The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-05
Distinguished Men In All Walks Of Life Assemble In
 Washington
DEFINITE RESULTS ARE
 EXPECTED FROM CONGRESS
No Special Projects or Pet Schemes Are Fathered, But Policy Will Be Adopted Asking National
 Aid For Waterways.

Washington, December 4-Prominent officials of the national government, gov- ernors of states. representatives of for egn powers. members of the Senate and
 House of Representatives and leaders ia all walks of civil life in America par ticipated today in the opening of the con- vention of Rivers and Harbors congress. Nearly 2OO0 delegates representing every
 state in the union. were present. It is
 not expected that any definite or concrete , action in promotion of the projects ad- vocated by the congress will be taken, but 1t Is hoped that the work of the convention will so impress the national Congress as to induce it to make ade- quate appropriations for the rivers and harbors of the country. It is the desire of the delegates to secure such action by | the Congress of the United States as will 1 promote the trade and commerce of ! America.
 It is not special project that the con- ! venton has in view. but the adoption of l u policy by the government looking to | the extension of the transportation faeili- 1 ties of the United States.
 On behalf of national administration l Mir. Root. secretary of state. extendedato 1 the congress hearty sympathy in tho
 work which it has undertaken and gave
 assurance of the support of the admin 1 istration in the conclusions arrived at 1 by the delegates The congress will be 1 in session for three days and the body will be addressed by some of the most l prominent publicists and senators of tho 1 United States.
 rha convention was formally opened at i 10 o'clock this morning. Representative
 Joseph E. Ransdag of Louisiana presided,
 and J. z Ellison of Cincinnati offfeiated l as secretary. The session began with l prayer by Earl Cranston, bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church.
 Gavel For RansdeIl. Before the congress formally convened l President Ransdel was presented with .t silver mounted gayel by the Upper Mis- ] sissipp Improvement association. Pres | idcnt Ransdell in opening the congress re- l ferred to the work of the national ad- ministration in promoting trade relations between America and foreign countries lying to the south Of the United States. l | the achievements of Secretary Root of 1 the state department in promoting those relations. He then presented to the con l sress the Secretary of State. l Secretary Root was received with great, | applause the delegates rising to greet 1 him.
 | Ut is d pleasure" said Secretary Root, | to extend to you the interest and hearty | support of the national administrations | in your great work. It has been q snb-i | iect of much misunderstanding and de- | precation and even of derision. Our | people are so busy that the inhabitants 1 of one section of the country understand | little of what is going on in other sec 1 tons The people get their ideas Of the ! national situation from the headlines or i newspapers and in the nature of things 1 the newspaper presents that which IS l most sensational to all people. Every l normal thing is accentuated. murders, l suicides and embezzlements promi- nently presented to the readers of the f newspapers each day. Tn the natural l course every abnormal thing of the rivers | and harbors bill has been made the most l of and we have gotten into the habit of | talking facetiously about the pork bar | rel 1t Is time that we have thought | and consideration in this matter. so that
 the people of the United States may nn- l derstand that the rivers and harbors work is a matter of great public policy
 Veto Message. l Secretary Root related an incident of a rivers and harbors bill of which he had prepared q veto message while he was secretary of war. That bill was not passed but was talked to death in the senate. He said that if the measure had been vetoed, 1t would have been not because the proposed Improvements were unjustifed, but because of the proposed improvement of a certain mountain stream, which President Mckinley said was not l warranted Continuing. the secretary said that the policy followed by the United States must be considered truly poll icy and not as a project He referred to the construction of the Panama canal
 and to the improvement of the Erie canal as instances showing that the American people stand squarely behind the in- provement of waterways and he expressed 1 the hope that they had asserted that poll l icy in the future.
 "ln your last convention. said Sec retary Root there was some reference
 that we should not cross d bridge until | we reached It. We now have reached
 the bridge. There is no greater achieve l ment than the transportation of articles ] which are Valueless at one point to an- | other uoint where they are valuable. The ! railroads of the country no longer are t, able physically to carry the traffic of I America and the one avenue open to such traffic is water transportation, 1 "We must move forward or we will go | backward. This particularly appeals to me because l am interested in the pro- motion of the foreign commerce of ! America I see American production handicapped by two things: First. tho ! great cost of gettDg the goods 10 the ! sea board, and, second. the absence Of 1 an American merchant marine Report on Work. ] At the conclusion of Secretary Roots l address. Jos l.. Ransdeii, president of 1 the congress presented in an address
 report of the work of the congress dur l ing the past few months. He then in- troduced M. Jusserand, the ambassador 1 of France to the United States. who spoke l in part as follows
 | "We hold the record for the present" | said Ambassador Jusserand. You will l hold it in turn when the great Panama '
 n ID .