Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-10-02

81. LOUIS, MU., OCi., I.-- elCOluet
by screaming whistles, changing bells
the thunder Of bursting bombs and
huzzahs from thousands of human
throats, President Theodore Roose
welt landed at st. Louis at 9:41
O'Clock this morning, marking the
first stop on his voyage down the
Mississippi river, from Keokuk tc
Memphis, where he will attend the
Lakes to the Gulf Deep Waterways AS
sociation's convention on Friday.
The cruise of the President is in
response to a general invitation from
the governors Of the states along the
Mississippi river, given in the belief
that he will be SO impressed with the
enormous waste of freight carrying
energy that he will exert powerful
influence in favor Of committing the
government to act with definite and
larger spirit toward deepening the
great inland channels for navigation
by ocean-going craft.
When the President landed he was
greeted by the governors OF fifteen
states and territories, congressman
and city dignitaries. A line of process
sion was quickly formed for drive 70
the Jai Ali building In the western
portion of the city, five miles from the
river where the President delivered
the following speech:
The President Address.
1T is a very real pleasure to ad
dress this body of citizens Of Missouri
here in the great city of st. Louis.
have often visited St. Louis before
but always by rail. Now | am visit
ing it 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 al
most abandoned, which hope this ma
ton will see not only restored to all
it's former usefulness, but given a
far greater degree OF usefulness to
correspond with the extraordinary
growth in wealth and population OF
the Mississippi valley. We have lived
in an era Of phenomenal railroad
building. AS routes for merchandise,
the iron highways have completely
supplanted the old wagon roads, and
under their competition the import
ance of the water highways has been
much diminished. The growth OF the
railway system has been rapid all ov'
er the world, but nowhere so rapid as
in the United States. Accompanying
this there has grown in the United
States tendency toward the practlc'
ally complete abandonment OF the
system of water transportation. Such
a tendency is certainly not healthy
and am convinced that it will not be
permanent. There are many classes
of commodities, especially those
which are perishable in their nature
and where the value is high relative
ly to the bulk, which will always be
carried by rail. But bulky commodl-
ties which are not of a perishable ma
ture will always be specially suited
for the conditions of water transport.
To illustrate the truth Of this state
ment 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 illustrated even better
by what has happened nearer home.
The great lakes offer prime exam
pie of the importance Of good water
highway for mercantile traffic. AS the
line of traffic runs through lakes, the
conditions are in some respects diff
ferent from what must obtain on ev-
en- the most important river. Never
theless, it is we'll to remember that
very large part of this traffic Is con-
ditioned upon an artificial waterway,
canal-the famous 500. The COM
merce that passes through the 500
far surpasses in bulk and in value
that of the Suez canal.
Improve the System Of River High
ways.
From every standpoint it is desir-
able for the nation. to join in improv-
ing the greatest system of river high
ways within it's borders, system Sec
ond only in Importance to the L.gh-
way afforded by the Great Lakes;
the highways of the Mississippi and
its great tributaries, such as the Mis-
souri, and Ohio. This river system
traverses too many states to render 1t
possible to leave merely to the states
the task Of fitting 1t for the greatest
use Of which 1t is capable. It is en-
phatically a national task, for this
great river system is itself one Of our
chief national assets. Within the last
few years there has been an awaken
Ing in this country to the need of
both the conservation and the develop
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