The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-04-02
PRESIDENT SETS THE
MACHINERY in MOTION.
The Greater Louisville Exposition
Launched By Nations High
est OffiCial==0ther Notes.

! WASHINGTON, March Z.-It was
with genuine pleasure that President
Roosevelt this week pressed the button
that started the machinery of the
Greater Louisville Exposition. A little
knot of Southerners was gathered in
I the White House around 'he key used
/ by the President in opening the big
fair. Mr.. Roosevelt declared he was
especially happy to ofiiciate at the
launching of the exposition, for the
Greater Louisville Exposition is one of
the few of its kind that has not asked
financial aid from the federal govern
ment.
ut really is refreshing - said the
President. 'to find one fair is not look
ing for an appropriation.
AS matter Of fact Congress has been
confronted with more requests for as
sistance for expositiOns of this charac-
ter in the last session than has been
the case for many years back. For
this reason the bill providing federal
funds for the big Alaska YukOn-Paci-
fic Exposition at Seattle came very
nearly failing Of passage in the last
days Of the session. 1t is probable
that future expositions will have hard
shedding in gaining the desired federal
aid in view of the feeling that has
arisen against the passage of such
measures.
o
By his appointment Of the Inland
Waterways Commission, President
Roosevelt has given q wonderful i'm
petus to the national policy of water
ways improvement His action, in
fact, is epOchal, for it practically CON-
mits the Federalgovernment to vigor-
Gus campaign in widening and deepen
ing the great streams of the country.
This will be of the greatest impor-
lance to the Middle West. which posses
a system of rivers that is unsurpassed
by any other territory of its size in the
world. There is no doubt that this COM
mission will hasten the construction
of canals that eventually will connect
the Great Lakes and the Gulf and
which will make the great Mississippi
and Ohio valleys practically indepen-
dent of the railroads. In his letter to
each of the eight members of the Com
mission, Mr.. Roosevelt declared that
the present congestion is due to the
fact that products of the Northern and
lHLeIiOI otdlSS III ten ears nave grown
eight times a rapidly as the transpol tl-
tion systems. There appears to be
but one complete remedy-the develop
ment of complementary system of
transportation by water" he says.
This is fact that the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress has been i'm
pressing upon the country for the last
four years. and it is due to the work of
that organization that the last Con-
gress framed the greatest appropria
ton bill for rivers and harbors ever
passed inlthis country. The measure,
whilesit carried upward of.$87, 900, 600.
appropriates Only little more than
S37, 100000 in cash. The National
Rivers and Harbors Congress has con-
tended that not less than $50, 900, 600 a
year should be invested by the govern
menG in developing the streams and
deeL-sea ports. 1t will continue to adj
vocatesthe appropriation of this sum,
and to the end that its demands carry
more weight it is seeking to add to its
membership. Captain Ellison has
made strong appeal to the country at
large to join in the work, drawing at
tention to the fact that the member
ship fees are extremely low.