The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-12-13
ASK FIFTY MILLIONS.
That Sum Wanted Yearly of Congress for
Improvement of Waterways and
Harbors. Memorial Presented.

Harbors.-Memorial Presented.
A Washington special says: A COM
mittee OF about fifty delegates to the
recent convention at Memphis of the
Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterways AS
ISOLATION led by President w. K Kaya-
naugh, called on Vice President Fair
banks and Speaker Cannon at the CAPT
tol Thursday and presented to eacn
a memorial adopted by the convention.
praying the support of congress to the
project for ship canal from the great
lakes to the gulf of Mexico, through
the Atlantic coast states and recon-
mending an annual appropriation pe
$50,0O0,00O for harbors and waterways
Improvement, as proposed by the riv-
ers and harbors congress.
In receiving the memorial the vics
president said he would take great
pleasure in presenting it to the senate.
and continued:
Speaking for myself personally, /
want to say that the movement for the
improvement of our great navigable
waterways has my heartiest and most
ardent support and good will. / think
among the questions which engage
the attention OF the people today there
is not one Of greater Importance than
this. 1t affects 40,000,0OO of people rep
resented by you; in fact, it affects ev-
cry citizen of the republican"
Speaker Cannon greeted the commit
tee cordially and at once went to the
point by asking whether the memorial
recommended bond issue for the pro-
posed expense. Mr.. Malone of the COM
mittee replied that it had been omitted
and Speaker Cannon then said:
ut is one thing to propose; it is am
other thing to dispose, and under our
form Of government the rocks and
mountains will fall under representa-
tives who touch the people every two
years, unless they can show prac-
teal record. | would hesitate long 70
vote to issue a thousand millions, or
five hundred millions, or one hundred
millions, or FIVE millions Of dollars of
the securities of the government for
the Improvement of rivers and harbors.
/ am not sure that the sober second
thought of the country would approve
it.
This country's appropriations, in
cludin gthe permanent appropriations
for the public service, are over $780,
100000 for the current year, ana, gem
tlemen, the expenditures will be with
in the revenues and something left.
We have already $24OOO0,0OO of sur
plus 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 an ass to rush in and
vote $500,O00,00O or thousand mil
lion of bonds when we could not get
ready in two years to spend per cent
Of 1t.
1--WE have got to leave something for
the next congress to do, gentlemen
daughter and applause)
Il think you are in the right line
touching the matter Of waterways, but
hold fast to your resolutions-one or
two things that are practical; finish
them up, and they will speak for them
selves and make others easier. That
is what we have got to do in this mat
ter"
A notable feature Of the rivers and
harbors congress convention Thursday
was the address delivered by James
]. I'LL, president Of the Great North
crn Railroad company
Mr. I'LL created great enthusiasm
among the 2,500 delegates by declaring
that the railroads Of the country would
support cordially any proper plan for
the development OF the legitimate wa
terways OF the United States. He
then produced figures to show. that tho
traffic Of the country had become so
great and was increasing so tremen-
dously that It was beyond the physical
power of the railroads to handle it.