Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-10-04
IMPROVEMENT OF
WATER WAYS
President Outlines ImpOr :
tanCe of River
Traffic.

MEMPHIS, Tenn, Oct. 4.-Thou-
sands of citizens and visitors are in
the city today to welcome President
Roosevelt, who arrived here shortly
hefore 1 O'Clock to attend the opening
of the L.akes-to- the-Gulf Waterways
convention. The president was greet
ed by screeching whistles anC cheering
throngs.
On arrival the presidential party
was taken in charge by a reception
eenmittee and driven through the
principal business and residential
thoroughfares to the Auditorium,
whore the president addressed the del
egates to the Waterways convention.
President Roosevelt spoke as follows:
Under any Circumstances l should
welcome the chance of speaking at
Memphis in the old historic state OF
Tennessee, rich in it's glorious past
and in the certainty of an even great
,er future; but l especially congratu-
late myself that l am able to speak
here on an oscasion like this. when
meet not only the citizens of Tennas-
see, but many citizens of Mississippi
and Arkansas and of other states as
well. and when the chief executives
of 50 many states are gathered to ,GSn-
slider a subject of monentnus interest
70 all The Mississippi valley is a
magnificent lsmpire in size and ferdili-
ty 1t is better adapted TO the devel-
,opnent of island Navigation than any
other valley in either hemisphere; for
now more or less fully navigable, and
the condit4oDs are SO favorable that II
will be easy to increase the extent
,6f rnavfgABae waterways to almost any
required degree my canaltZation. early
IN our Industrial history this VALLEY
was the seat of the largest develop
ment of inland navigation nm the Unit
ed States, and perhaps you win par
don my mentioning that the first
steamboat west of the ATleghenies was
built by a SRoosevelt, my great-grand-
fathers brafher, in 1911, for the New
the trip from Pittsburg to New Or
leans. But from various causes river
and canal transportation declined all
over the United States as the railroad
systems came to their fun develop
meu1t. 1t Is our business to see that
the decline. is not permanent; ana it
is of interest to remember that nearly
"a century ago President Madison ad-
vocated the canalization of the Misefs-
sippi.
Great Mississippi Valley.
In wealth of natural resources mo
Kingdom Of Europe can compare With
the Mississippi valley and the region
around the Great Lakes, taken to-
gether, and in population this huge
fertile plain already surpasses an save
Kingdoms. In this empire a peculiarly
stalwart and masterful people finds it
self in the surroundings best fitted for
the full development of it's powers and
faculties. There has been a great
growth in the valley of manufactur-
'HS SOhlcTSs Liic movement 10 SOOu IL IL
does not go too far; but most earn
estly hope that this region as a whole
VIII remain predominantly agrfcul-
tura1. The people Who live in the
country districts, and who till the
small or medium sized farms on which
they live, make up what is on the
whole the most valuable asset in our
national life.
There can be Just as real progress
and culture in the country as in the
city; especially in these days of rural
free delivery, trol1eys, bicycles, tele-
phones, good roads and school i'm
provements. The valley Of the Missis-
sippi is politically and commercially
more important than any other valley
on the face OF the globe. Here more
than anywhere else viii be determir-
ed the future of the United States and
indeed of the whole western world I;
and the type Of civilization reached In
CONTINUED ON Page Two.)
PRESInEnr M0Nu rn HINT