The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-29
WATERWAYS ] AND RIVERS Director Rivers and Har- ] bors Congress Coming ITINERARY FOR ALABAMA Comes to Montgomery March 20 Y and 21. Other Cities to Be Visited are Birming-
 ham, Anniston, Gadsden. Tus- s caloosa, Mobile and New t Orleans.
ITINERARY FOR ALABAMA

The itinerary of Jno. A. Fox. Spe- scial Director of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress. and his party, who twill conduct next month a great edu- eational campaign in Alabama. was def- initely announced yesterday by W. F. Vandiver, ice-President for Alabama of that great body. This itinerary. as so far made up. in- scludes Birmingham, Anniston. Gads- den. Tuscaloosa, Mobile, Selma and Montgomery, in the order named. The tour of the State begins on March 2. Nshen Director Fox arrives in Birming- 'slIam from his enthusiastic campaign Mhrough Georgia where he was accord I'd a fiattering welcome.
 The cities to be visited and the dates for each are as follows: Birmingham March 2. and f; Anniston. March 5 and g. Gadsden. March [: Tuscaloosa, and IT: Selma, March IS and 19, and Montgomery. March 20 and 21.
 The Fox party will come to Mont lxomery March 20. and will be ,here March 20 and 21. Capt. A. c. Forbes, President of the Montgomery Com mercial Club. had conference yester- Hay with Mir. Vandiyer with reference 1o arranging a program for the visit of Director Fox. Captain Forbes an- nounced that very shortly he will ap- point a special committee for the re- eeptior of Mir. Fox and the fixing of schedule of proceedings.
 The object of Director Fox is to bring about in all the States visited an un- precedented agitation in favor of im- provement of the inland waterways of &he nation and the deepening of our harbors. The motto of the Rivers and Harbors Congress. which claims 1t is Esecond only to the Congress of the United States" is to advocate a poll icy, not a project"
 Following this motto, Mir. vandiver eaid yesterday he W ould impress on all the good citizens of Alabama interested in better waterways and better harbsra that the work being advocated by the Congress is not to advance any pet scheme.
 'on the contrary" said the Alabama yice-President of the Congress. "the ob- 3ect of the organization is to arouse the sentiment of the people in all parts of the United States in behalf of im- proving waterways and harbors as that # will have an irresistible effect on the Congress of the United States. The Rivers and Harbors Congress claims credit more than any other single in- 0uence for the vast increase in the ap- bropriations for rivers and harbors at NlC AEGN sSSSIOn OL NOHkTGSS.
 Continuing his discussion. Mir. Vandi- Yer said:
 "The visit of Mir. Fox means very fnuck to the State of Alabama, he be- Ing the special director Of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, charged With the dutS of visiting as Il uch as Possible every State in the Union. Alabama has probably more at stake Khan any other State. When the Pan- CRnnal fu nd hn Ao af Q rT1 Entrance to- the canal will be nearer 10 the port of Mobile than any other port of like importance.
 'In other words, via the port of Mobile will be the short route to that immense trade bordering on the Pa cffic, and out of Alabama should go supplies of coal, iron, steel and fin- fslied products of the mineral district; cotton and all agricultural products and also lumber and naval stores, thus giving Alabama the advantage of a lower possible rate from the source of supply to the port of export than any State in the Union.
 'sIf this be true, then 1t ehooves Alabama to see to it that our rivers and harbors receive a liberal appro- prtation from Congress each year out Of ths appropriation that may be made by virtue of the influence of the Ma 4ionaI Rivers and Harbors Congress. It would be a difficult matter for any State to secure anything like a very large appropriation without the ap- proval of those who are managing the ahairs of this Congress.
 Hence the importance of Alabama hearing Mir. Fox and learning from him as much as possible the facts rel Ative to the development of the rivers and harbors within our State, and do- ing all that is within our power to aid Mir. Fox and the National Rivers and Harbors Congress in this educa-