The evening star and Newark advertiser., 1907-10-02
1Continued from First Page.l


population of the Mississippi Valley, We
have lived in an era of phenomenal rail- rail-
road building. As routes for Merchandise.
the iron highways have completely sup
planted the old wagon roads, and under
their competition the importance of the
water Highways has oeen shd oIIf1en mnen svs- u
tenn has been rapid all over the world;
but nowhere so rapid as In the United
grown in the United States tendency
toward the practically complete abandon
ment of the system of water transporta--
healthy, and l am convinced that It will
not be permanent. There are many classes
of commodities, especially those which are
perlshable in their nature and where the
value is high relatively to the bulk, whiSh
will always be carried by rail But bulky
commodities which are not of perisha5le
nature will always be specially suited TOT
the conditions of water transport. To IL
lustrate the truth of this statement II
would only be necessary to point to the
use of the canal system in many countries
of the Old World; but 1t can be Illus
trated even better by what has happened
nearer home. The Great Lakes offer
prime example of the importance OF
good water highway for mercantile traific.
As the line of traffic runs through lakes
the conditions are In some respects dif-
ferent from what must obtain on even
the most important river. Nevertheless,
i is well to remember t1at very arse y,
artificial waterway, canal-the famous
500 The commerce that passes through
the 500 far surpasses in bulk and In value
that of the Suez Canal.
From every standpoint it is desirable
for the nation to join in improving the
greatest system OF river highways w1tnln mn
its borders, system second only In Inn
portance to the highway afforded by the
Great Lakes; the highways of the Missis-
sippi and its great tributaries, such as. the
Missouri and Ohio This river system ira
verses too many States to render 1t pos
sible to leave merely to the States the task
of fitting it for the greatest use OF when
it is capable. 1t Is emphatically national
task. for this great river system is itself
one of our chief national assets Within
the last few years there has been an
awakening in this country to the need OF
both the conservation and the development
of our national resources under the super
vision of and by the aid of the Federal
government This Is especially true of all
that concerns our running waters. On the
mountains from which the springs start
we are now endeavoring to preserve the
forests which regulate the water supply
and prevent too startling variations be-
tween droughts and freshets. Below the
mountains i'll the high dry regions OF the
Western plains, we endeavor to secure the
proper utilization of the waters for irri-
CATION. This :. at the sources of the
streams F'ar,1er down, where they be-
come nayigable. our aim must be to try to
develop policy which shall secure the
utmost advantage from the navigable
waters. Finally. on the lower courses of
the Mississippi, the nation should do its
and incidentally to its purpose of serving
navigation. this will also prevent the ruin
OF alluvial bottoms by floods Our knowl-
edge is not sufficiently far advanced to
enable me to speak definitely as to the
plans which should be adopted, but let me
say one word of warning: The danger of
entering on any such scheme lies In the
adoption of impossible and undesirable
plans. plans the adoption of which means
an outlay of money eXtravagant beyond
all proportion to the return. or which,
Sthough feasible, are not, relatively to
rant their adoption. 1t will not be easy to
secure the assent of a fundamentally eau
tioUs people like our own to the adoption
of such policy as that I hope to see
adonted. and even If we begin to follow out
such policy it certainly will not be per-
severed in if 1t is found to entail reck-
less extravagance or to be tainted with
iebherv. The interests of the nation as
whole must be always the first considera-
tim.
'This is properly a national movement,
because all interstate and foreign COM
nlerce. and the improvements and meth
DDS of carrying It on. are subjects for
national action. Moreover. while of course
the matter of the Improvement of the
Mississippi River and its tributaries is
one which especially concerns the great
middle portion of our country. the region
between the Alleghenies and the Rockies
yet 1t is of concern to the rest of the
country also. for 1t cannot too often be
said that whatever is really beneficial to
one part of our country is ultimately OF
benefit to the whole. Exactly as 1t is
good thing for the interior of our country
Pacific and the gulf should be safe end
commodous 80 1t is to the interest of
the Gwellers on the coast that the interior
should possess ample facilities for the