The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-10-05
RoosEvELT's GREATEST SPEECH
Favors River Improvement. Control of
Railroads, Proper Distribution
of Lands, Etc,

Under any circumstances | should
Memphis in the old historic State Of
Tennessee, rich in its glorious past
and in the certainty of an even great.
Ter future: but especially congratu
here ON an occasion like this, when
meet not only the citizens OF Ten
nessee, but many of the citizens of
Mississippi and Arkansas ana of other
executives Of so many states are
gathered IL consider subject OF mo-
Imentous interest to ALL The Missis-
gippi Valley is magnificent empire
adapted to the development of inland
navigation than any other valley I'll
either hemisphere, for there are Il.
00A miles of waterway new more or
tons are SO favorable that 1t will be
easy TO increase the extent of navi-
gable waterways to almost any re-
CURED degree by canalization. Early
was the seat of the largest develop
mont OF inland navigation in the Uni
ted States, and perhaps you viii par
don my mentioning that the first
steamboat west of the Alleghenies
was built by a Roosevelt, my great
grandfathers brother In lS1l, for
the New Orleans trade, and in that
year made the trip from Pittsburg to
New Orleans. But from various causes
causes river and canal transportation
declined all over the United States as
the rainroad systems came to their
full development 1t is our business
to see that the decline is not per
and it is of interest TO re
that nearly a century ago
President Madison advocated the can
Of the Mississippi
In wealth of natural resources no |
of Europe can compare with |
the Mississippi Valley and the region |
around the Great Lakes, taken to
sether and in population this huge
fertile plain already surpasses all save
one or two OF the largest European |
In this empire a peculiar
- stalwart and masterful people finds |
Itself in the surroundings best fitted |
or the full development of its powers
md faculties There has been a |
great growth In the valley OF manu-
acturing centers: the movement Is
good If II does not go too far; but ]
most earnestly hope that this region
Is a whole will remain predominantly |
The people who live in |
he country districts. and who tin the
mall or medium-sized farms on which |
hey live. make up what is on the
Whole the most valuable asset I'm our
life There can be just "a
cal progress and culture in the coun
ry as in the city: especially in these
lays of rural free delivery. troIleys. /
BICYCLES. telephones. good roads, and /
chool improvements. The valley Of
he Mississippi is politically and COM
more important than any /
'ther valley on the face of the globe
Iere more than anywhere else viii
'e determined the future Of the Uni
ed States and indeed Of the whole
western world: and the type Of civil
zation reached in this mighty valley.
n this vast stretch Of country lying
'etween the Alleghenies and the
,ockies. the Great Lakes and tho
iulf viii largely fix the type u civil
cation for the whole western hem
sphere. Already. as our history
hows. the west has determined our
Iational political development. and
he fundamental principle Of present
american politics, political equality. L