Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-09-03
views OF Major Abbott on the All-Impo1tant
Subject Of Waterways
with the Experience of Many Years in the Mat
ter of Public improvements Of Waterwave
the Major Gives Some Suggestions
Worthy of Thought on
Grays Harbor

I "ii' W. NOii W ponder over these
matters.
would suggest, after many perplexipg
experiences both here and elsewhere in
snch things, that the Improvement of
our waterway be taken in detail. and
not as whole, from time to time. and
that we leave the subject of north iettv
entirely out of the question until the
south Jetty is finished. 1t will be well
to try and impress this on the govern.
ment engineers, on whom we must de-.
pend for many favors, and whose indp.
ment is generally able and good, but are
inexperienced in handling congressional
committees. When the south iettv is
completed, it is believed it will give
depth OF water enough for all practica
purposes over the bar until the inside
channel is finished, when we shall be in
better position to ask and probably get a
north jetty.
In this connections, would suggest
that the most difficult thing to do is to
get appropriations through the diffarent
committees IN congress when, if done.
the measure is pretty sure to become a
law. This community should wisely
select men OF sagacity, diplomacy and
political influence locally, to 20 to Wash
lngton to urge upon our state congress-.
men the necessity of looking after tba
interests OF our waterway or suffar ,ba
consequences when reelection is do.
sired. They should be men who. If
necessary, can 90 before the committeee
and adroitly take care of our inte,ests
without detriment to the communitv. a,
any rate your delegation should be re-.
CURED to UNITE on any plan to get an
Appropriation for the waterway, for if
they do it will be pretty sure to come
without other pressure being brought TO
bear. In this way our delegation can be
made effective and IN NO OTHER. # is a
custom by all the different states. and
TINS cannot be too carefully borne in
mind If they will net unite, then.
owing to the short time our senators
especially are kept in office by the state
having little influence in consequence
ihdlvl iual members cannot do very much
lor us-not even as much as some able
long time senator who will ask for such
measure as personal favor Of either
committee when it may and probably
VIII be granted; but, of course, there are
lew who have such friends among the
most influential men in congress. as If
taxes many years to acquire such.
In my opinion, when the inside chan.
mel has been dredged in detail, which |
believe can be done, and the south iettv
flnlshed, then the government will
oonotless authorize north jetty and
PROBABLY not before. At any rate, with.
out the matter is better handled here.
alter than in the past eight years, both
locally and by the engineers in not ask.
ing in detail for small appropriations for
the present, it will be difficult TO accom-
pllsh much. 1t is unwise to antaponize
conservative men in high authority to.
wards the improvement of the waterway
by voluntarily saying anything about a
north Jetty at present or by asking for
too large an appropriation at one time,
AS SAID to commence with, ask for what
we CAN and NOT for what we CAN'T get.
BE alert, long-headed, sagacious and
practical. Such will frequently win
when nothing else can. 1t would be very
nice if we could improve the waterway
all at once, but what sensible man ex.
poets it? Even brief schooling in the
third house of congress will greatly bene.
tit the unsophisticated of any communi.
ty. 1t is bad diplomacy to supply our
enemies with details which had better
be left alone. Again. say. we are not
ready to write history of our waterway.
1t isn't prudent. Yours truly,
| l.. A. ABBOTT.
Aberdeen, WASH, Aug. 80, 1906.