Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-10-04

of our inland waterways. In the case
of the waterways it has been consplc-
uOusly absent Because such fore
sight was lacking, the interests of our
rivers have been in fact overlooked,
i'll spite of the immense sums spent
upon them. 1t is evident that their
most urgent need is farsighted and
comprehensive plan, dealing not with
navigation alone. nor with irrigation
alone. but considering our inland wal
erways as Il whole. and with reference
to every use to which they can be put.
| The central motive of such a plan
should be to get from the streams of
the United States not only the fullest
but also the most permanent service
they are capable of rendering to the
nation as n whole
| Railroads Inadequate.
The industries developed under the
stimulus of the railroads are for the
most part permanent industries. and
| therefore they form the basis for fu-
| ture development. But the railroads
| have shown that they alone can not
meet the demands of the country for
transportation, and where this is true
the rivers should begin TO supplement
| the railroads, to the benefit of both,
| by relieving them of certain of the less
profitable classes of freight The
ImoTe farseeing railroad men, | am glad
to tell you. realize this fact, and many
of them have become earnest advo
Gates of the improvements of the Miss
issippi, so that it become a sort of n
land seaboard. extending from tho
Gulf far into the interior, and | hope
ultimately to the Great Lakes.
AN investigation of the PROPOSE
Lakes-to-the-Gulf deep waterway s
now in progress under an appropri7
ton of the last congress. We sinai
Iawait its results with the keenest in
terest. The decision is obviously O
capital Importance to our internal de
velopment and scarcely less so in Re
latiOn TO external commerce.
while thus the Improvement of in
land navigation is vital problem
there are other questions of no less
consequence connected with our Wag
leTWayS. One of these relates to the
lpurity of waters used for the suppl,
of towns and cities. to the prevention
of pollution by manufacturing an,
other industries, and to the protection
of drainage areas from soil wasl
through other land taxes combined
and one yielding absolutely no retur-
The department of agriculture is nov
devising and testing means to chez
this enormous vast through improve
: methods of agriculture and forest mar
( agement.
One of Many Objects.
4 Citizens of all portions of the coug
try are coming TO realize that. howeve
3 important the Improvement of navig;
Z ton may be, it is only one of man
: ends to be kept in view The deman
J. for navigation is hardly more pressin
4 than the demands for reclaiming land
( by irrigation in the arid regions an
) by drainage in the humid lowiands,
K for utilizing the water power now rur
!: ming to waste, or for purifying the wa
< ers so as to reduce or remove the ia
2 of soil waste, to promote manufacture
x and to safeguard life. 1t is the pa
e of wisdom to adopt not tumble ;
3 unrelated plans, but single compr
3 hensive scheme for meeting all the
4 mands so far as possible at the san
8 time and by the same means.
< This is the reason why the milan
8 waterways commission was created
x March last, largely in response to p
. titions from citizens of the interio
y including many of the members of tn
9 congress. Broad instructions wei
3 given to the commission in accordanC
8 with this general policy that no pla
3 should be prepared for the use of al
Z stream for single purpose withol
8 carefully considering. and SO far .
& practicable actually providing for, IL
8 use of that stream for every other pu
& pose.
8 plans for navigation and pow'