Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-12-13
WATERWAYS
CONVENTION
IMMENSE GATHERING FOR THE
PROMOTION or WATER
TRANSPORTATION.
RAILWAYS INADEQUATE
sGcRETARv ROOT DEFINES POL.
ICY OF UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT.

Washington. Prominent officials OF
the national government. governors OF
states. representatives Of foreign pow.
ers. members Of the senate and holse
OF representatives and leaders In all
walks Of civil life In America pariiei-
pated Wednesday In the opening of the
ccnvention OF the rivers and has5ors
congress.
Nearly 1000 delegates representing
every state In the union ware present.
Before tho congress formally Ton
vcned. President Ransdeli was present
cd with silver mounted savei by the
Upper Mississippi Improvement As.
Sociation.
Mr.. Ransdcii In opening the congress
referred to the work Of the national ud-
miniEtFation In promoting trade rcin-
tons between Americans and foreign
Countries. particularly those countries
lying To the south OF the United States.
and referred In complimentary terms
to tho achievements Of Secretary Root
In promotinf those relations. lie then
presented the secretary Of state.
Secretary Root was received with
great applause. the delegation risin. to
greet him.
1T 10 pleasure" said Secretary
Root. ITO extend to you the interest
and hearty sympathy Of the national
administration In your great work. II
has been a subject Of much misuudcr.
standing and depreciation and even of
derisIon. Our people are so busy that
tho Inhabitants OF one section u the
country understand little OF which II
going on In other sections"
The irrigation scheme. Mr.. Root h1id.
had been sought under color OF river
and harbor improvements. He fclici.
tatcd tho convention on the fact that
the rivcr and hnrbor bills Of this day
kind referred TO.
He said that policy followed by the
United States must be considered truly
as . policy and not as project. He
referred to the construction OF the Pan.
anna canal and to tho Improvement Of
the Eric canal NJ instances showing
that tho American people stand Jquarc-
ly behind tho Improvement OF water.
wayB and he expressed tho hope :ant
they would assert that policy In the fu.
turc.
''ln your last convention" said Sec.
retary Root, "thcrc was some refer.
rcncc that We should not cross bridge
until We reached II. We now have
reached the bridge. There is no greater
achievement than the transportation
of articles vaiueless ut one point TO an.
other point where they are valuable.
Tho railroads OF the country no longer
are nblc. physically. TO carry the
traffic OF America and the one avenue
open to such traffic is waterway trans.
portation. We must move forward or
VIC will go backward. I see American
production handicapped by two things:
First, the great cost Of getting the
goods to the seaboard. and second. the
absence Of an American merchant
marine"
PrcsIdent Ransdall presented a re-
port Of tho work OF the congress during
tho past few months. Then he intro
duced NJ. Jusserand. the ambassador OF
France to the United States. who
spoke at length. closing by saying:
1T is an absolute principle-no for
ests. no waterways. Without forests
regulating the distribution OF waters.
rninfalls are at once hurried to the sea,
hurried. sometimes. alas. across coun.
try. After having devastated the neigh.
boring fields. the rivers find them.
selves again with little water and much
you feed your canals in all seasons?
''Since our forests suffered damages
which we are now bent upon repairing
at considerable pains and cost, n river
like the Loire has been entirely trans.
formed: It used to be the best OF water.
ways, and It is now the river whose in.
undations are most destructive. The
question Is as clear as can be: Do you
want to have navigable rivers, or do
you prefer to have torrents that will
destroy your crops and never bear
boatf II you prefer the first, then
mind your forests. We can tell you. for
we know"
Senator Newland. Hon. Marth A.
Knapp and other prominent men made
forceful addresses.
A Letter Of regret was read from An.
drew Carnegie. It's salient point was
this:
Instead of spending money on var.
ships to fight imaginary foes. we
should spend It on our waterways"