The Oskaloosa herald., 1907-10-03
THE PRESIDENT
ENDORSES PLAN
FAvoRs IMPROVEMENT OF THE
GREAT MISSISSIPPI.
NOISY WELCOME AT ST. LOUIS.
Steamer Bearing Roosevelt and Party
Arrives Ahead of Time-No
Cocktails on the Menu at
Luncheon.

( st. Louis. Oct 2.-The old stern
wheeler Mississippi with the Presi-
dents flag flying at its mast passed
under the Eads bridge before 8 o'clock
this morning, nearly an hour ahead of
schedule time. A gaily decorated
crowd reaching in all directions gave
President Roosevelt noisy welcome
Roosevelt came on deck and waved
ais hat AT $3.50 committee OF rep
resentatives of various business organ
lizations met the President at the levee.
drove him around town. thence to the
Auditorium where the President deliy-
cred an address.
The American cocktail was missing
from the menu of luncheon served TO
liIe President. The committee told the
chef they would have none of that
drink because of Fairbanks delegate
ship to a church conference. How
ever they will have brandy, cham
lpagne and sherry at Wood River re-
fnery. Below Alton this morning
thousand employees of the Standard
ION fired dynamite charges as a sa-
lutte to the President.
During the parade a heavy rain fell.
"a pool of water forming in the Presi-
dents seat Roosevelt stood up ,way-
ing his right hand to the crowds on
one side, and his hat to the crowds on
the other.
Roosevelt was introduced at the
Auditorium by Gov. Folk Shortly be-
fore Roosevelt nearly hugged Folk.
saying: Il am a great admirer OF
yours" Roosevelt was cheered TWEEN
ty minutes before he began to speak.
The Presidents Address.
| President Roosevelt gave unrestrict-
ed endorsement to the proposed inn
provement of the Mississippi river and
its tributaries. and in part he said:
1T is very real pleasure to address
this body of citizens of Missouri here
in the great city of st. Louis have
often visited st. Louis before. but al
ways by rail Now | am visiting il in
the course of trip by water, a trip
on the great natural highway which
runs past your very doors-a highway
once so important, now almost aban-
doned which l hope this nation viii
see not only restored to all its former
usefulness, but given far greater de-
gree of usefulness to correspond with
Z the extraordinary growth in wealth
) and population of the Mississippi Val
4 ley. We have lived in an era of phe-
nomenal railroad building. AS routes
7 for merchandise, the iron highways
have completely supplanted the old
Z wagon roads, and under their competi-
+ tion the Importance of the water high
! ways has been much diminished. The
1, growth of the railway system has been
Z rapid all over the world, but nowhere
: so rapid as in the United States. Ac-
companying this there has grown in
: the United States a tendency toward
/ the practically complete abandonment
/ of the system of water transportation.
Such a tendency is certainly not
E healthy and | am convinced that it
. will not be permanent. There are
e many classes of commodities, especial
ii ly those which are perishable in their
3 nature and where the value is high
S relatively to the bulk. which will al
n ways be carried by rail. But bulky
) commodities which are not of per-
r ishable nature will always be special
ly suited for the conditions of water
transport
The 500 Canal.
ITO illustrate the truth of this
statement it would only be necessary
to point to the use of the canal sys-
tenn in many countries of the Old
World; but 1t can be illustrated even
better by what has happened nearer
home. The Great Lakes offer prime
example of the Importance of good
water highway for mercantile traffic.
As the line of traffic runs through
lakes, the conditions are in some re-
spects different from what must obtain
on even the most important river. New
ertheless, it is we'll to remember that
a very large part of this traffic is con-
ditioned upon an artificial waterway, a
5 canal-the famous Soo The com
merce that passes through the 500 far
surpasses in bulk and in value that OF
l the Suez Canal.
4 From every standpoint it is desir-
= able for the nation TO join in improv-
D ing the greatest system of river high
A ways within its borders. a system Sec
ond only in Importance to the high
way afforded by the Great Lakes; the
highways Of the Mississippi and its
great tributaries, such as the Missouri
y and Ohio. This river system traverses
too many states to render II possible
to leave merely to the states the task
!. of fitting It for the greatest use OF
: which It is capable. 1t is emphatically
T national task. for this great river
g system is itself one Of our chief ma
tional assets"