The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-03
BANKHEAD MAKES
RACE FOR ALTERNATE
IMPROVEMENT OF WATERWAYS
A FEATURE OF PLATFORM OF
CONGRESSMAN BANKHEAD's IN
RACE FOR SENATE.

! alternate United States senator.
His announcement follows:
To the Democrats of Alabama:
After mature consideration. l have de-
cided to become a candidate for senatorial
succession, subject in all respects to the
regulations of the democratic executive
committee.
I am aware that in aspiring to this
great honor at the hands of my fellow
itizens. they have right to know along
what lines of endeavor my public serV-
ices would be directed in the event that
| should be called upon to be one of their
representatives in the Senate of the United
States Whatever of benefit my twenty
years service in the House of Representa-
tyes has been to Alabama is not of as
much concern to the people as to know
what measures l should advocate in the
future and in what ways such proposed
legislation would accomplish greater pros
perity and happiness for the people of
the state at large
| have always endeaYored to be guided
in my official conduct by the mandates
of common sense and practical effort in
order to attain for the people whom
represented the largest possible measure
of useful returns. l fear sometimes. that
we Alabamians do not properly estimate
and value the wonderful possibilities of
material development that have been
placed almost in our grasp by the par
TALLY of nature. The great coal and
iron fields the forests, farms and fac
tories of the commonwealth are but upon
the threshold of the greater prosperity
to which determined and intelligent ac-
tivfty along certain lines will inevitably
place them.
More than 15OO miles of rivers in Ala
bama have been surveyed and approved
for navigation by the government. All
of these splendid waterways mot inelud-
Ing the TENNESSEE empty IN the gulf
through the harbor of Mobile. Mobile
is the nearest port of any consequence
to the eastern terminus of the Panama
canal. 1t does not tax the imagination
to conceive at a glance the wonderful
Importance these streams would be to
every man and woman in Alabama, when
the Panama canal is completed, provided
the rivers are made useful for CONNER
cial purposes.
Water transportation has ever, and al
ways will be, the greatest factor in COM
petition with excessive railroad freight
tariffs. But in order to achieve the de-
sired results along this line, we must In
duce congress to see our righteous de-
mands and honor them with ample funds
for Internal improvements. No state in
the Union can offer the same high meas
ure of proof as to the benefits to be de-
rived. and the resources to be developed,
with as little expenditure of money. |
have some practical suggestions to offer
to the people upon this policy OF canal
and river Improvement. which 1t will not
be possible to now fully discuss, but
which I shall elaborate in addresses to
the people, and which I trust will be of
much interest to them.
I feel that I may be pardoned for say
ing that many years of service in this
/ I,,r. IT, co. Rn41f
arity with its details and has likewise I'M
pressed me with its paramount inpor-
| tance.
! 1t Is the highest duty of the representa-
| tives of the people in congress to insist
! that the national government shall speed
| lily open to navigation the rivers of Ala
| bama and deepen the channel at Mobile
to twenty-seven feet with thirty-fve feet
| over the outer bar and construct such
canals as may be necessary to complete
| the system of water transportation in
Alabama. All of which would be done un-
der the continuing contract system.
Good Roads.
| The south has not heretofore received
| in appropriations anything like Its pro-
portionate part of the money spent by
| the United States. owing In some meas
IRE to the subjects dealt with and aided
| and controlled by the government | was
/
doctrine of opposition to internal i'm
| provements when the government was di-
vlding its money among other sections of
the country for that purpose. I believe
| the people of Alabama should have their
| full share.
delivery and its probable extension along
| most of the public roads of the state.
| favor government aid for the construc-
ton of good public roads.
| am convinced by observation and
study of the question that there is no
| other way that the government could
| spend the money collected for the pro
lection of infant industries to greater
| advantage to the people.
| There is no use making an argument as
| to the value of good roads. They save
worry, waste and energy they economze
time, labor and money and enhance the
| value of property.
rant is as old as the government Jeffer-
| son. Clay. Webster and Calhoun were all
| in their day advocates of governmental
| aid to road construction. Jefferson said,
| Give us peace until our revenues are lib
Grated from debt and during peace we
| may checker our whole country with
| roads and canals. This Is the object to
| which all our endeavors should be direct
| cd" Madison in his message to Congress
| urged this policy. Clay, Webster and
| Calhoun. that great triumvirate and
| champions of the peoples rights all
| favored appropriations from the federal
| treasury for road construction.
Good roads are the initial fountains OF
commence Ninety per cent of the COM
| merce of the country is hauled over the
| dirt roads going to or from the railroad
| stations or river landings. The cost of
| transportation over our miserable dirt
| roads is estimated by the agricultural de-
| partment to be 900 a year more
| than 1t would be over a system of good
| roads 1t is estimated that every time the
| sun sets the people of the United States
| have lost one and half million dollars
| by reason of the condition of our dirt
roads.
The Improvement of the public high
| ways including rivers. harbors. canals
and postal roads, should go hand in hand.
| The time is coming when 1t will be so. 1
would do my best to hasten it.
| Railroad Regulation.
| Under the constitution of the United
| States Congress alone has power to reg
! ulate commerce between the states. Under
| IL a commission has been created and au-
| thority conferred by act of Congress to
| deal with and regulate the business of
| common carriers and fix and enforce a
| lust and reasonable rate. This character
| of legislation has always had my sup
| port and vote as q member Of Congress
| / mad the honor to be "A member of the
| platform committee of the national DEM
| ocratic convention In 1896. and was a
| member of ssthe Subcommittee which
| framed and reported to the convention the