Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-12-07
GOVERNOR CUMMllNS
ONE OF THE SPEAKERS
IOWA EXECUTIVE TAKES ISSUE
WITH GREAT NORTHERN HEAD
AND SCORES ovER-cAPITALI-
ZATIoN OF ROADS.

IL Hill president OF the Great North
srn. Railway company, the wizard of
American transportation" delivered
the principal address at Thursdays
session of the rivers and harbors' con
gress. He indorsed the work of the
congress, It's request for $60,000,000
appropriation from congress annually
to improve the water routes, and
denied the oft repeated assertion that
the railroads are foes Of water ways.
"Thsrs will be plenty of business for
both water ways and railroads." he
said. The alleged jealousy of the
railroads for the water ways is a myth
and Is only part Of the yellow ideas
that have been fostered in recent
years. You may be assured of the
hearty support of the railroads in the
construction of the legitimate water
ways Of the country"
Hill Given Ovation.
President Ransdell introduced Mr..
Hill as "a perfect wizard of transpor-
tation. and admittedly one of the
greatest railroad builders of the
world. ~ IL, was given an emit thusiastie
ayatien-sby the 81, 600 delegates.
In beginning, Mr.. Hill said that 1t
was canal which had made the city
Of Duluth the third largest port in
America. .'It follows" he said, that
we must prepare to utilize the water
ways of the country as common car
riers. and to this end one of the pro-
jects that we must see carried to a
conclusion is that of a cnannel from
st. Louis to New Orleans, of at least
~, ,2@~
feet would be twice as good. While
the tarfic Of this country is increas-
ing at the rate of IL per cent annually
the ability of the carriers at that
traffic Is increasing only 21a per cent
annually. 1t would be necessary for
us to build Immediately $4,000 miles
of new railroads in order adequately
to meet the traffic conditions of the
country"
Railroads Need Help.
Mr.. Hill said that such task, in
present conditions, would be almost
impossible on account of the difficulty
in obtaining proper terminals, the
necessary cash with which to con-
struct the roads. and the labor with
'.hich to build them 1t was evident,
ne Sdlu, Luett llOIS pOlHlS VI eApol L
We're needed, and that these could be
obtained only through the utilization
of the water ways. He believed that
the construction of a ship channel be.
tween the lakes and the gulf would do
more toward relieving the traffic con
gestion Of the Northwestern than any
other one thing. Calling attention to
the fact that during the past few years
~, 1ooo i,, + r..
country had been 22.7 per cent. while
to 1864 per cent, Mr.. Hill said the
wonder was that the entire business
of the country had not been paraly
exhausted their resources for public
service
Sees Lack of Confidence.
In seeking relief" said MI. Hill
I'VE naturally must turn to the water
ways of the country. and I believe tnat
they are about toemerge into an era
of great usefulness The overtaxed
railroads must be supplemented by
every possible method OF water trans
portation."
Cumnns Disputes Hill.
Governor A. B. Cummins of Iowa il
an address declared it to be evident
mat the United States must either
stop doing business or must bring tt
tne railroads the mighty hel1
of the water ways of the land
1T is not part O
the scheme of the American people.
said he. ito quit business. and | con
: clude that the American people pro
pose to improve their water ways
from the Atlantic to the Pacific ans
from the lakes to the gulf
Referring to Mr. Hills statemen
that capital was hesitating to go int,
the business of railroad construction
Governor Cumnins said that people
with money were hesitating to pu
their capital into the railroads becaus,
the railroads were oyercapitalized
People with money said he, I'll
the future will insist that they shall
receive value-real property-for thi
money, and not merely works of ar
from printing presses in the form o
beautiful decorated certificates o
,tr,nlye opd hop1S