Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-10-23
Wilkinson and Boswell
Again President and
Secretary.
MtESE is HONORED
Resolutions Adopted Endorse
Action of President and
Praise Local Engineers

The Upper Mississippi Improvements
association concluded its convention il
Moline today, the following officers be
ing elected this afternoon:
observation-disclosures Wilkinson, Bur
lington, reelected.
Secretary treasurer. P. Boswell,
Quincy, reelected.
Vice-presidents - Illinois, w. A.
Messe, Moline Iowa; Charles Hancock,
Dubuque; Minnesota, S. R. Van SAINT,
Wisconsin, DR.. Wendell a. Anderson.
La Crosse; Missouri, Captain William
Mason, st. Louis.
The next meeting will be held at
Clinton, the Iowa City defeating .
Paul by a vote of 1O6 to So. Rock Is
land and Davenport voted soldly for
Clinton, Moline dividing its vote.
Resolutions Adopted.
This morning a large number of res
olutions were adopted, among them
one endorsing President ROosevelt's
action in appointing the Inland Water
ways commission; urging a survey for
a canal from Lake Superior to the
head of the Mississippi; endorsing the
work of the Rock Island Office of the
United States engineers and urging
that they be continued in charge of the
river; and another urging the appoint
ment of an Iowa man from a district
bordering the river as a member of tn :
rivers and harbors committee of con
gress.
As TO ROOsevelfs Views.
That the views of President Roose-
welt on the subject of waterways, as
indicated in his addresses recently, are
views submitted to the president by
the members of the Inland Waterways
commission, was the purport of the
statements made to the convention yes
terday afternoon by DR.. w. J. McGec
secretary of the commission. DR.. Nc
Gees address was the principal one OF
the afternoon. He said that the steps
which President Roosevelt has prom
ised to take this winter toward the
creation of the projected highways OF
commerce are the results of the find
ings of the commission, and that the
presidents utterances on the subject
during the last month are in effect 3
preliminary or advance report of the
commission.
Outlines Big System.
DR.. McGee spoke further of the find
ings of the commission, and outlined
a big waterway scheme, including tht
creation of a central artery by building
the lakes-to-the-gulf deep waterway
the Improvement of the upper Missis
sippi and its connection with Lake Su
perior and Hudson bay; the opening
of the main tributaries of the Missis
sippi; and finally the building of TIVE
greater elmer coast passages" one cas-
from the mouth of the Mississippi alon;
the gulf coast through the peninsula o
Florida and along the Atlantic sea
board to Massachusetts bay, and an
other west from the mouth of the Mis-
sissippi along the gulf coast to tn
mouth of the Rio Grande.
Seeks an Opinion.
Assuming that all this great schem
is to be carried out, said Mr. McGee
would the upper river association rec
ommend to the inland waterways con
mission that it take up the matter c
standardizing sizes of barges, as wa
long ago done freight and passenge
cars.
This question DR.: McGee submitte
to the association on behalf of the' II
land Waterways commission with a
earnest request for an opinion.
HouktDs Committed
Senator A. J. Hopkins of Illinois d.
clared that as long as he is in the sci
ate his voice and vote will be for rive
improvement projects. He spoke {
the friendliness of Speaker Cannon
the house as big help for the NOV
ment. congressman Prince of Gale
burg and Dawson of Iowa also spol
yesterday afternoon.
The convention yesterday final
adopted a constitution, the one submi
ted by President Wilkinson being a
cepted after slight amendments.
Keynote In Speeches.
The keynote of the work for il
provement of the country's waterwa,
was sounded in the after dinner speec
es last evening at a banquet tendert
the delegates at the Manufacturer
hotel by the Moline manufacturers tt
speakers were President Thomas w
kinson of the association, Hon. A.