Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-10-03


river; to go down the greatest of our
rivers, the Father of Waters. A good
many years ago when | lived in the
Northwest | travelled occasionally on
the Upper Missouri and it's tributaries
but when we went In f1atboat and
did our own wing and padding and
polling. Now am to try steamboat.
am great believer in our railway
system; and the fast that | am very
firm in my belief as to the necessity
of the Government exercising pro-
per supervision and control over the
railroads does not in the least inter-
fere with the other fact that | greatly
admire the large majority of the men
in all positions, from the top to the
bottom, who build and run them Yet,
while of course am anxious to see
these men, and therefore the corpora
tons they represent or serve, achieve
the fullest measure Of legitimate pros
perity, nevertheless as this country
grows feel that we can not have too
many highroads. and that in addition
to the iron highroads Of our railway
system we should also utilize the
great river highways which have been
given us by nature. From a variety
of causes these highways have in
many parts of the country been al
most abandoned. This is not healthy.
NavigabIe Rivers National Assets.
Our people, and especially the rep
resentatives of the people in the Ma
tional congress, should give their
most careful attention to this subject.
We should be prepared to put the ma
ton collectively back Of the move
ment to improve them for the nations
use. Our knowledge at this time Is
not such as to permit me to go into
details. or to say definitely Just what
the nation should do; but most as
suredly our great navigable rivers are
national assets just as much as our
great seacoast harbors. Exactly as 1t
is for the interest of all the country
that our great harbors should be fit
ted to receive in safety the largest
vessels Of the merchant fleets Of the
world SO by deepening and otherwi e
our rivers should be fitted to bear
their part in the movement of our
merchandise: and this is especially
true of the Mississippi and its tribu-
taries which drain the immense and
prosperous region which makes N
very fact the heart Of our nation: the
basin of the Great Lakes being al.
ready united with the basin Of the
Mississippi and both regions being
Identical in their products and inter
ests. Waterways are peculiarly fit
| ted for the transportation of the bulky
commodities which come from the
| soil or under the soil: and no other
part of our country is as fruitful as is
this In such commodities.
| You in Iowa have many manufacture
| ing centers but you remain, and I
hope YOU will always remain. great
agricultural state 7 hope that tho
means of transporting your com
modities. and in the long run this will
largely depend upon your being able
to keep on the farm high type nf
citizenship. The effort must be 10
make farm life not only remunerativc
but attractive. so that the best young
men and girls will feel inclined to
stay on the farm and not to go to the
city Nothing Is mora important to
this country than the perpetuatton OF
our system of medium-sized farms
worked by their owners. We do not
want to see our farmers sink to the
condition of the peasants Of the old
world, barely able to live on their
small holdings. nor do we want tc
see their places taken by wealthy men
owning, enormous estates which they
work purely by tenants and hired
| servants.
Farmer Unites Capital, Labor and
Brains.
At present the ordinary farmer
holds his own in the land as against
any possible representative Of the
landlord class of farmer-that is. OIL
the men who would own vast estates
because the ordinary farmer unites
his capital, his labor and his brains
with the maxine of a permanent fam
lily home. and thus can afford to hole
his land at value at which it car
not be held by the capitalist, who
would have to run it by leasing it o.
by cultivating it at arms length witt
hired labor. In other words, the typi
cal American farmer Of today gets hi!
remuneration In part in the shape o
an independent home for his family
and this gives him an advantage owe
an absentee landlord. Now from thu
standpoint of the nation as whole 1
Is prominently desirable to keep 4,
one Of our chief American types tn,
farmer. the farm home maker, Of tn.
medium-sized farm. This type o
farm home is one OF our strongest pc
litical and social bulwarks. Such
farm worked by the owner has PROVED
by experience the best place in whicl
to breed vigorous leaders alike 70
country and city. It is matter o
prime economic and civic importanc,
to encourage this type of home own
ing farmer.
Therefore, we should strive in ev
cry way to aid in the education of tn
farmer for the farm. and shoul
shape our school system with this en-
in view; and so vitality important /
this that, In my opinion, the fedora
government should cooperate wit
| the state governments to secure th
| needed change and improvement i
| our schools. 1t is significant tina
both from Minnesota and Georgi
there have come proposals in this d
rection in the appearance Of bills ii
troduced into the national congress
The congressional land grant act c
! 1852 accomplished much in establish
ing the agricultural colleges in tn
) several states. and therefore in mr.,