Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-18
PRESIDENT ON WATERWAYS
] Commission to Consider water System Of
Country Namsd in Letter
RAILROAD SERVICE IS INADEQUATE
Development Of TTAnspsFtstion ~
Water Must he MADE with view
60 General Growth
of Business.

!. WASHINGTON, March II. - Complying
with petitions presented by numerous COM
mercial organizations Of the Mississippi
Yliey. President Roosevelt has decided 70
gapolnt an Inland waterways commission
whose duty II will be 70 prepare and report
a comprehensive plan for the Improvement
and control of the river systems OF the
United States. Eight public men have been
asked to serve on the commission and
Representative Theodore r. Burton Of Ohio,
chairman OF the rivers and harbors COM
rnittee In the last congress, IL TO be chair
man Of the commission
In letter which he has addressed 20
each OF these persons the president sets
out that he is influenced IN creating the
commission by broad considerations Of ma
tional policy: that the railroads are no
longer able TO move crops and manufac-
lures rapidly enough 70 secure the prompt
transaction Of the business Of the nation,
and that there appears TO be but one COM
piete remedy-the development Of a COM
Elementary system OF transportation by
water.
Letter Of President.
The presidents letter in full follow;
THE WHITE HOUSE. WASHINGTON,
meroial organizations OF the Mississippi
valley have presented petitions asking that
appoint q commission 70 prepare and
report comprehensive plan for the Inn
prOvement and control OF the river systems
Of the United States.
have decided to comply with these re-
quests by appointing an inland waterways
Commission. and have asked the following
gentlemen 10 act upon IT. shall be much
Theodore F. Burton chairman; Senator
ETsnSis g. NsTandS rs ssHStor W ina103
Alexander MackenEie, Dr. ". ]. McGse,
Mf. = II Newell Mr.. oirord PinchOt'
In creating this commission am in
duenced by broad considerations of ma
Shs lies h With the fea Soss
ment and carries with II corresponding
responsibilities and obligations The en-
directed toward Industrial development
connected with field and forest and with
of material and power are already largely
depleted; while our inland waterways az
whole have thus far received seant at
streams should be considered and con-
served as great natural resources. Works
.hus far usually been undertaken for O
single purpose. such as the improvement
he Irrigation OF arid lands, the protection
!or domestic and manufacturing purposes
and similar uses Of water must be re.
spected, the time has come for merging
local projects and uses OF the inland
waters in a comprehensive plan designed
for the beneht OF the entire Country. suci
plan should consider and include al
the uses to which streams may De put
and should bring together and co-ordlnat'
the points of view OF all users cf water
development and control Of the river sys
TENS OF the United States Is great one
yet II is certainly not too great for us Il
approach. The results which 1t seems I,
romse are even greater.
Railroad Service Inadequate.
II is common knowledge that the rail
roads OF the United States are no Longer
able to move crops and manufacture
.s"qpidly enough to secure the promp
z.A ansactien of the business of the nation
" lief. Representative railroad men 20 n
:erior states have doubled in ten years
while the railroad facilities have incIeass
)ut one-eighth, and there IL reason 10 Juo
whether any development OF the Taiii DAD
keop transportation abreast OF production
There appears to be but one complete rem
sdy-the development OF a complementar
system of transportation by water. h
present congestion Affects chiefly the PED
Die OF the Mississippi valley, and they de
nand relief. When the congestion Of whic
hey complain Is relieved the whole natio
vii share the good Ies'Jts.
FIRST rank, they are also liable TO becon
destructive agencies, endangering life an
engineering enterprises have grown out q
Efforts to control them, 1t was compute
by Generals Humphreys and Abbott half
century ago that the Mississippi alon
sweeps into its lower reaches and the gu
40OOO 900 tons Of floating sediment eac
year about twice the amount OF materit
TO be eNcavated In opening the Panam
canal, besides an enormous but unmeai
~ used amount of earth salts and soil matte
only causes It's channels to clog and foo
v the lOwlands OF the lower river but reT
-, ders the flow caprlcious and difficult
control, Furthermore, the greater part
~ the sediment and soil matter is compose
OF the most fertile material OF the field
and pastures drained by the smaller an
larger tributaries, Any plan for utiliEln
our inland waterways should consider fiooc
and their control by forests and otht
means; the protection Of bottom lands fro
injury by overflow and uplands from loi
~ soil wash the physics OF sedimei
charged waters and the physical othI
4 ways OF purifying them; the constTuetiC
navigation, but to control the character ar
hnovement OF the waters; and should loo
~ the full use and control Of our rtinniT
waters and the complete nrtihcializa ton
Hur waterways for the benefit Of our pc
bic as whole.
Development of other Resources.
II is not possible properly to frame
~ RrRe plan as this Tor the control OF o.
rivers without taking account Of the Q
sources. Therefore, l ask that the lnlal
. Waterways commission shall oonsider q
relations Of the streams to the use OF
the great permanent natural resources, al
their conversion for the making and mai
,enance OF prosperous homes
Any plan for utilizing our Inland wate
ways, to be feasible. should recognise {
means for executing Il already In eXistenS
both in the federal departments OF Wa