The Ordway new era., 1908-03-06
PLEA OF PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
IN SPECIAL MESSAGE TO
CONGRESS.
COMMISSIONS REPORT
NO OTHER CIVILIZED COUNTRY
MAKES so LITTLE USE OF
ITS RIVERS.

Washington President Roosevelt
Wednesday sent special message to
Congress inclosing the report Of the
commission on inland waterways and
urging immediate action looking to the
Improvement of inland streams in the
interests of increased prosperity and
commercial growth of the country.
The message of the president was in
part as follows;
ITO the Senate and House CT Rep
resentatives: | transmit herewith
preliminary report from the inland wa
terways commission, which was ap-
pointed by me last March in response
to widespread interest and demand
from the people. The basis of this de-
mand lay in the general and admitted
inability of the railroads to handle the
traffic Of the country. and especially
the crops OF the previous fall.
This report is well worth your at
tention. Il is thorough. conservative,
sane and just. II represents the mature
judgment OF body of men exception
ally qualified by personal experience
and knowledge of conditions through
out the United States, to understand
and discuss the great problem OF how
best to use our waterways in the inter
est of all the people.
Our river systems are better adapt
ed TO the needs OF the people than
those of any other country. Ia extent.
distribution, navigability and ease OF
use, they stand first. Yet the rivers
Of no other civilized country are so
poorly developed. so little used. or play
In tt.. Ing al nf
the nation as those of the United
States.
The commission finds that 1t was
unregulatcd railroad competition which
prevented or destroyed the develop
ment of commerce on our inland water
ways. The Mississippi. our greatest
natural highway, is a case in point. AT
one time the traffic upon II was with
out n rival in any country. The report
shows that commerce was driven from
the Mississippi by the railroads.
Throughout the country the railways
have secured such control of canals
and steamboat lines that today inland
waterway transportation Is largely in
their hands. This was natural and
doubtless inevitable under the circum-
stances. hut 1t should not be allowed to
continue under careful government reg
ulation.
The development Of our inland wa
terways will have results far beyond
the immediate gain of commerce. Deep
channels along the Atlantic and gulf
coasts and from the gulf to the great
lakes will have high value for the na-
tional defense. The use Of water power
will measurably relieve the drain
upon our diminishing supplies of coal,
and transportation by water instead OF
rail will only tend to conserve our iron.
Forest protection, without which river
Improvement cannot be permanent,
will at the same time help TO postpone
the threatened timber famine, and Will
secure us against total dearth of tim
Der by providing for the perpetuation
of the remaining woodlands. irriga-
ton will create the means of a liveli-
hood for millions of people, and sup
plies of pure water Will powerfully
promote the public health.
I'VE cannot afford needlessly to sec
rfice power to irrigation. or irrigation
to domestic water supply, when by
taking thought we may have all three.
While We delay our rivers remain un-
used, our traffic is periodically con-
gested and the material wealth and ma
tural resources of the country related
to waterways are being steadily alb
sorbed bv great monopolies.
Among these monopolies, as the re-
port Of the commission points out,
there is no other which threatens. or
has ever threatened. such intolerable
Interference with the daily life of the
people as the consolidation of COM
panies controlling water power. I call
your special attention to the attempt
of the power corporations, through
bills introduced at the present session.
to escape from the possibility of gov
ernment regulation in the interests of
the people. These bills are intended to
enable the corporations to take pos
session in perpetuity OF national forest
lands for the purposes Of their busi-
ness. where and as they please. wholly
without compensation to the public.
"The questions Of organizations,
powers and appropriations are now be-
fore the congress. There is urgent need