The Cairo bulletin., 1908-05-16
GRAVE THOUGHTS
FOR THE FUTURE
THOUGHTS AND CARE FOR MA
TIoN'S GOOD is KEYNOTE
OF THE GOVERNORS.
IMPROVEMENT OF RIVERS
Is Subject of ABLE Adde'S of e. r.
johnson, Who Urges Immediate
And Speedy Action-Noted
Meeting is Ended.

Washington, May 15.--The confer
ence of governors closad today. The
president presided throughout the
days session. He brought to the pat
form men who made plain the pre-
vailing feeling, that thought and care
must be exercised for the future. Ihe
prepared papers were not presented,
but they will be printed In the per
manent record. Their place was taken
first by a declaration" which was
adopted after discussion which
brought to light no serious objection
to IT'S atfIrmatons.
Then William j. Bryan was pre-
sentod by the president He touched
the same chords which mad produced
the vibrations Of harmony and Co
operation A governors discussion
brought many state executives to
the platform but the product was al
together that of harmony, and senti-
ments expressed were applauded
alike by all.
President Roosevelt himself made
an address in which he set forth his
ideas on the rights of the state and
of the nation in controlling corpora
tions and in charging rent for water
power. Both had powers that should
be protected and properly exercised
for the general benefit.
Mrs. Roosevelt tonight entertained
the governors at a reception at the
White House More than 1900 guests
We're present,
One af the most important ad-
aeease made was by Il, r. Johnson,
an expert on inland waterways: He
said:
Tells OF Waterway Navigation.
The Waterways IN our country
rivers. canals, lakes and coastal chan
nels have an aggregate length of be-
tween $4,000 and G0,o00 miles, and
only about half of the entire mileage
is now used for navigation
Considering the great length and
undoubted value o: our inland water
ways. comparatively littel has been
done tomake them commercially use
fuI. The most effective work has
been done In improving the harbors
and channels of Lake Superior, Michi-
gan, Huron and Erie with the re
suit that the freight now shipped on
the Great Lakes-75 million tons In
1q0G-is three times what it was In
1890. The traffic passing the st.
Mary's locks rose from million and
a quarter tons in 1880 to seven and
a half millions in 1889, and to forty
one aud a quarter millions in 1906
an in crease of $4,000 per cent. This
commerce on the Great Lakes has
been made possible by total con
gresslonal appropriations Of less than
a hundred million dollars.
The total appropriations made by
congress from the beginning to 1907
for the rivers of the Mississippi va
ley amount to $20S, 4S4,720. This
seems to be relatively large sum-
but when we consider that the
United States has spent during the
past hundred years in regulating, i'm
proving and exteding our system Of
national waterways only AZ per cent
Oh tue dfltOuiiA lIiNaAt thl'ituiiSlo nav
invested in the construction of rail
ways, our congressional appropria
tjons for the betterment of inland
navigation seem to have been con
servatiyely small.
The United States has as yet done
less than has been done by other
leading industrial and commercial
rivals in the development and use
of inland waterways. If we except
as of course we ought-the chain of
Grelt Lakes which have no counter
part in any other country, Whether
il is desirable that the United States
should follow the example of France
and Germany as regards inland water
TRANSPORTATION is n question to which
the American people are now giving
serious thought There can be no
uncertainty as to the Importance of
the transportation services eper-
formed by our coastwise shipping,
and by the feet operated on the Great
Lakes. The coastwise and Great
Lakes traffic is rapidly growing;
but upon onr cana1s and many of our
rivers traffic languishes or de,
clines.
Our Rail Freight Rates Lowest.
In no other country of the world
have rail transportation costs been
reduced to such a low figure as in the
United States. In many other coun-
tries it has been found more economi-
cal to do the heavier transportation
work by making large use cf water
ways. and to develop the railway
traffic more particularly with refer
ence TO the speedy movement and
schedule delivery of parcels. pack
ages and general commodity freight.
Such an organization of the business
Of transportation as has been worked
out In England. France and Germany
does not result in as low average
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