Semi-weekly herald., 1907-10-07

ing country: while in addition to the
the manufactures supplied In innu-
and small. Cities OF astonishing
them being situated on the great river
which flows by your doors or upon
some of its numerous navigable tribu
taries. New mineral fields are dis
covered every year; and the con
stantly increasing use of all the de-
vices OF Intensive cultivation steadily
adds to the productive power OF the
farms. Above all. the average man
is honest. intelligent, self-reliant, and
orderly, and therefore good citizen;
and farmer and wageworker alike
IN the last analysis the two most
important men in the community
enjoy Il standard of living. and have
developed standard OF self-respect-
ing. self-reliant manhood which are
Of good augury for the future OF the
entire republic. No man can fore
see the limit of the possibility of de-
velopment in the Mississippi valley.
such helm, the case. and this val
ley being literally the heart os the
United States. all that concerns its
welfare must concern likewise the
sissippi river and its tributaries ought
| by all means to be utilized to their
utmost possibility. Facility of cEeap
transportation is an essential In our
modern civilization. and we can not
AFFORD any longer to neglect the great
highways which nature has provided Il
| for us. These natural highways, the
waterways. can never be monopolizei /
| by any corporation. They belong to
all the people. and it is in the power
of no one to take them away. Wher-
ever navigable river runs beside
railroads the problem OF regulating
the rates on the railroads becnlnes far
| easier, because river regulation Is rate
regulation. When the water rate
sinks. the land rate can not be kept
Mt an excessive height. Therefore Il
s of national Importance to develop
these streams as highways to the f'.ll.
est extent which is genuinely pront-
able. Year by year transportation
problems become more acute, and the
| time has come when the rivers real
| ly 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 undertake this
work. Where the Immediately abut
ting land is markedly benefited. and
| this benefit can be definitely localized,
trust that there will be careful in
| vestigation to see whether some way
can be devised by which the imme-
diate beneficiaries may pay a portion
OF the expenses-as is now the Gus
tom as regards certain classes of i'm
provements In our municipalities; and
measures should be taken to secure
from the localities specially benefited
proper terminal facilities. The ex-
pense to the nation of entering upon
such scheme of river improvement
as that which / believe 1t should ,in.
dertake, will necessarily be great.
Many cautious and conservative peo-
pie will look askance upon the project,
and from every standpoint 1t is neces-
sary, If we wish to make 1t successful,
that We should enter upon 1t only
| under conditions which will guarantee
the nation against waste Of its money.
and which will insure us against en-
tering upon any project until after
the most elaborate expert examina-
ton. and reliable calculation of the
proportion between cost and benefit.
! Ir any project like this there should
he definite policy. and a resoiute
purpose to keep in mind that the only
improvements made should be those
| really national In their character. We
should act on the same principle in
improving our rivers that We should
fellow in improving Our harbors. The
great harbors are Of consequence not
merely to the immediate localities. but
to immense stretches OF country: and
the same is true of the great rivers.
| 1t is these great rivers and great har-
bors the improvement of which is of
primary national interest. The main
streams should be improved to the
highest practical degree of efficiency
before Improvements are attempted
| on the branches. and work should be
undertaken only when completion is
IL sight within reasonable time, so
that assured results may be gained
and the communities affected depend
upon the improvements. Moreover. ms
| an incident In caring for the river 80
that 1t may become an efficient chan.
| mel of transportation. the United
States government should do its full
pert in levee building, which, in the
lower reaches of the river. will not
only give channel for commerce.