Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-08
STRONG PLEAS FOR MISSOURI
congressman Kennedy Of Nebraska and
Hubbard Of Iowa Address House.
REASON FOR THE DECLINE IN RIVER TRAFFIC
Rebates Formerly Given by the Rail-
roads 20 the Heavy shippers I'm
Years Past KILLED Freight
Tramc on Rivers.
tFrom a stan correspondent.l

(From a stan Correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7.-(Specist Tele- |
gram.)--The Missouri river was the sub. |
jeot of two very interesting speeches to- |
day while the rivers and harbors appro- |
priation bill was under consideration by !
the house. Representative Kennedy OF |
Nebraska and Representative Hubbard of
Sioux City being accorded very earnest
attention by the house during their pre-
sentation of the Missouri rivers right to
consideration.
Mr. Hubbard remarked that he had pre-
pared several amendments to the bill,
but he was admonished by the fate of
the various gentlemen who have run into
contact in head-on collision with the ma
chine that there was but little object or
purpose in Offering such amendments
and he therefore did not propose to cast
himself before the wheel.
1.-The Missouri river" he said, '1s nav
igable and has been since Lewis and
Clark pursued it's pathway across the
continent for 2,400 odd miles" He said
In the past II had carried great commerce
and the things which have caused the
diminution. of that commerce was not
any lack of the navigable quality Of the
river, but 1t was the result of the diver
stead Of from north to south along the
natural line of flow
Speaking of the appropriation. which
is intended expressly for dredging and
for the removal Of snags, Mr.. Hubbard
thought that the improvement contem-
plated would scarcely last until the boat
passes by that makes them. "You might
as well attempt to dredge a channel for
the north wind" he said. "As a boat
goes by a bar forms. One way of i'm
provement is by means of protecting the
banks, and that is expressly denied In
this bill. The only method is, when
| erosion begins on the bank of the stream,
| to put in a dam temporarily to divert
| the flow. 1t is true" he said, that in
boats coming down that stream but few
| tons of freight are carried, but II is also
true that on that stream annually goes
freight as precious as the coal mines of
| Pennsylvania. In my district alone thou
sands upon thousands of dollars worth
OF real estate are freighted down that
river every year"
Kennedy Injects New Idea.
| 1t was however, reserved TO the con-
gresham from the Second Nebraska dis
trict to inject new thought into the debate
on the river and harbor bill, when he said
that the sudden countrywide interest in
appropriations for rivers and harbors grew
out of the fact that these rivers-meaning
the Missouri and Mississippi-would have
been used more largely for transportation
of freight had 1t not have been for the
common custom of the railroads in paying
rebates to large shippers throughout the
land.
THE large shippers In the cities of the
United States" said Mr.. Kennedy, have
not been interested in years gone by in
reducing rates; they have not been inter
ested In cheap transportation; they have
been interested in getting an advantage
over their competitors" - - '~
! Mr.. Kennedy told Of his attendance upon
! the recent Mississippi river Improvement
congress held in this city, and noted the
large business interests of the country
represented urging additional appropria-
lions for rivers and harbors. He then
said, 81 d it not been for the passage of
the rate bill those powerful influences
would not have been in that congress and
you would not now have behind this bill
! the united business interests Of the country |
1 believe that the future will justify me
| in the statement that ] make, that with |
rebates prohibited the large shippers of
the country will bestir themselves to OBJ
tain. not advantage over their legitimate
competitors, but cheaper rates, which will
work to their advantage and to the ad-
vantage of the whole country"
Mr.. Kennedy, after reviewing the pro.
visions of the bill. said that instead of re-
ceiving 10000 for the Missouri river from
Kansas City to Sioux City it ought to be
| 100000 He reviewed the jobbing trade |
| of Omaha and South Omaha and said the |
aggregate value of the live stock received
in South Omaha was over $90eO0OOO. He !
told of the grain handled and stored in |
Omaha and said that the manufacturers |
including the output of the South Omaha |
packing houses. amounted to about 100000
900 year.
River Easily NavigabIe.
eve have the freight and I'VE have the |
Missouri river and, Notwithstanding all
statements to the contrary. the Missouri !
river is more easily navigable today than
It was in the early days when IT was con- ]
stantly used for freight transportation pur-
poses. base that statement not only
upon my own knowledge, but upon the
opinion OF engineers who are familiar with |
the river and who have had charge of that |
work. take issue with some of the gem
tlemen with reference TO the result OF
dredging the Missouri river, although / be- !
lieve that the most effective method OF
dredging that river is by contracting the
channel and letting the water do the 4
work
During the summer months we have
organised in the city of Omaha a company
which is now arranging to place on the
river during the coming season boats and
barges for carrying freight.
when we have demonstrated that those
boats and barges can ply on the river,
that freight can be carried on the Mis-
souri, we viii be back here asking from
you a liberal appropriation for river i'm
provements and VIII then be satisfied not
| with Thousands hut With rniIliona 10 re-