The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-05
Speech of President to
 WatertDays ConUentio1,

the Great Lakes, from the Alleghenies 70 the Rockies; most of them being sit- uated on the great river which flows numerous navigable tributaries.
 New mineral fields are discovered every year; and the constantly increas- cultivation steadily adds to the pro- ductiye power of the farms. Above all the average man is honest, inteIli- sharsfsrs s knod ctssn nna ordsTly s and and wageworker alixe---in the last analysis the two most important men n the community--enJoy a standard of of self-respecting, seif-reiiant man the future of as the entire repabiiss dts iSp %o man can foresec the limit of the pos- <sibiiity of development in the Missis- sippi Valley.
 Such being the case. and this valley being literally the heart of the United mnst concern likewise the whole coun- try, Therefore. the Mississippi River and its tributaries ought by all means to be utilized to their utmost possibil- ity raclilty or cheap transportation Is an essential in our modern civiIiza- ton, and we can not afford any longer to neglect the great highways which nature has provided for us. These natural highways the waterways, can never be monopolized by any corpora
 
 and 1t Is In the power of no one to take them away
 Water transportation.
 Wherever a navigable river runs be- side railroads the problem of regulat- ing the rates on the railroads becomes far easier, because river regulation is rate regulation. When the water rate sinks. the land rate, can not be kept at an excessive height. Therefore. 1t is of national importance to develop these StraQma f1i1lWQVH fhA ax. tent which is genuinely profitable. Year by year transportation problems become more acute. and the time has come when the rivers really fit to serve as arteries of trade should be provided with channels deep enough and wide enough to make the investment of the necessary money profitable to the public.
 The national government should. un- dertake this work. Where the iInme- diately abutttng land is markedly ben ented aud this benefit can be definitely iocalazed, trust that there will be careful investigation to see whether some way can be devised by which the immediate heneficiRrios may ray a por- ton Of the expenses-as is now the custom as regards certain classes of ffffp VeHeHIs m our municipalities: ana measures should be taken to se- afted proper terminal facilities The expense to the nation of entering upon such scheme of river improvement as that which 1 believe 1t should under take, will necessarily be great
 Many cautious and conservative peo. pie will look askance upon the project and from every standpoint it Is neces- sary. If we wish to make it successful that we should enter upon 1t only un- der conditions which will guarantee tho nation against waste of it's money, and which will insure us against en- terfng upon any project until after the most elaborate expert examination. and reliable calculation of the proportion between cost and benefit. Tn any project like this there should be a definite policy. and a resoiute purpose to keep in mind that the only improve nlents made should be those really na- ttonal in their character
 We should act on the same priucl- pie in improving our rivers that we should follow. in improving our har- bors. The great harbors are of couse- uuencc not merely to the immediate localities, but to immense stretches of country; and the same is true Of the gerat rivers. It Is these great rivers and great harbors the improvement of which is of primary national interest. The main streams should be improved to the highest practical degree Of efii- ciency before Improvements are att tempted on the, branches. and work should be undertaken only when com pletion is in sight within a reasonable