Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-10-10
WOULD CURB ROADS.
Constitution Held Broad Enough to
Deal with New Conditions.
GREAT WATERWAY ADVOCATED.
Mississippi River Route Exploited as
Ally of Panama Canal

the railroads.
Mr.. Roosevelt touched upon many sub
jects which he made it plain he considers
vital to the well-being of the nation. he
gave unqualified approval TO the plan for
river improvement; said a word for
strong fighting navy, and gave the reason
for dispatching the fleet to the Pacific.
Of the Constitution and its interpreted
ton in accordance with living condi-
tons" the President said: The Con-
stitution is now and must remain what 1t
always has been; but it can be interpreted
only as living organism, designed to
meet the conditions of life and not OF
death; in other words, interpreted as
Marshall interpreted it, as Wilson de-
clared it should be interpreted"
OF the Mississippi river and the pro-
posed improvements he said: "A high
way once so important, now almost aban-
doned, which l hope this nation will see
not only restored to all its former use
fitness, but given far greater degree OF
usefulness to correspond with the extraor-
binary growth in wealth and population
of the Mississippi Valley"
After speaking of the place the country
had taken as a world power and the rapid
progress in the work of digging the Pan
ANA canal, the President said:
Therefore, unless we are willing 20
abandon this place, to abandon our IN
sistence on the Monroe doctrine, to give
I'D the Panama canal and to be content to
acknowledge ourselves a weak and tlm1d
nation. we must steadily build up ana
~ nov
Address of the President.
Mr.. Roosevelt said in part:
l have often visited st. Louis oelore,
but always by rail. Now 1 am visiting II
in the course of trip by water-a trip on
the great natural highway which runs past
your very doors-a highway once so impor-
tant now almost abandoned, Wnlch nope
this nation will sec not only restored to all
its former usefulness, but given far greater
degree of usefulness to correspond Win
the extraordinary growth IN Wealth anu
population of the Mississippi valley
we have lived in an era of phenomenal
railroad building As routes for merchan-
disc, the iron highways have compIeteIy
supplanted the old wagon roads, ana uhder
their competition the Importance OF the wa
ter highways has been much diminished
Such a tendency is certainly not healthy,
and l am convinced that 1t will not be per-
manent. There are many classes OF com
modities especially those which are per
iSla0ie IN their nature anu n4lSAC INC 'NA ~
is high relatively to the bulk, which will
always be carried by rail. But bulky COM
modities which are not of perishaole ma
ture will always be specially suited for the
conditions of water transport.
To illustrate the truth of this statement
It would only be necessary to point to the
use of the canal system In many countries
of the Old World; but 1t can be Illustrated
even better by what has happened nearer
ample of the Importance of a good water
highway for mercantile traffic As the
line of traffic runs through lakes, the con-
ditions are in some respects different from
what must obtain on even the most impor-
tant river. Nevertheless, 1t Is well to re-
member that very large part of this traf-
fc is conditioned upon an artificial water
way, a canal-the famous 500. The COM
merce that passes through the 500 far sur
passes In bulk and in value that of the
SueZ canal
From every standpoint it is desirable for
the nation to join in improving the greatest
system Of river highways within its Dor
ders a system second only in Importance
to the highway afforded by the Great
Lakes the highways of the Mississippi and
It's great tributaries, such as the Missouri
and Ohio This river system traverses too
many States to render 1t possible to leave
merely to the States the task of fitting it
for the greatest use of which it IS capable
1t Is emphatically national task, Tor this
great river system is itself one of our chief
national assets.
Our knowledge is not sufficiently far ad-
vanced to enable me to speak definitely as
to the plans which should be adopted ;
but let me say one word of warning The
danger of entering. on any such scheme lies
in the adoption of impossible and undesir-
able plans.
Properly National Movement.
This is properly a national movement
because all interstate and foreign com
merce, and the improvements and methods
of carving it on. are subjects for national
action Moreover. while of course the
matter of the Improvement of the Missis-
sippi river and its tributaries IS one which
especially concerns the great middle por-
ton of our country, the region between
the Alleghenies and the Rockies, yet it is
Of concern to the rest of the country also,
for it cannot too often be said that what
ever is really beneficial to one part of our
country is ultimately of benefit to the
whole. Exactly as it is a good thing for
the interior of our country that the sea-
ports on the Atlantic and the Pacific and
the gulf should be safe and commodious,
so 1t Is to the interest of the dwellers on
the coast that the interior should possess
ample facilities for the transportation of
its products.
Take, for instance, the Panama canal
If the Mississippi is restored to its former
place of Importance as a highway of COM
merce, then the building of the Panama
canal will be felt as an immediate ad-
vantage to the business Of every city and
country district in the Mississippi valley
1 think that the building of that canal
VIII be of especial advantage to the States
that lie along the Pacific and the States
that lie along the gulf; and yet, after ALL
l feel that the advantage will be shared
in an only less degree by the States of the
interior and of the Atlantic coast.
In other words, it is a thoroughly ma
tional work, undertaken for .and rebound
ing to the advantage of all Of us-to the
advantage of the nation a whole
Therefore l am glad to be able to report
to you how well we are doing with the
canal
There is bound to be a certain amount of
experiment, certain amount of feeling our
way in a task so gigantic task greater
than any of its kind that has ever hitherto
| been undertaken in the whole history of
mankind; but the success so far has been
astonishing, and we have not net with q
single one of the accidents and drawbacks
which l freely confess l expected We should
from time TO time encounter
For over a year past we have been en-
gagged in making the dirt fly in good ear
nest. and the output OF the giant steam
shovels has steadily increased. II is row
the rainy season. when work Is most diff
cult on the isthmus, yet in the month of
August last we excavated over million
! and two hundred thousand cubic yards Of
earth and rock, a greater amount than in
any previous month
Now, gentlemen. this leads me up TO an
other matter for national consideration, and
| that is our navy.
Takes Ip Navy question
This country is definitely committed to
certain fundamental policies-to the Mon
roe doctrine, for instance, and TO the duty
not only of building. but, when it is built,
of policing and defending the Panama canal.
We have definitely taken our place
among the great world powers, and ii would
/ be a sign of ignoble weakness, having taken
such a place TO shirk its responsibilities.
Therefore. unless we are willing to aban-
don this place. to abandon our insistence
upon the Monroe doctrine, TO give up the
Panama canal and 10 be content to &C
kowledge ourselves a weak and timid ma
ton we must steadily build up and main
! tain a great fighting navy.
Our navy is already so efficient as TO
| be a matter of just pride to every Ameri-
can SO long as our navy Is no larger
than at present, it must be considered as
| an elementary principle that the bulk Of
! our battle feet must always be kept to-
| gether.
When the Panama canal is built 1t can
| be transferred without difficulty from one
/ part of our coast TO the other but even
! before that canal is built it ought to be
/ thus transferred to and fro from time to
| time In a couple of months our feet Of
great armored ships starts for the Pacific.
| California. Oregon and Washington have a
eosst limo which is our coast line lust as