Semi-weekly herald., 1907-10-07

and reasonable time. Planned and
orderly development is essential to
the best use of every natural resource,
and to none more than to the best
use of our inland waterways. In the
case of the waterways 1t has been
conspicuously absent Because such
foresight. was lacking. the interests
of our rivers have been In fact over
looked, in spite of the immense sums
gulf to the Great Lakes, from the
Alleghenies to the Rockies; most OF
spent upon them. 1t is evident that
their most urgent need is farsight-
ed and comprehensive plan, dealing
not with navigation alone. nor with
inland waterways as whole, and with
iUand waterways as whole, and with
reference to every use of which they
can be put. The central motive of
such plan should be to get from the
streams of the United States not only
TIE fullest but also the most perma-
nent service they are capable Of rem
dering to the nation as a whole.
The industries developed under the
stimulus of the railroads are for the
most part permanent industries, and
therefore they form the basis for fu-
tire development. But the railroads
have shown that they alone can not
meet the demands of the country for
transportation, and where this is true
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. The
more farseeing railroad men. am
glad to tell you, realize this fact. and
many of them have become earnest
advocates of the Improvement of the
Mississippi so that it may become a
sort of inland seaboard, extending
from the gulf far into the interior. and
hope ultimately to the Great Lakes.
An investigation of the proposed
Lakes-to-theGulf waterway now in
progress under an appropriation OF
the last congress. We shall await its
results with the keenest interest. The
decision is obviously OF capital i'm
portance to our internal development
and scarcely less so In relation to
external commerce.
This is but one of the many projects
which 1t is time to consider, although
most important one. Plans for the
improvement of our inland navigation
may fairly begin with our greatest
river and its chief tributaries, but
they can not end there. The lands
which the Columbia drains include a
vast area of rich grain fields and fruit
lands. much OF which Is not easily
reached by railways. The removal OF
distractions in the Columbia and its
chief tributaries would open to navi-
cation and inexpensive freight trans
portation fully 1000 miles of channel.
The Sacramento and San Joaquin
rivers with their tidal opens into San
Francisco bay are partly navigable
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 regula-
ton and the control of the waters for
other purposes. And many other riv-
ers of the United States demand i'm.
provement, so as better to meet the
requirements of increasing production
from the soil. increasing manufacture.
and a rapidly growing population.
While thus the Improvement of in
land navigation Is a vital problem.
there are other questions of no less
consequence connected with our wa
terways. One of these relates to the
purity of waters used for the supply
of towns and cities, to the prevention
of pollution by manufacturing and
other industries, and to the protection
Of drainage areas from soil wash
through forest covering or judicious
cultivation. With our constantly in
creasing population this question be-
comes more and more pressing, be-
cause the health and safety of great
bodies of citizens are directly involv.
ed
Another important group OF ques-
tons concerns the irrigation of arid
lands, the prevention of floods, and
the reclamation of swamps. Already
many thousands of homes have been
established on the arid regions. and
the population and wealth of seven
teen states and territories have been
largely increased through irrigation.
Yet this means of national develop.
ment is still in its infancy. and It
VIII doubtless long continue to multi
ply homes and increase the produc.
tiveness and power of the nation. The
reclamation of overflow lands and
marshes, both in the interior and
along the coasts, has already been car.
ried on with admirable results. but
IN this field, too, scarcely more than