Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-03
Ball|esh|ps Needed 10 Uphold
Monroe OoctPlnCs and Protect
Panama Canal.
FEDERAL CONTROL OF RAILROADS
Speaking to Big Crowd at st. Louis,
Mr.. Roosevelt Declares Tina. tio
Does Not Want National Power Elk.
tended; That He Simply Wants 1t
Exerted. d
tny tho AssocInted prosa ,

tBy tho Associated Press.)
ST. LOUIS. MO-, Oct. 2.-President
Roosevelt In speech hero today de.
cared IL the nations duty to control
centrally interstate railroads and 10
restore the Mississippi river to its
proper place M great artery OF
commerce. He termed the proposed
~ foot channel from tho lakes 10 tho
gulf n national task
lie warned against pYans which
might entail reckless extrayagance
or DO tainted with jobbeiy," but urged
u liberal waterways policy.
Tremendous Cheering.
a tremendous cheering and what.
ing greeted the chief executive when
,he steamer Misslss ppi entered 81.
LOUIS harbor to make tho first stop
on me voyage from Keokuk to Mem.
pms. where President Roosevelt will
intend the convention of tho Deeu
Water Association on Friday.
through n sudden heavy downfall
OF rain. the President standing A,
omen carriage and bowng TO the m,ll.
utuuss was driven TO the Jat Alhi
nuildinE, five miles from the .rivar3
where he delivered his speech. ass
rrealdent's Speech.
The Presidents speech IA given
nearly in full. below:
1T Is q very real ploosnro 10 a.
uress this body OF citizeng OF Mlssnur,
mere In the great city or st. Louis i
nave often visited St Louis before
put always by rail. Now | am VISIT,
ing II In tho course of trip bv wnter.
Trip on the great natural highway
mhich runs past your very doors-a
highway once so important. now nj.
most Abandoned, which hone this
i'ntioh VIII see not only restored 10
al Its former usefulness but given
TAR greater degree of usefulness IN
correspond with the extraordinary
Growth in wealth and population ne
me Mississippi valley. We have lived
IN an era OF phenomenal railroad bnild.
ing. AS routes for merchandise tho
iron highways have completely sun.
planted the old wagon roads, and I'M.
uer their competition the Importance
or the water highways has been much
diminished. The growth OF the rail-
way system mas been rapid all over
,he world but nowhere so rapid as
IN the United States. ACCOMMODATING
this there has grown I'm the United
States tendency toward the practi.
cally complete abandonment Of the
system of water transportation. Such
tendency is certainly not healthy
and | am convinced that IL will not
be permanent.
Ihere are many classes of commo.
dities, especially those which are per-
ishable In their nature and where the
value is high relatively t. the bulk.
wf.iS.s :...Sgss..ts, "a ~ sa,tls
But bulky commodities which are not
OF perishable nature will always be
specially suited for the conditions of
water Transformation. To illustrate
the truth OF this statement it would
only be necessary to point to the use
OF the canal system in many countries
OF the Old World; but it can be ilIu
trated even better by what has hap.
pened nearer home. The ureat Lakes
oner n prime example of the i'm
portance of good water highway for
mercantile traffic. AS the line of traf.
lic runs through lakes, the conditions
are In some respects different from
what must obtain on even the most
important river. Nevertheless, 1t Is
well to remember that n very large
part of this traffic is conditioned upon
an artificial waterway, a canal-the Ia
nous 500. The commerce that passes
through tho 500 far surpasses in bulk
and in value that of the Suez canal.
Desirable From Every Standpoint.
From every tandpoint it is desiiy
able for the nation to join In improv-
ing the greatest system of river high
ways within its bordess, a System
second only in Importance to the high
way afforded by the Great Lakes; the
highways of the Mississippi and lis
great tributaries. such as the Missouri
and Ohio. This river system traverses
too many states to render 1t possible
to leave merely to the states the task
of fitting it for the greatest use OK
which 1t is capable. 1t emphaticaliy
a national task. for this great river
system Is itself one of our chief ma
'tional assets. Within the last few
years there has been an awakening Ia
this country to the need OF bot h the
conservation and The development. of
our national resources under the SUI
pervision of and by the aid OF the fed