The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-10-12
President Roosevelt Gives His Approval of the
Great Movement for Deep Water.
Resolutions Favor Comprehensive System of Inland
Waterways to Include the Mississippi
River and Its Tributaries.

one might be proud, but the great va
ton was to come.
To Governor Malcolm r. Patterson
fell the honor of introducing the presi-
dent, which he did in an eloquent and
graceful address.
For a fraction of a second there was a
pause as President Roosevelt was intro
duced. The crowd was drawing a full
breath. Then u roar of welcome broke
out. And such q roar it was.
Leading up to his speech upon the
question at issue, the proposed fourteen
foot channel through the Mississippi
| valley from the lakes to the gulf, Pres
ident Roosevelt stated that he would
speak but in a general way; that he
would not commit himself until he had
| been acquainted with the details of the
| proposal and the manner of its reali-
| zation through the lips of men OF
expert knowledge who had made a thor
| ough investigation and survey. He add
ed, however, that he considered the time
| for general discussion about passed, the
time for the initiation of active opera
lions almost at hand.
With sledge hammer blows he drove
| his arguments on the necessity for the
improvement of the inland rivers. The
valley of the Mississippi, he declared,
vas politically and commercially more
important than any other valley on the
| face of the globe, and its development
was far more important to the whole
country than the solution of any other
| problem now before the American pub
lie. River regulation is rate regula-
! tom he declared, and no quicker or
1 - -o.f%o- cnI,trnn nf fhn rail
road problem could be made than in the
| development of the capacities OF the IN
land waterways to their fullest meas
ure.
1t was no ordinary multitude to whom
the chief magistrate addressed his words.
Before him sat the 1000 or more dele
gates to the waterways gathering, TWEEN
ty-three governors of states, congress
men of both the upper n lower
branches, members of the inland water
| ways and Mississippi river commissions
and engineers of national renown who
have pronounced the fourteen-foot chan
mel Il feasible proposition. Frequently
interspersing his remarks with hearty
and spontaneous cheers, this brilliant as
semblage gave unmistakable signs OF
their most entire approval.
Mr.. Roosevelt did not in his address
confine himself wholly to the considera-
ton of the fou~rteen-foot channel. lie
spoke briefly of the abuse and disuse OF
the country's resources in general and
urged the correction of such conditions.
He referred to his own attitude upon
the question of conservation and devel-
opment. an attitude uncompromislngly
progressive. He also spoke of the work
being done on the Panama canal, point
ed out the difficulties which had been
met and overcome in the actual con-
structive work and those encountered
in the adverse criticism of people "who
are all right, but a little wobbly."
Throughout his remarks the president
was repeatedly interrupted by round al
ter round of applause. When he had
concluded the applause lasted many min
utes. He left the hall for his train i'm
mediately upon finishing his address.
The convention was addressed by
senators, governors, congressman, rail-
road presidents and other prominent
men, all of whom gave their approval
to the proposed plan of deep water from
the lakes to the gulf.
Resolutions.
The report of the committee on res
o%lutions follows:
Whereas, for more than half a CEN
fury the desirability of a deep water
way, extending from the great lakes of
the North to the Gulf of Mexico has
been generally recognized and favored
by many of the leading statesmen and
publicists or America, as an economic
and commercial, if not a strategic and
military necessity, this sentiment being
first voiced in part, it will be remem-
bered, by the historic convention COM
! posed of delegates from all the North
western and Southern states, and held
in the city of Memphis in November,
1915, with John C. Calhoun as chair-
man, in the following direct and force
full resolution, towit: Resolved, that
the project of connecting the Mississippi
river with the lakes of the North and
thence with the Atlantic ocean by a
ship canal is a Measure worthy of the
enlightened consideration of congress-"
and,
Whereas, the demand for the speedy
! completion of this munificent pub
, lie work has become more and
| more apparent and pronounced as
Tie COuutly Has uc|CiOpCu, IL ~
ING now manifest to the most cas-
ual and careless observer, that not
withstanding the norm increase in
railroad mileage during the past fifty
years, the transportation facilities furn-
ished thereby are totally inadequate to
the task of handling properly, econom-
ically and satisfactorily, the vast tom
mage supplied by the increased output
of the mines, farms and factories of
the Mississippi valley; and,
Whereas, it is also manifest that the
valuable system of waterways provided
by nature as a natural rival of the rail-
roads of the country, and the ever-pres-
ent and potent regulators of their trans
portation charges, have been too long
neglected; or at least that their devel-
opment and betterment have not kept
pace with the reasonable demands and
requirements of the public, and,
Whereas, it is known of all men that