The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-10-05

tHut tHel fHOSJ urgent need IL ia
sighted and comprehensive plan, dea
Ing not with navigation alone, nc
with irrigation alone, but considerin
our inland waterways as whole, an
with reference to every use to whic
they can be put. The central motiv
Of such plan should be to get fror
the streams OF the United States nc
only the fullest but also the mos
permanent service they are capable O
rendering to the nation as d whole.
The Industries developed under tn
stimulus Of the railroads are for tn
most part permanent Industries, an,
therefore they form the basis for FL
lture development. But the railroad
have shown that they alone can no
meet the demands OF the country 70
Transportation, and where this IS trut
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. TIL,
more farseeing railroad men, an
glad to tell you, realize this fact. an
Imany Of them have become earnest
| advocates of the Improvement of the
| Mississippi, so that it may become 4
| sort of inland seaboard, extending
from the gulf far into the interior
land hope ultimately to the Great
iakes. An investigation of the pro
posed Lakes-to-the-Gulf deep water
way Is now in progress under an ap-
preparation of the last congress. We
shall await its results with the keen
est interest. The decision is Obvious
~ of capital Importance to our in
ternal development and scarcely less
SO In relation to external commerce.
This is but one OF the many pro
jects which 1t is time to consider. al
though a most important one. Plans
for the Improvement of our inland
navigation may fairly begin with our
greatest river and it's chief tributaries,
but they can not end there. The lands
which the Columbia drains include d
vast area Of rich grain fields and
fruit lands, much OF which is not east.
y reached by railways. The removal
81 distractions in the Columbia and
It's chief tributaries would open to
navigation and inexpensive freight
fully 1900 miles of
channel. The Sacramento and San
Joaquin rivers with their tidal open
ings into San Francisco Bay are part
ly nayigable now. Their navigation
should be maintained and improved.
SO as to open the marvelously rich
valley of California to inexpensive
traffic in order to facilitate both rate
regulation and the control of the
waters for other purposes. And many
other rivers of the United States de
mand Improvement, so as better to !
meet the requirements of increasing
production from the soil, increasing
and a rapidly growing
While thus the Improvement of In
and navigation is vital problem. !
here are other questions of no less
connected with our wat
,rways One of these relates to the I
Iurity of waters used for the supply
4 towns and cities. to the prevention
4 pollution by manufacturing and 4
Their industries and to the protec-
ion of drainage areas from soil wash Il
Trough forest covering or iudicious
With our constantly in
reasing population this question be. {
ONES more and more pressing. be- {
ause the health and safety of great
odies of citizens are directly invol- {
ed. II
Another important group of ques- +
ons concerns the irrigation of arid I
lnds, the prevention of foods, and L
lie reclamation of swamps. Already y
amy thousands of homes have been G
established on the arid regions. and
lie arid regions, and the population II
Id wealth of seventeen states and b
have been largely increased IL
trough irrigation. Yet this means of {
ational development is still in its 4
fancy. and it will doubtless long S
'ntinue to multiply homes and in 7
ease the productiveness and power @
the nation. The reclamation of p
erfow lands and marches, both In II
e interior and along the coasts. has "
ready been carried on with admir- d
lie results, but in this field too. 81
arcely more than good beginning u
S yet been made. Still another u
important question is "
at of water power Its significance 20
the future development of our IL
lole country, and especially of the %
st. is but just beginning to be UNI o'
rstood. The plan of the city of re
S Angeles, for example, to bring o'
ter for its use a distance of nearly ".
miles-perhaps the boldest pro- q,
4 of the kind in modern times !"
)mises not only To achieve its pur- :"
Sc. but in addition to produce a ~
ter power sufficiently valuable to ~
Y large interest on the investment 70
over s23.OO0,00O. ue
Hitherto such opportunities for u.s.
water to double purpose have not ~
rays been seized. Thus 1t has re- ~
lily been shown that water enough
flowing ,,nncod ox-of sIn rr,.-<..,, y