The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-10-25
NEVADA SENATOR MAKES PLEA
FOR COOPERATION OF
STATES.
HAS PLACE ON WATERWAYS COMMISSION
His Speech Enthusiastically Received
BY Champions of the
Project.

SOH ClIy, MO-, Oh Inc ildlleT Vi tHe
Improvement of the Mississippi and
Missouri rivers, and the creation of
a deep waterway to connect the Great
Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico.
The speech, which was reproduced
in the st. Louis Globe Democrat I'M
der recent date, is as follows:
The Inland Waterways commission
has been appointed by the president
for the purpose of recommending to
him a broad and comprehensive plan
of legislation regarding the inland
waterways, which he can consider in
connection with his proposed recon-
mendations to congress. The COM
mission has made tour of the great
lakes, of the entire Mississippi river
from st. Paul to New Orleans, of
some of the Pacific coast rivers, and
is now on the Missouri river at the
urgent request of Senator Warner,
who is one of the members of the
board
The commission is profoundly i'm
pressed with the Importance of i'm
proving the Missouri river from Kan
sas City to the mouth. 1t Is also i'm
pressed with the work of taking up
the Improvement above Kansas City,
for large portion of the sediment in
the river which makes the shoals and
bars comes from the upper reaches
of the river 1t is estimated that
over one-half of the sediment carried
into the Mississippi river comes from
the Missouri, so that the treatment
of the Missouri is essential to the
treatment of the Mississippi.
hn inn
ment of the inland waterways has at
tracted general attention and is the
outgrowth of the agitation for a Ia
foot channel from st. Louis to the
gulf and of the following agitation
for a deep channel from the gulf to
the lakes.
Magnitude of the Task.
It is clear that any general plan of
legislation must be fair to all sec
tions of the country, and must in
clude the Atlantic coast rivers, the
gulf coast rivers and the Pacific coast
rivers, as well as the Mississippi and
it's tributaries. Every section of the
country must feel that it has di-
rect interest in the plan in order to
enlist the support of its representa-
tives.
1t is also clear that comprehen-
sive plan of inland waterway i'm
provement will cost between $500,
100000 and 1,OOO,000,000 This
will stretch over a period of from ten
to twenty years, and it is clear that
a bond issue will be necessary in Or
der to provide for continuous and I'M
interrupted work.
wi bn 10 cE RI nH n
the country up to the point of actual
ly entering upon the execution of
such a plan, and anything that can
be suggested in the way of co-opera-
ton by the states and by private in
terest affected. will make it easier,
more practical and sooner accom-
plished. 1t is important therefore,
that plans of cooperation should be
considered in every state and COM
munity affected, so that the public
opinion may be formed with a view
to instructing the representatives of
the people both of state and national
government.
We have two methods of aid to the
general problem of stream control;
one involving the arid lands, the
other the swamp lands, the arid land
plan involving entire compensation to
the government, the swamp land re-
clamation involving the partial con-
tribution by the states, which bear a
share of the great expense Of con-
trolling the river.
Here the idea suggests itself as to
whether or not, in these intermedi-
ate regions between the arid region
and the swamp land region, some in
expensive method of construction can
not be devised. Here we have in the
Missouri valley, for instance, vast
area of land, pretty nearly a million
acres, between the bluffs on both
sides and the Missouri river, every
acre of which is subject to the caprice
of the Missouri river. Why, there
fore, should not some method be de-
vised by which the state government
of Missouri could organize district
somewhat similar to the levee dis
tricts of the south, which would en-
able such a district to contribute
something toward the expense of the
control of the stream? So. also, the
great cities at each end of the Mis-
souri, river, Kansas City and st. Louis
will be great beneficiaries of river
control, for it will result in the pro-
motion of transportation, in which
they are so much interested.
1t is estimated that the entire i'm
provement of the Missouri river,
from st. Louis to Kansas City, dis
lance of about 400 miles, will cost
$20,000,000, and in addition to this,
of course, large sums will have to be
expended above Kansas City, which
will contribute to the protection of
the region below. 1t is contemplated
that this work should spread over a
period of twenty years; it would be
much better, however, If it could be
finished within ten, for the beneficial
results realized from this work would
more than compensate for the entire
expenditure.
State Should Aid Work.
for the state of Missouri and the pri-
vate interests to which I have re-
| ferred to consider some method of
government might contribute, say,
one-half of the total expenditure of
$20,OOO,000; the 100000 acres in
the valley of the Missouri between
Kansas City and St. Louis, one
IOurtn, say 3O,UUU,UUU, SpTedu over
period of ten years, which would
involve a cost to each acre of not
more than so cents per annum. Why
could not the cities of st. Louis and
Kansas City contribute one-eighth, or
$2.500,000, and the railroads con-
tribute the other one-eighth? We
would then have system of coop
Grafton and help established which
! Il IN