The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-10
Half a Billion Bond Issue Will Be Asked Of Congress For
 Improvements
MEETING IN WASHINGTON
 Iy FULL IF ENTHUSIASM
Distinguished Men in All Walks of Life Deliver Addresses in Sup port of Plans To Better
 Rivers and Harbors.

Washington, December 9.-Sentiment in favor of the issuance of government bonds for a comprehensive improvement of the rivers, harbors and canals of the country to the end that this nation shall have the greatest system of waterways in the world, gained considerable head way at the opening sessions of the an- nual meeting of the Rivers and Harbors Congress here today.
 The scene contemplates the issuance of $500, 600 worth of federal bonds for internal water courses. to be distributed over ten-year period or $50,000,000 an- nually. Following the lead of President Roosevelt and President-elect Taft both of whom, before the joint conservation meeting yesterday, advocated the issuance of government bonds for the construction of permanent public Improvements en- thusiastic indorsement was today given the proposition at the Rivers and liar bors Congress by such leading figures as Vice President Fairbanks, Andrew Car nege, Joseph E. Randall, president of the congress, and others.
 Congress, in all probability, will be asked to authorize the issuance of bonds
 Today's session witnessed one of the most notable gatherings In the history of the congress. The list of speakers in- cluded Vice President Fairbanks, Andrew Carnegie, James Bryce, the British am bassador; former Mayor Seth Lowe oI New York, Representative John E. Ran dall, Champ Clark of Missouri, minority leader of the House of Representatives; Gov. George E. Chamberlain of Oregon, tiov J. Y. Sanders of Louisiana, Samuel Gompers, president of the American Fed eration of Labor; Judge George Hillyer, member of the Georgia railroad com mission, and Prof w. D. Lyman of Whit man college of Washington.
 l The need of some immediate legislation l looking to the improvement of the water ways of the country was the keynote ] of the address of Representative Joseph l E. Ransdell, president of the congress l MT. Ransdel asserted that the time has l come for decided action. He said that the congress has been passing resolutions and doing educational work for the past three years and that the time is now ripe to see some results of this work. He spoke in favor of the immediate adoption of some of the most important waterway projects which have been ap- proved by the United States engineer corps, with authority to carry these projects through at fixed ratio per annum of their total cost, and urged an authorized bond issue of $50,000,000 per year for ten years. He recommend ed the creation of a commission of nine members to study waterways and suggest to Congress a plan for inn proving them; also the prompt passage of laws to prevent unfair discrimina- tion by railways against carriers by water and that proper terminal facili- ties be provided for common use by all carriers.
 Upwards of $500 delegates, represent trg A states and the territories of Alaska, New Mexico and Hawaii and Porto Rico, were in attendance. Per haps the largest representation from any one city was from Nashville, Tenn. Out of respect to the memory of the late w. T. Vandiver of Alabama, vice president of the congress. who died to- day in Montgomery resolution was adopted extolling him for his great in terest in the cause of waterway eN- pansion. Interest centered in the ad- dress of Andrew Carnegie, who re- ceived a tremendous ovation when lie declared he would lend his aid to in- augurate an extensive system of water ways improvement.
 Mayor Low said that the present greatness of New York city was due largely to the building the Erie canal. He expressed the belief that New York state would support national waterway projects as heartily and unreservedly as any other state.
 Governor Sanders of Louisiana spoke of the menacng effect of the floods of the Mississippi river upon his state. and said it was time the general gov ernment should bear its share of the expense of maintaining the levee sys- tenn.
 Samuel Gompers said the laboring man was vitally interested in the waterway expansion, and hoped the time would come when more attention would be devoted to such waterway schemes than to the building of arsenals and navy wards.