The weekly true Democrat., 1907-11-01
ARE PLANNING TO
BILL WATER WAY.
SuwAnnse River Included -NetwOSR
of Canals.

a washington utbpdICn OF the GoCn
Lakes, Gulf Channel to be Central Art.
cry fed by other connections-Lockage
fees and tolls to pay for locks and other
expense.
An outline of the report which the
| inland water way commission will make
was obtained this week. With the deep
water way from the lakes to the gulf
al the central artery, the commission
will advocate the permanent improve
ment of all the navigable rivers in the
Mississippi valley, the deepening Of ex-
listing canals and the building Of others,
so that the country may be given the
most direct water connection between
the chief local points of trade.
It is to be a network uniting the great
lakes with the Mississippi valley streams
and the latter with each other, with
Hudson bay and the gulf, and linking
the mouth of the Mississippi by the
western inner passage" with all the
Texas ports and the Rio Grande, and by
the "eastern inner passage" with Mo-
bile bay and through the Suwannee
river, across Florida, with the Atlantic
seaboard network also annihilating
the distance around Delaware, connect
ing Delaware bay and Raratan bay by
cutting across New Jersey, connecting
Delaware bay and Chesapeake bay by
improving the existing Delaware and
Maryland canal.
The whole is to be rounded off by cut
ting through the Isthmus of Cape Cod
and affording short route from Long
Island sound into Massachusetts bay
and Boston harbor.
MAY PROPOSE BOND ISSUE.
But one important point is as yet un-
decided. Several members of the COM
mission favor a direct recommendation
of bond issue large enough GOO, 600, 900
is mentioned) to furnish the funds to
start the great work. Fearing the crit
icism which usually follows any sugges-
tion of bond issue, other commission
ers hesitate at the proposition.
The commission will point out that
the whole scheme, though so enormous
ly costly in it's totals, will pay its own
way in the end. Dams, where needed,
will develop water power to pay for
their construction. Lockage fees at
locks will pay for the locks. Tolls can
be made TO defray the cost of canals.
The commission, fortified with letters
from commercial organizations and in
stitutions now engaged IN river traffic,
the river trade be standardized in ac-
cordance with the depth of the channel
decided upon in the several respective
zones of inland water way routes. In
short, the commission viii say that an
entire revolution in thegeneral attitude
of commerce toward water transporta-
tion is at hand.
The idea of cooperation between the
government and the interests benefited
will be advanced by the commission.
This Is in line with President RoOsevelt's
Memphis speech, wherein he said: 81
trust that there will be careful investi-
cation to see whether some way can be
devised by which the immediate bene-
ficiaries may bear portion Of these ex-
penses-as is now the custom as regards
certain classes Of improvements in our
municipalities and measures should be
taken to secure from the locality spe-
cially mentioned proper terminal facili-
ties
PROBLEM IN TERMINALS.
That concluding phrase Of the Presi-
dent, ''proper terminal facilities, re-
fers to problem in which the commits
sion seems to nave the only serious
handicap. At almost all the cities along
the rivers the railroads now own and
control the water front. Unless the mu-
nicipalites cooperate and use drastic
power to provide terminals the railroads
are in a position TO control the wharf
age, and thence control, in large de-
gree, the river traffic.
The issue of water way betterment,
with the deep water way the enterprise
uppermost, will be made the occasion Of
successive demonstrations here this win
ter. Congress cannot escape being inn
pressed with the urgency Of popular
opinion on the subject.
The inland commissions report will be
promulgated in full late in November.
It will be followed by the Presidents
message. Then, on December Sd, the
rivers and habors congress will assem-
BILE, an organization in which are repre-
sented the foremost business interests
of the country, and which devotes its
influence towards furthering the cause
Of river and harbor improvement. Early
in January, on special call of the Presi-
dent. transportation conference" and
conference on conservation of natural
resources will be held.
A Narrow Escape.
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