Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-16
FIFTY MILLION A YEAR
Wanted for River and Harbor
Improvements
TO CARRY OUT PLANS
Duty of Congress Toward Commercial
Interests
DEFINED BY BUSINESS MEN
Sessions of National Convention End
With Formation of Permanent
Organization.
DEFINED BY BUSINESS MEN

Organization.
Tine national river and harbor congress,
winding UP It's session at the Arlington to-
day went to the root of its demands IN the
resolutions presented namely. by providing
to ask that there be an annual appropria-
ton by Congress of sc, 900 for river and
barbor work. at least till all of the pro-
iects now recommended, aggregating S4Co,-
100000, are cleaned UP.
The convention today, for the first time,
provided itself with a regular set of officers.
These were reported from the committee on
organization and adopted as recommended.
They effectuauy cover all of the country
in any way interested in river and harnor
work
The convention selected Harvey D. Could
err of Cleveland, Ohio, as first president OF
the congress- Col. W. II. Love of Baltl-
more and E. II. Sherwood of Philadelphia
as secretary and treasurer. respectively.
These gentlemen We're practically Reelected
having srved in the incomplete state III
which the congress has existed since its Or
ganization in 1901.
The Working Committee.
In addition to these officers it was pro-
vided that there should be vice presl-
dent nominated by the delegation from
each state. This Will be done later. Then
there was appointed an executive commit
tee, of which Representative Ransdell OF
louisiana is the chairman. to care for the
interests of the river and harbor work all
over the country. The committee is TO con-
slst of fifteen members, and is divided be-
tween the Atlantic. Pacific and gulf coasts,
the great lakes and the Mississippi. The
members are VIM. ii. Lincoln of Boston,
Robt. Ramsey of Baltimore, E. j. Hale of
Fayetteville. Ind; VIM. Sanders of New Or
leans, 8. w. Duncan of Dallas, Tex; John
A. Fox of BlytheYille, Ark; w. p. kennett
of st. Louis. Albert B. Bettinger of Gin
cinnat. W. B. Rogers of Pittsburg, Henry
Clark of Omaha, Harvey d. Goulder of
Cleveland, Capt. VIM. j. Cosby Of Detroit,
John W. Ferris OF San Francisco and A. II.
Devers of Portland, Ore; j. f. Ellison of
Cincinnati will act the secretary of the
committee without being a member
After the officers had been announced
there was flicker of resistance on the part
of the convention in attempting to get
every state represented on the executive
committee. but 1t was pointed out that this
would make the committee too unwieldly
for effective work. and 1t was abandoned
the committee being appointed as recon-
mended.
Mr.. Goulder, the newly elected president,
spoke briefly, thanking the convention for
the honor they had done him in selecting
him for the place. The point of his re-
marks was that this was a national and not
local movement, and that the prosperity
or one part of the country was dependent
IN large measure on the prosperity of the
rest. Thus, he said, river and harbor I'M
provement which affected the transporta-
ton system of the whole country could not
be regarded as local work. An improve
ment anywhere affected the whole bulk of
the people, and the people as a whole must
go after the work before Congress would
realize that it was not a sectional but a
national demand for Improvement
Mr.. Goulder said that he was not partic-
ularly In favor of the bond issue plan for
raising money for river and harbor work
He thought that the river and harbor bill
ought to be put on just the same basis as
any other bill before Congress, and if there
was not money enough available to do the
work that ought to be done, then the gov
eminent ought to borrow the money at
low rate of interest and there was no or
ganization in the world in better position
70 do such borrowing than the United
States.
Invited to New Orleans.
Mr.. Sanders. the retiring chairman of the
executive committee. was thanked for the
ability and earnestness with which he had
presided over the deliberations of this and
the previous meeting. In the course of his
reply he took occasion to invite the con-
gress to hold Its next meeting IN New Or
leans, where they would have before them
the greatest system of river and harbor i'm
provements in the world.
Representative Ransdell in accepting the
Craftsmanship OF the executive committee
said that it had been at his suggestion that
the position of chairman had been made
salaried one, as he thought 1t would be too
much work TO put on the shoulders of any
member without compensation At that
time, he said, he did not think OF the
craftsmanship coming to him, but he wished
to say that since IL had he wanted to serve
without pay. He did not want the pay IN
the first place. and he doubted the propriety
of a member OF Congress holding a salaried
nOSfiiON for a OlZlt iOn vvhpSA Claims 10
legislation he would urge before Congress.
River and Harbor Needs.
The committee on resolutions then re-
ported. The resolutions pointed out that
owing to the fact that there had existed In
the past an unjust prejudice against the
Appropriations recommended IN river and
harbor bills in consequence OF lack of in
formation and failure TO realize the enor-
nous benefits these improvements confer
upon the people OF the whole country, re-
ducing and regulating the rates of freight
for transportation and creating new and
important channels for the conveyance or
the products Of the forest, field, mine and
factory. And in view of the marvellous
growth and development of the resources
of this country and the increase OF COM
inerce, domestic and foreign, which have
been the surprise and envy OF all civilized
nations all to be enhanced by the compile
ton OF the Panama canal And a. these de-
mand for their successful, continuous and
further extension the more liberal policy on
the part of the government. Likewise
since the evolution OF transportation agen-
cies has added TO and emphasized the other
reasons for river, harbor aud waterways
improvements, the cogent one that such i'm
provements AFFORD natural proper and
permanent competitive effect on the cost of
transportation, invaluable to the whole citi-
zensh!p.
Regrets Limited Appropriations
Therefore the resolutions urge that the
river and harbor congress, recognizing, ap-
preciating and commencing the invaluable
work OF the rivers and harbors committee
OF the House of Representatives. and of
the committee on commerce OF the Senate,
aided by the Engineer Corps of the army,