The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1907-10-26
FORECASTS HIS
NEXT MESSAGE
President VIII Urge Improvement Of
Mississippi River.
Wants Congress TO Start Great Work
That Viii Also Make Rich Bottom
Lands Most PopuIous and Pros
Ferrous on the Globe--Task Is Not
ImpossibIe One.

Vicksburg, Miss, Oct. 22.-Aiter
fortnight spent in the canebrakes, anc
looking bronxsd and vigorous, President
Roosevelt paid flying visit to Vicks
burg this afternoon.
The president was introduced by Con.
gresham John Sharp Williams. When
Mr.. Williams said hat!Theodore Roose'
veit was president Of the whole country
Dixie land and Yankee land alike
the demonstration was notable. When
the president arose to reply the big
crowd accorded him noisy demonstra-
tion that lasted several minutes.
In bis speech here the president said
ut seem to me that no American
president could spend his tine better
than by seeing Tor himself just what q
rich and wonderful region the lower
Mississippi valley Is, so that he may 60
back, as / shall go back, to Washington,
with the set purpose to do everything
that lies in me to see that the United
States does its full share in making the
Mississippi river practically part Of
the sea coast, in making tia deep chan
mel to the Great Lakes from the Gulf.
wish to see the levees SO strongly built
as to remove completely from the minds
Of jewellers of those lower regions all
apprehensions Of possible overflow.
I advocate no impossible task. No
difficult task. The people OF Holland,
a little nation, took two-thirds OF their
country out from under the sea, and
they live behind the dykes now and
have lived behind them for centuries in
safety.
with one-tenth the effort we, a
much greater nation, can take the in
comparably rich bottom lands of the
Lower Mississippi out Of the fear of be-
ing flooded or even being overlooked
by the Mississippi, and while do not
like to say in advance what / intend to
do, | shall break my rule in this case
and say that in my next message to
congress shall advocate as heartily as
know how, that the congress now
elected shall take the first steps to bring
about that deep channel way and at
te7dant high and broad levee system,
which will make Of these alluvial bot
toms the richest and most populous and
most prosperous agricultural land, not
only in this nation, but ON the face of
the globe, and, gentlemen, here is the
reason am particularly glad to be able
to advance such policy. I think any
policy which tends to the uplifting Of
any portion of our people in the end
distributes its benefits over the whole
people. But it is far easier, originally,
to put into effect policy which shall
at the moment help the people concen-
trated in the centers OF the population
and wealth than it is to put into effect
a policy which shall help the dwellers
in the country and the tillers Of the
soil.
Nov here we have policy whose
first and direct benefit will come to the
man on the plantation, the tiller of the
soil, the man who makes his fortune
from what he grows on the soil.
Mr.. Williams has said that in our
day we can sink all mere party differ
ences. Since have been president |
have found, aye, most of the time |
have needed to sink them, because the
differences Of party are of small inn
portance compared to the great funda-
nentals Of good citizenship upon which
MI American citizens should be united.Y |
The president said he agreed heartily |
hat the constitution of the United |
States represents fixed series of prin-
'iples. Yet he said that, in the inter
'st OF the people, it must be interpret
ID, not as a straitjacket, not as laying
he hand OF death upon all develop
nents, but as an investment designed
or the life and health and growth of
he nation.