Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-07
RIVERS. AND HARBORS
Third Annual Convention of Ma
tionaI Congress.
WAS CARRIED OFF ITS FEET
Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterway As
ISOLATION Busy.
IA FEET THROUGH VALLEY
Report of Nominating Committee
Adopted With a Hurrah--Late
Sessions Yesterday.

In connection with the third annual con-
vention in this city of the national rivers
and harbors congress- which began yester-
day and will be concluded today. a story is
! going the rounds in reference to the manner
| in which the Lakes to- the-Gulf Deep Water
way Association carried the whole conven-
| ton off it's feet and into declaration for
| the fourteen-foot channel from the inland
| seas to the Gulf of Mexico. Further the
| congress in one moment last evening held
an election which was understood to be
scheduled for this morning. and while one or
two members jumped to their feet and
sought recognition to know what it was
all about, the report of the nominating COM
mittee was adopted with a hurrah, and
exactly rs per cent of the officers of the
organization for the ensuing year claim
homes within the watershed Of the Missis
sippi river.
First of ALL the Kansas City, New Or
leans, Chicago st. Louis, Omaha and other
delegations from the vicinity of the Father
of Waters came to the convention several
hundred strong and bubbling over with en-
thusiasm. They had class yells and frater-
nifty cries akin to those which are most fire.
quently associated with an eighty-yard-
MISREPRESENTATION episode, and their
battle song, to the tune of Shouting the
Battle Cry of Freedom one Of the
novel features Of the convention.
Fourteen Feet Through the Valley.
1t follows:
We represent the people who want the Waterway
Fourteen feet through the valley.
We represent the shippers who have the biggest
Fourteen feet through the valley.
We want the ships a-running and lowering the
Fourteen feet through the valley.
And II we get the water well guarantee the
Fourteen feet through the valley.
Chorus.
We're going to have the Water,
We're going to have the Way;
We've got the tonnage waiting
To make the vessels pay;
And We'll get the fifty million
With Uncle Sans o. k
Fourteen feet through the valley.
Early during the morning session yester-
day committee on reorganization was ap-
pointed, and its unanimously adopted re-
port legislated out of existence the old
executive committee and put in its stead
nominations, in a total membership of
eleven. included seven men from the middle
west, and they caused surprise when Chair
man Goulden of New York arose between
they were ready to report. The nomina-
lions, in addition to that of Joseph E. Ran
dell of Louisiana for president, gave places
on the board of directors to fifteen men
from sections drained by the great Missis-
sippi. the other five being scattered through
the remainder Of the country. H..
ss Purpose of the Committee.
The announced purpose Of the committee
was to give representation to each
geographical division of the country-but
after 1t was all over there were not a few
cynical remarks heard to the effect that
the map of the country seemed to have
undergone a sudden transformation SO that
each geographical section in some way
converged upon the Father of Waters or it's
tributaries.
The announcement of each nomination,
from that of the president down, was hailed
with hearty applause, a motion made for
adoption and the vote cast before the en-
thusiasm was permitted to decrease
Incidentally, all of the speeches last
evening which mentioned any section par
ticularly had to do with the favored land
Of the Lakes to the-Guf Association, to the
exclusion of projected improvements along
either the Atlantic Pacific seaboards
The stated object of the rivers and har-
borS congress is to so arouse public Sentf
ment that the annual appropriation for
rivers and harbors will be increased from
an average of $20,OOO.OO0 to S50.OO0.OO0. and
the battle song of Fourteen Feet Through
the Valleys Included the rhyming asser-
ton that We'll get the fifty million
Report of Secretary-Treasurer
At the opening of the session this morn
ing Secretary-Treasurer Ellison submitted
his report for the year. showing that the
congress now mas an organization emDrac-
Ing fifty-eight cities and twenty-nine states,
or 161 separate associations. with MEM
bership OF 2.T0S individual members, a net
result accomplished In ten and one-half
months AS treasurer. he stated that the
total Of cash received from February 1,
1906 to November 30. was $13. $40 while the
expenditures were 11.283. S.
Safe and Sane.
Reporting for the committee on resolu-
tons, Chairman ]. N. Teal said that the
committee had found the platform adopted
q year ago to be safe and sane.
I'VE find that some sure and adequate
system of transportation must be added to
the railroads." he read, land the develop
ment of the natural highways is the only
answer to the problem. Our committee
desire to cite their finding in the form of
three propositions First, that we demand
of Congress that the river and harbor bills
must be placed upon the same basis as
other bills; second, that a $50, 600 appro-
priation for each year be set as a standard;
third that the responsibility for providing
ways and means be placed where 1t be-
longs-upon the Congress of the United
States, and simply say to them, Here Is a
proposition which involves not only the
destiny of the United States but the well
fare Of every man, woman and child In the
country.