The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-06
Committee of Fifty Visits Cannon
 And Fairbanks
NOT MUCH ENCOURAGEMENT
Vice President Fairbanks Gives Hearty Appreciation To Plan, But Canno,
 Says Appropriations Are s$N
 Now Heavy Enough.

oA 'V oA 'he ueiesdteS lV~s1As6necent con vention at Memphis ofssS% Lakes to the Gulf Deep Waterway ssociation. led by President w. K. k sanaugh, called on Vice President Fairbanks and Speaker Cannon at the capitol today and presented to each memorial adopted by the con- vention praying the support of Congress 10 the project for a ship canal from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, through the Atlantic coast states, and recommending an additional appropriation of $0O,OO0,00O for harbors and waterways improvement as proposed by the rivers and harbors congress.
 In receiving the memorial the Vice President said he would take great pleas ure in presenting it to the Senate and in referring it to the appropriations com- mittee at the earliest possible moment,
 Speaking for myself, personally" the Vice President said, q want to say that the movement for the improvement of our great navigable waterways has my heartiest, most ardent support and good will. l am not recent convert to this general proposition For a good many years in Indiana we have been advocat-
 
 tions for the improvement of the Ohio river and all of it's navigable affluents. l think among the questions which en- gage the attention of the people today there is not one of greater importance than this. It aggregates 4O,000000 of peo- pie represented by you; in fact, it affects every citizen of the republic.
 '"The importance of the subject has been overlooked. I think we have not taken it up early enough. l do not see how there can be any opposition to such a movement as this. | do not under stand where it can come from It is so wide in it's benedcent scope only regret that do not have vote upon the .propo- isition. But in the event there is tie it would be improper for me to say what would debut do not think you would need to memorialize me as to what should do." Daughter and applause)
 Cannon Gives Views.
 Speaker Cannon greeted the commit tee cordially and at once went to the point by asking whether the memorial recommended a bond issue for the pro- posed expense. MT. Malone of the com mittee replied that while some of the delegates to the convention expected such a recommendation to be made, it had been doubted.
 T want to see,' said the speaker, "if you had so specialized I was under the impression that a resolution was adopted that looked toward the i'm provement in a businesslike way of the waterways of the United States and if there was any specification then 1t was that the waterways should join the unsalted seas with the gulf of Mexico, which by inference, if not by construction. was indicated as probably the most important thing to be done. I had an invitation to be one of the movement that started out at Keokuk and ended at Memphis or Vicksburg. l was busy then. One year in four a poor devil of a member of Congress, if he faces his people after being in Washington, has got to run something of personal errands. ] was quite busy during the vacation in looking after the bread and butter problem.
 "I would hesitate long-and that is the reason I asked you the question: to vote to issue thousand million or $500, 900 900, or s10O, ,000, or $5,O00,- 900 of the securities of the government for the improvement of rivers and har- bors. I am not sure that the sober second thought of the country would approve it, and I am glad you left it out of your recommendations.
 ncdVy tPpTopTIdtfonSs
 "This country's appropriations, in- cluding the permanent appropriations for the public service are over $9O0,- 900 900 for the current year; and gen tlemen the expenditures will be within tho revenues and something left. We have alerady $240, ,000,00 of surplus in the treasury, quite enough to pay for a vigorous prosecution of all things that are being prosecuted in the way of work, and quite enough to get ready just as fast as possible with surveys, plans and estimates. Now then, any representative who is ac- countable to his people would, in my judgment, be ass to rush in and vote $500 900, 900 or thousand millions of bonds when he could not get ready in two years to spend per cent of it.
 "We have got to leave something for the next Congress to do, gentlemen. Daughter and applause).
 q believe a great development will go hot-footed along that line. l think you are on the right line looking to this matter of waterways but hold fast to your resolutions, one or two things that are practical finish them up and they will speak for tn emselves and make others easier. That is what we have got to do in this matter. In the course of time, if my constituents shall continue to give me their con fldence. in keeping my life and moving along as I know and every man here would desire that l move. my voice and my vote shal be along the lines I have given. which seem to me to be sensible"
 Atlanta Ready For Cash.