The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-10
WATERWAYS BY ISSUING BONDS Rivers and Harbors Con-
 greSs Acts. J. E. RAESDELL PREsIDES Fairbanks, Bryce and Carnegie
 Among Speakers. Governor. of Many States, DipIemat. and Finsnciers Seek to Impress
 Lawmaker. with Import
 anee Of Work.
j. E. RAESDELL PREsIDEs

Washington. Dec. s.--Sentiment in favor of the Issuance of Government bonds for a comprehensive improve ment of the rivers and harbors and canals Of the country, to the end that this nation shall have the greatest system of waterways in the world. gained considerable headway at the opening session Of the annual meeting of the River and Karbors Congress here today.
 The scheme contemplates the issu- ance of $500 000.U00 worth of Federal bonds for internal water courses to be distributed over a ten.year period. or s50.000.0O0 annually.
 Following the lead of President Roosevelt and President-elect Taft, both of whom, before the joint conser- yation meeting yesterday advocated the tssuance of Government bonds for the construction of permanent public Improvements. enthusiastic endorse ment was today given the proposi- ton at the rivers and harbors Con- gross by such leading figures as Vice President Fairbanks. Andrew carne- gle. Joseph E. Ransdel1. President of the Congress. and others.
 Congress, in all probability, will be asked to authorize the issuance cf bonds.
 Today,s session witnessed one of the most notable gatherings in the the history of the Congress. The list of speakers included Vice. President Fairbanks. Andrew Carnegie, Jamea Bryce. the British Ambassador; former Mayor. Seth Low Of New York, Rep- resentative John E. Ransdell. Chanlu Clark of Missouri, minority leader of the House of Representatives; Gov ernor George E. Chamberlain Of Ore gon: Governor J Y. Sanders of Louisi- Gfev aa. American Federation of Labor; Judge George K. HiIlyer. a member of the Georgta Railroad Commission, and Professor w. D. Lyman of whitman College of Washington.
 Thousnnds Of Delegates.
 Upwards of $500 delegates, repre- senting forty-four states and the Ter ritories of Alaska. New. Mexico and Hawaii and Porto Rico. were In at tendance. Perhaps the largest repre- sentation from any one city was from Nashville, Tenn.
 Out Of respect to the memory of the late W. F. Vandiver of Alabama, Vice. President of the Congress. who died today in Montgomery, ] resolution was adopted extolling him for his great in- terest in the cause of waterway ex- pansion.
 Interest centered in tho address Of Andrew Carnegie, who received a tre- mendous ovation when he declared he would lend his aid to inaugurate an extensive system of waterways lm- provement.
 Mayor Seth Low said that the pres ent greatness of New York City was due largely to therbuilding of the Erie canal. He expressed the belief that New York would support national wa terway projects as heartily and un- reservedly as any other State.
 Governor Sanders of Louisiana spoke of the menacing effect of the floods of the Mississippi River upon his State. and said 1t was time the general Gov ernment should bear it's share of the expense of maintaining the levee sys- tenn.
 Samuel Gompers said the laboring man was vita1ly interested in water way 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 yards.