In the Improvement of
the Tennessee river, but also the coun-
try, in their report on Navigation of
Tennessee River" being the report of the
select committee of the senate to exam
inc and report on that subject, just sub
mitted to Congress and published.
This report. we believe is one of the
| strongest, most succinct and convincing
arguments for the Improvement of inland
waterways that has ever been prepared.
Owing to the policy adopted by the riv-
ers and harbors committee of the House,
and echoed In the Senate, the only argu-
msnt considered admissible before that
committee has been that of the demands
Of a commerce already developed. Years
ago owing to the political influence ex-
erted by members of Congress from the
districts and states bordering the Ohio
and other great rivers in other sections
| of the country, an influence backed by
| representatives from the south, the inn
| provements necessary on such rivers were
measure that the great commerce on
those rivers has been developed and Is
now used as an argument for the further
| Improvement of those streams and against
the improvement of the Tennessee and
| like streams in the south.
! In other words, 1t seems to be the policy
of the government that to those who have
| shall be given and to those who have not
| shall be taken away
This unjust and unvrfSe rOlioV has heen
made tlA more fixed by the reports of in
| different engineer officials, who acted on
| suggestions to recommend smaller sums
each year, and do not desire nor dare to
report on a great river like the Tennes-
see in the comprehensive and bold man
| ner which such a situation demands.
| The Tennessee river has had few en-
gineers who knew the needs of the river
| or dared to utter them, Maj. Dan c.
Kingman being a conspicuous exception,
and his splendid work for the Tennessee
was recognized to the extent of taking
him away from this river. which he
| sought to improve, and stationing him on
| the Great Lakes where there is no diff
Guilty In obtaining the appropriations that
are desired.
! The Senate committees report takes
! high ground on the subject of improving
streams At time when the Senate is
wrestling with the problem of regulating
/
| effective method of holding a check on
transportation lines ought to be recog-
nlzed. Water transportation" says the
report. us the great controlling power
| that stands for Justice to the people in
| this emergency and they are demanding
that Congress will give It rightful eneour-
| agement."
| This report shows with unquestioned ar
gument the feasibility of system of
slack water improvement in the Tonnes
see river as high as Knoxville, so that
! there shall be as much as twelve feet of
water at this city. 1t cites the fact OF the
volume of water In this river its slight
average fall, the permanence of the banks
! and economy in improvements and says
| that the sum of money needed to give
twelve feet of water from Knoxville to
| Paducah is a negligible quantity, consid-
ering the benefits to the American people
! In thus enabling them to get out their
mineral and manufacture products from
this region for cheap shipment to the gulf
| and through the Panama canal. which
work 1t says sis equivalent to opening
new mouth for the Mississippi river into
| the Pacific ocean,"
The report Is a strong indictment of the
government for Its practice of dscrimina-
ton between the Tennessee river and the
Ohio river. "These are twin rivers" says
| the report '1n all material respects and
1
ment by Congress" But they have not
been so treated. There has been expended
| upon the Tennessee and its tributaries
| IS, T02, 900. and for the Ohio and Its tribu-
taries $50, 32e 900, nearly seven times as
much-and this in spite of the fact that
the Tennessee Is the larger stream and
drains a region which, under ordinary
conditions, would be wealthier-certanly
weather. in natural resources than that
| of the Ohio. Common interest and JUS
| tice to all the people, says the report
| demand the systema tic and impartial inn
provement of all navigable water courses
| in the order OF their commercial prece-
| dence. especially because they are the
| only great leverage that can control the
| cost of transportation by common car
! riers on land and water"
! And In another place;
Congress, in balancing the demands of
| duty in respect Of the all-important in
| terests of transporta ton must find that
a tremendous deficiency of legislative pro-
visions In the bills of appropriations has
been visited upon the people by an unjust
and unwise discrimination against our
navigable waters Their money and prop
erty have been taken to build up and to
foster lines of railroad, while the water
courses that belong to them have either
been entirely neglected or appropriations
for improving them or to prevent them
from being destroyed have been fitful.
wasteful. grudging and wholly INSULT
Client until a rivers and harbors bill in
Congress is always a beggar of public
aims and is often the subject of derision
and contempt on the part of those who
give without stint. the public funds and
property to these great railroad corpora
lions and their vicious trusts and COM
bines."
AS an appendix to the report are printed
some interesting maps and charts. One
of these is republished from report of
Major Kingman, conveying the survey
of the Clinch river and showing the rela-
tive accessibility to tide water of the
Tennessee river and Pennsylvania coal
and iron fields 1t is a chart which Is as
strong presentation Of the needs of
Knoxville in the way of river improve
ment as could be prepared. If Major
Kingman had remained on the river he
would no doubt by this time have Sc
cured the adoption of his scheme for the
| Improvement of the upper waters of the
| Tennessee river and our coal, iron. mar
| BILE and manufacturing products would
within short time be In easy access to
| the gulf market. This chart shows that
Knoxville is 1850 miles distant from New