Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-11-22
WIDE RANGE OF DISCUSSION
Speeches on Great Variety Of tjeots at
Transmississippi Congress.
RANSDEll TALKS NAWsABLE WATERWAYS
Diplomatic Agents from south Amer
lean Countries Tell OF Need of
Fund for Development of
Natural Resources.

hANSAS CITY, Mo, Nov. 21.--SpceChes I
and discussions covering a wide range of !
subjects took up the time today Of the
three sessions of the Transmisslssippi
congress. Improved waters, insurance
and currency reforms, the value OF tho
Panama canal as a means of enlarging
our trade relations with the South
American republics and the necessity Of
closer relations between the United States
and those countries, the great value to
the south Of improved levees. and the re-
sources and needs Of AlaslSa were some
of the topics touched upon. The principal
speakers were j. E. Ransdell. representa-
tive in congress from Louisiana; w. y.
Nandiver. president Of the National Bank
of Commerce Of Kansas City; John Bar
rett United States minister TO Colombia;
Minister Calderon of Bolivia, minister of
Peru; Minister Cortes OF Colombia, Secre- !
tary Dc Amarel Of the Brazilian legation
at Washington, Representative Norris
Sheppard Of Texarkana, Tex; John @.
Brady of Boston. former governor OF
Alaska. and Richard E. Kerns Of st.
Louis, former national committeeman for
Missouri
Alberta Yoacham, charge d'affairs of the
Chinese legation, was to have addressed
the congress, but he was called from the
city.
Representative Norris Sheppard of
Texas. one Of the youngest congressman
in the national house. made an earnest
plea for the upbuilding of the levee sys-
tom, and won warm applause from the
delegates. He said in part:
At the morning session the first thing was
the call of states for nominations for chair
men of delegations, vice presidents, mem
bers OF the executive committee and mem
bers of the committees on permanent or
ganization and resolutions
Representative Ransden Talks.
The first address OF the day was deliv-
cred by Representative j. Z. Ransdel OF
Lake Province, La. on Improvement OF
Navigable Waterways"
To move freight In the United states
costs FULLY six times as mucn by rail as
by water. Tho average cost OF moving
the country in 1904 was rs mills per ton
per mile, while on the Illinois Central and
the Pennsylvania roads II was 8 mills. In
1904. Il cost to- move coal on the Monon-
gahela river is mills per ton. per mile;
on the Ohio. from Pittsburg to LOUIS
vile, 7e of one mill; and on the Ohio and
Mississippi from Louisville to New or
leans, 81 of one mill per mile. In 1905, II
cost 10 move more than A.OO0O9 on an
average of SS3. miles through the sault
Ste Marie canal and the great lakes, J.S5
OF. one mill PEI ton per mile The average
water ratio Is, less thar mill per ton per
nearly s mills. but, in order to be exs
tre1reiy. conservative and because it is
/ Impossible. 10 fprocure. complete statistics
aaapted tho ratfoF 81. ono 10 ak as the
properi basis for comparison of water and
The Interstate Cornmerce commission
| estimates that during 1904. the railroads
| Of the Union moved 1. 3O9 9,S9BI65 tons of
| freight, but no estimate Of the distance
/ 1llllpd Is given. If assume that IL
/ was an average of 100 miles. which seems
| reasonable, the rail freight thereon
| immense volume of freight could have
! moved on the water or al water rates, IL
would have cost only one-sixth as much,
| American people OF about $3.50, eco, 900 in
| one year. These figures are so large as
! TO staggDr crCduality, but there is no
! doubt about their relative correctness and
! they present an Irresistible argument IN
| favor of waterway Improvement,
should Improve Waterways.
! do not contend that all the freight in
! oCr great country can be carried by water,
or that II is even desirable for all of II
| to move by water. There are some COM
munities that have no waterways sus-
bceptible o. being made navigable at a
! reasonable cost anG there is a tremen-
dous volume Of passenger traffic. high
class freights o5s and PeTshG6ie, eommOdt,
| rail. But ! do not contend that we are
| warranted by every principle of common
improve our waterways thoroughly as
| possible. so that the vast majority OF our
people can receive the beneit of cheap
! water rates-siX times as cheap as rates
by rail At the present time, only a very
small percentage. % the people. get these
rates, because navigst ton is imperfect on
the hest Of our rivers and impossible much
! OF the time on the average river.
| If our congress could be nduced TO adopt
the broad and liberal waterway policy car
red out during the last century by France
and Germany In improving all their rivers
and connecting them by canals so that
there IS frst-class water communicatio tion
at all times between all parts of those ooun.
tries there are very tew places IL the union
which would not derive the greatest benefit,
J Let as change the present niggardly poll
lev of internal Improvement, which has
given US for all our waterways all our
~ rbors our lakes, our rivers and our ca
nails an average OF less than S20D00O0 a
year for the last ten years-less than
per cent OF the total expenditures of gov
ernment, which have averaged SIl2OO0.0Ol
a wear for ten years. Let us place river
great appropriations of congress, and when
We give to the army and navy, fortifca-
tions and pensions. war and its rewards;
the whole Let US give to our waterways,
10 our commerce, more than per cent,
That pitiful sum Is wholly inadequate TO
the task The river and harbor tproiects
now pending before congress, with the APP
proval OF the engineering department. will
cost over t500,O00,O00 and the list Is grow
ing more rapidly than appropriations arc
made. We cannot Improve our waterways
] v
republic OF s0,O00OOO people. 1t is a phys
! ical impossiblity Think of ID! That is
. only % cents "a head surely VIC can AFFORD
! to make IL 81 a head, when, as / have
| shown the investment of this dollar will
nav each year IN reduced freights from
loo TO 200 per cent, of which every one OF
| our citizens-everyl consumer aud every
! producer in the land--wil reap the beneht
! Surely, when We are giving 10 war and
, It's rewards S2S0OO1O00 "a Year-S2 80 for
| every man, woman and child I'm the cOun-
; try-we can afford to do much better thar
, 25 cents for our splendid commerce, which
makes US the greatest commercial nation
| of the world, and annually pours into oui
laps q trade balance In our favor OF 500,
/ O00O0O.
Following the address OF Representative,
Ransdell, c. L. Irvine Of St. Louis mad,
an earnest talk on the matter of rivel
rate TRANSFORMATION, Upon the authority o.
the Manufacturers association OF St. Louis
Mr.. Irvine offered resolution appealing {,
3 the states to work for the organization o.
! a bureau Of publicity that may carry on ,
70 compaign OF edhoat and To provide ,
y pernarent guardian OF the rivers of th,
' country as a means OF increased transpor
tation and Of securing cheaper freigh
rates. The further discussion OF the subjec
E OF river improvements was postponed un
Q iii Thursday morning.
EandiVer On Insurance.
: W. d. Vandiver, superintendent OF insur
Rnce OF Missouri, then delivered an addres