Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-03-06

Threatened timber famine. and will secure
us against a total dearth of timber by pro-
viding for the pe~rpetuation OF the remain
Ing woodlands. Irrigation will create the
means of livelihood for millions of people,
and supplies of pure water will powerfully
promote the public health. If the policy
of waterway Improvement here recon-
mended is carried out, It will affect for
good every citizen of the republic. The
national government must play the lead
ing part in securing the largest possible
use of our waterways; other agencies can
assist, and should assist, but the work is
essentially national in its scope.
The various uses of waterways are now
dealt with by bureaus scattered through
four federal departments. At present,
therefore. il is not possible to deal with a
river system as a single problem. But the
commission here recommends a policy un-
der which all the commercial and indus
trial uses of the waterways may be de-
Veloped at the same time. To that end,
congress should provide some administra-
tive machinery for co-ordinating the work
OF the various departments SO far as 1t re-
lates TO waterways. Otherwise there Will
not only be delay, but the people as a
whole VIII fail to get from our streams
the benefits to which they are justly en-
titled.
Cost and Benefit Large.
The commission recognizes that the cost
or improving our inland waterways VIII
be large, bur far less than would be re-
quired to relieve the congestion of traffic
by railway extension. The benefits OF
such Improvement will be large also. and
they Will touch the daily life of our peo-
pie at every point, uniting the interests of
all the states and sections OF our country.
The cost and the benefits should be equit-
ably distributed. by cooperation with the
states and the communities, corporations,
and individuals beneficially affected. /
heartily concur in the commissions rec
ommendation 20 this end. Such co-opera-
non should result in united effort in car
rXlnU ont fha OrAaf dntN. of innrnVinU nIlT
inland waterways. While we delay, our
rivers remain unused, our traffic is period
ically congested, and the material wealth
and natural resources of the country re-
lated 70 waterways are being steadily alb
sorbed by great m~onopolies.
Among these monopolies, as the report
or the commission points out, there is no
other which threatens, or has ever threat
the daily life of the people as the conSol-
idation Of companies controlling water
power. | call your special attention to the
attempt of the power corporations, through
bills introduced at the present ses-
sion, TO escape from the possibility
or government regulation In the in
terests of the people. These bills are In
tended TO enable the corporations TO take
possession in perpetuity OF national forest
lands for the purposes of their business,
where and as they please. wholly without
compensation TO the public. Yet the effect
or granting such privileges, taken together
with rights already acquired under state
laws, would be 60 give away properties
of enormous value. Through lack Of fore
sight we have formed the habit Of grant
ing without compensation extremely valu-
able rights amounting to monopolies on
~naVigable streams and on the public do
main. The repurchase at great expense
of water rights thus CareleSSly given away
without return has already begun in the
East, and before long will be necessary
in the West also. No rights involving
water power should be granted TO any
TnrDnrD tinnE in nnftno t1tffN hi,t nnlN for
Il length of time sufficient TO allow them
to conduct their business prottably. A
reasonable Charge hOuld of course be
made for Valuable rights and privileges
which they obtain from the national gov
rnment The values for which thisc charge
is made will ultimately, through the nat
uraI growth and orderly development OF
our population and industries, reach enor-
NOUS amounts. A fair share of the in
crease should be safeguarded for the bene-
fit Of the people, from whose labor 1t
springs. The proceeds thus secured. after
the cost of administration and improve
mept has been met, should naturally be
devoted 10 the development of our inland
waterways.
Too Much Waste.
The rcpOrt justly calls attention to the
fact that hitherto our national policy has
been one of almost unrestricted DISPOSE
ton and waste of natural resources, and
emphasizes the fundamental necessity for
conserving these resources upon which our
present and future success as a nation
primarily rests. Running water is a most
VaIuable natural asset OF the people, and
there is urgent need for conserving il for
navigation, tor power, for irrigation and
for domestic and municipal supply.
The commission was appointed TO obtain
Information concerning our waterways as
related TO the general welfare. Much work
was done. but more remains TO be done
before a plan for their development can
be prepared in detail. We need additional
information on the flow of our streams,
the condition of channels, the amount and
cost of water traffic, the requirements for
the area in each water shed
which should be kept under forest, and
the means of preventing soil waste and
the consequent damage to our rivers. But
ii is neither necessary nor desirable to
postpone the beginning of the work until
all the facts are obtained. We ave suf-
fered heavily in the past from the lack
of adequate transportation facilities, and
unless a beginning Is made promptly we
shall suffer still more heavily in the flu
ture.
Being without funds or an expert staff
the commission has confined itself to prin-
ciples affecting the whole problem and
the entire country. Its report is a plea,
in the light Of actual facts, for simplicity
directness In dealing with the great
problem OF our inland waterways in the
interest Of the people. 1t submits no spe-
cinC plans or recommendations concerning
even the most important projects. The
first OF these, OF course, concerns the Mis-
and its tributaries, whose COM
mercial development will directly affect
half our people. The Mississippi should
be made a loop of the sea and work upon
ii should be begun at the earliest possible
moment Only less important is the At
lantic inner passage, parts Of which are
already under way. The inner passages
along the gulf coast should be extended
and connected with the Atlantic waters.
The need for the developing Of the Pacific |
coast rivers is not less pressing. Our
people are united In support OF the imme-
date adoption of a progressive policy OF
Inland waterway development.
Policy Needed.
Hitherto our national policy Of inland
waterway development has been largely
negative. No single agency has been re-
sponslble under the congress for making
the best use of our rivers. or for exer-
cising foresight In their development. In
the absence of a comprehensive plan, the
only safe policy was one of repression
and procraStination. Frequent changes OF
plan and piecemeal execution of projects
have still further hampered Improvement.
A channel Is no deeper than its shallowest
reach. and TO improve a river short of
the point of effective ~navigability is a
sheer waste of all Il costs. In spite of
large appropriations for their improve
ment, our rivers are less serviceable for
commerce today han they were
half a century ago, and in spite of the
vast increase in our population and COM
merce they are on the whole less used.
The first condition Of successful Develop
ment of our waterways Is a definite and
progressive policy. The second is a con-
crete general plan, prepared by the best
experts available. covering every use to
our streams can be put. We shall
GttNnna1 nnfil tho rnSnnnGihflft,. fAr