Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-07
DUE TO DINNER SLIGHT USE OF THE RIVERS
First Cause of BuIgaria's Taft Addresses the Water
Quarrel With Turkey. ways Convention
Her MINISTER NOT INVITED |GREAT SAVING EFFECTED
Then Trouble Tends to
Oriental Railroad Resources
STATEMENT BY M. P0PRIK0FF WOULD IMPROVE WATERWAYS
of Decae Once
Forth for Be No
claraton of Independence Delay in Carrying
Tends to Conservation of National
Resources.
WOULD IMPROVE WATERWAYS
Declares That Once a Plan Is
Adopted There Should Be No
Delay in Carrying It Out.

|
Delay in Carrying It Out.
! CHICAGO, October Irrational atten
ton was directed to the opening of the
| lake-to-the-gulf deep waterways conven-
| ton today, when the republican and
democratic nominees for the presidency
arrived in Chicago, preparatory to doing
their part in the gathering toward promot-
ing the deep waterway project that will
link the great lakes with the ocean.
William ]. Bryan was the first to arrive.
and at am. was greeted at the North
western station by delegation that in
cluded officials of both the waterways
convention and the democratic national
committee. Two hours later William
Howard Taft received a similar greeting,
and after a short interval was escorted to
the convention hall, where he delivered
the first of the notable speeches that will
mark the three days sessions. Each of
the political leaders talked enthusiastically
upon their arrival of the project which
has led to the great gathering now in
session.
The scenes preceding the tapping of the
gavel by President William X. Kava-
| naugh which called the gathering to or
| der were reminiscent of national con-
| ventiOh of one of the great political par
ties. Last evening the downtown hotel
| Hobbies had been thronged with early ar
irving delegates and VISITORS and in the
| hours before the first session was called
| the thrOngs had been increased until OF
| ficials of the convention declared that 90
600 attendants already were on the
ground.
When the convention was called to or
der at 10 am. every delegate seat was
| filled and the galleries of the Auditorium
Theater had long been filed with pos
SCISSORS of tickets. The appearance of w.
H. Taft. who was introduced by Gov.
Charles s. Deneen. was the signal for an
ovation that lasted for many minutes.
With the exception of a speech by
President Kavanaugh, outlining the work
| of the association and the success 1t had
| attained. only official business occupied
| the convention until the Introduction of
Mr.. Taft.
Judge Taft's Speech.
! Judge Taft demonstrated that the i'm
provement and maintenance of the water
ways of the country were intimately re-
| lated to the conservation of national re-
sources. He also pointed out that the
railways were unable to transport natural
products. He referred to the great saw
| ing to the shipper and consumer In SUBJ
stituting waterways for railways, and the
consequent impetus to production. Judge
| Taft said;
| I'VE find that the enormous increase
/ in the productions of our people In all
| lines of Industrial activity has outstripped
the ability of our great railroad systems
extensive and efficient they are, to
transport them. We find that during the
ten years ended with 1905 the internal
commerce of our country has Increased
11S per cent, while railroad transpOrta-
ton facilities during the same time have
increased only 70 per cent.
| "A commodity. raw or finished, is OF
| little o. no value until 1t has reached the
place of its use. We cannot stop now in
our onward course OF utilizing the nat
| ural resources of our country. We can
not curtail limit the production of
manufacturers. We must go on, for a
contrary course means disintegration and
decay.
Transportation. then, is the question
of the hour. How can we solve it? We
must have recourse to our waterways.
Saving by Water Transportation.
1.-THE expense Of carrying an article from
the place where it is to the place where
it is wanted must be adel to it's cost.
whether 1t be in its raw OF finished state.
/ Therefore its cheaper carriage results
in a saving to that extent AS transpor-
tation by water is about one-sixth Of that
by rail. a great saving apportioned be-
| tween the producer and consumer. and
| hence among all our people. would fol-
| low.
Nor do the savings in freight charges.
| direct and indirect. measure the full bene-
| fit of the improved waterway to the peO-
pie But being itself open and free for
the use of all alike. the danger of mo-
nopoly is much reduced and its carrying
| capacity. unlike that of the railroad, is
unlimited.
| Your project proposes to connect by
deep waterway the great lakes system
with the Mississippi river and the Gulf
L of Avt0 Md tI1rrr vr.fttn all r1,r,rn
of the world. 1t is a grand conception
and appeals to thoughtful consideration
! of those who must finally pass upon its
| adoption. The Mississippi river with its
! great tributaries drains an empire vastly
greater in all the resources of nature than
those who accomplished the acquisition of
| that mighty stream and territory beyond
it ever dreamed. The Ohio river. one If
miles in length. drains territory as large
as the German empire and will when i'm
proved to its proposed depth bring into
| connection with the Gulf of Mexico one
ton rich in the varied products of mans
| industry and ingenuity. The Missouri
river flows through agricultural districts
| of unexcelled productiveness, and all have
fulness and importance. The improve
ment of all these so as to make them
| serve the best purposes of navigation
must be ultimately accomplished.
Vast Natural Resources.
The things that have made this ma
| ton great among the nations of the
world are. first the inventive genius, en-
ergy and industry of her people; second.
the character of her institutions, and,
third, her coal and iron, her fertile fields
and abundant products; in word, her
natural resources. But what will the
| ability and organization of our people
profit us if the coal and iron are wasted
and If the fields and forests lose their
productive power?
IF our present rate of use and de-
struction of timber continues our forests
will be exhausted within a generation; if
our currently increasing use of all our
known deposits of iron continues. all our
high-grade ores will be consumed during |
the present century; If the present waste
and currently increasing consumption of
coal continue, all of our vast beds of
anthracite bituminous and Ignite coal |
will be gone before the end of the next |
century. At any reasonable rate OF con- |
sumption, our petroleum can hardly last |
more than two or three generations; and |
at the present appalling rate Of waste. |
l ~