Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-03

FROM GULF TO THE LAKES
Says That No Particular Method Meets
His Advocacy.
POINTS OUT THE DIFFICULTIES
Jubilation Dinner, With Fifteen Gov
errcrs at Table-Real and Ideal
Pictures of River Presented.

CAIRO. H. October 3.-When Pres dent
Roosevelt stepped ashore here at o o'clock
this morning he looked as if he had spent
a comfortable night on the steamboat Mis-
sissippi. He turned in about midnight last
night, and there was little to disturb his
rest except two or three brief bur enthu-
siastic demonstrations ON the shore.
Quiet as was the last half Of the night
for the Couutry's chief magistrate the first
portion of it was fully occupied. He was
the guest at dinner on the steamer Alton
of the Business Mems League of St. Louis
and with that entertainment and the speech
making and conversation that followed
the dinner his time until almost II o clock
was fully taken up.
The important feature of the dinner was
the fact that the scheme of ship chan
mel from the gulf to the lakes received an
impetus which all believed will do much
toward insuring the earnest pressing of
that enterprise The occasion was also
notable for the presence of fifteen gov
ernors, the members of the inland water
ways commission and several Illinois rep
resentatives of the business word of St.
Louis. The governors attending We're:
Conner of Alabama, Broward of Florida,
Deneen of Illinois, Cummins of Iowa, Hoch
of Kansas, Blanchard of Louisiana, Folk of
Missouri, Shelton of Nebraska Curry of
New Mexico, Burke of North Dakota,
gon. Crawforl of South Dakota, Davidson
of Wisconsin and Brooks of Wyoming and
Gov.-elect Noel OF Mississippi.
Approval of Ship Channel
The dinner was presided over by Pres-
dent Smith of the Business League and
President Roosevelt was the principal
speaker. He requested that his speech be
not reported but permitted the statement
TO be made that he had announced un-
equivocally his Endorsement of the general
principle involved in the scheme for the
creation of ship channel up the river and
TO the great lakes.
AS he stated the case. he would have
loop in the gulf at New Orleans that would
practically create an arm of that body of
water to the lakes. At the same time he
was most careful TO say that he would not
Civ his assent to any particular scheme OF
Improvement. He also pointed out many of
the obstacles against carrying out a plan
of such vast proportions and involving so
much expense, and, while promising all the
assistance he could give, he told his hear
ers that the only way TO make success GER
tain was 10 prepare themselves SO thor
Oughly as to render their arguments unan-
sWerable.
The speech was greeted with prolonged
applause. and this Endorsement took the
shape OF words when Gov. Folk, Gov De-
neen and Gov. Blanchard spoke. All of
them pledge, their utmost efforts in fur
therance of the enterprise
While the dinner was In progress the
President presented with an oil paint
ing of a section of the Mississippi river
under present conditions, and the compan-
ion piece to represent conditions after the
completion of the waterway was promised
for the future.
Demonstration on River Bank
During the night there were p-onounced
demonstrations as the boat passed Cape
Girardeau and Grand Tower, but they came
too late to receive public recognition from
the President. The Mississippi was escorted
down the river from St Louis to Cairo by
ten other boats. and it was met early in the
morning by Il huge excursion steamer from
this city, which carried not only several
hundred passengers Of both sexes, but also
a voclferous steIn CaiIiope which for the
time did all The nose making on the middle
stretches of the Father of Waters.
IHe President and party drove to ST
Mary Park. where u great crowd was as
semuled.
Mayor Parsons introduced Gov. Deneen of
limos who IN turn Introduced the Presi-
Gtht. who delivered his address
,Ine Presidents speech Will be found else
where in The StIrD
Off for Memphis
President Roosevelt left here shortly he
fore noon The next stop VIII be Memphis
which, according to the schedule Will be
reached at l pm. tomorrow
1t was been cloudy here all the morning
l.lf mn r4f, fill