The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-02-13

tonight. The affair was the greatest
ever held by the chamber Senator Knox
was loudly Cheered, and this being his
home town, loudly acclaimed as the next
President He did not touch on this in
his speech. Representative James Francis
Burke was POSTMASTER
The other speakers were Congressman
j. Sloat Fassett, New York, "Interna-
tional Trade and Merchant Marine" Sen
ator Thomas H. Carter. Montana. THE
Business Men of History" and Senator
J. p. Dolliver. Iowa, Abraham Lincoln %
Policy Once Distorted.
Mr.. Knox said in part
mo subject of national policy has been
more distorted by partial views, more
dishgured by Misrepresentation, or more
dwarfed by the conflict Of local interests
than the governmental work Of improv-
ing our harbors and waterways, and yet
upon no other one factor does the future
expansion of commerce so largely depend.
The true national policy is to embark on
the creation of an inclusive system of
harboTs and waterways which shall be
developed TO its utmost economic pos
sibility.
The duty of the government to improve
It's waterways and harbOrs is made
eXigent by the great expenditures in
progress on the Isthmus of Panama. We
are expending a vast sum of money to
dig the Panama Canal 10 a depth of
thirty-five feet, That depth is fixed by
the well-established fact that the cheapest
ocean transportation is in the great YES
sells of about that draft In order that
the canal may give the commerce he
tween the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans it's
tuil development this depth is admittedly
necessary. But at the same time only
two or three ports of the United States
have depth of water equal 10 that fixed
for the Isthmian Canal, and applications
Of cities to have their harb0r channels
deepeued to that standard are met with
proCraStination il not refusal, IT this is
not amended Congress viii stand self
convicted of spending the nations money
in digging d canal and conhning its fullest
benefits 10 the commerce OF other nations.
or at best giving 20 the United States
the privilege of using the full depth
only through a few ports already
VIGOROUSLY cOngested
ReihtlOn "a Canal.
"The relation between the Panama
Canal and the Improvement OF the vast
system Of internal waterways in the
Mississippi basin is. If anything. more
intimate and compulsory. The 1000 miles
OF streams ranked as uavigabIe because
they are potentially SO. terminate at the
great ocean port nearest the canal The
contribution of tho people inhabitlng
that basin 10 the national revenues shows
that they VIII pay approximately one
half of the cost OF the canal. Their re-
sources and production, with their water
ways improved 20 the utmost cheapness
of transportation, can furnish an i'm
menSe traffic 10 be sent through the canal
TO Pacific countries. To omit the I'M
uroyemeuts that would pour down from
the Mississippi basin-and from the Great
Lakes as well, through canal connections
with the riVerS--d constant food of
products. agricultural. mineral and man
ufacJured, would be TO perpetrate two
fatuities that ought 90 be mthinkablc
One is to deny To the canal the great adj
ditiOn 10 its traffic and return on its in
vestment The other is 10 deny 10 the
people of the central part Of the United
States their fun share Of the use of
the work TO which they contribute so
largely
Would re Homogeneous.
'Wll the government of this nation
through its legislative branches fix upon
itself the amazing incongruity of spend
ing "a certain S500.O00.00O. and a possible
SJ0o0oooo, in digging the Panama Canal
and denying to the seacoast harbors of
the United States two or three score nail
lions 20 enable them 10 enjoy the full
benefit uf the canal? Do We wish, while
spending that sum outside the United
States. 20 withhold or even stint the prob
able SEQ 600 or possible $300,0000G0 that
viii at once secure to the canal the vast
traffic of the Mississippi basin. and give
TO half our population the due return
from their contribution 20 that work? l
cannot believe that with its true nature
cOmprehended. Congress can perpetrate
that logical impossibnity
The duty of the government "a raise
lis waterways and laTbOTS 10 their ut
most efficiency was determined long ago
by the action Of the government itself.
assert as an axiom that when the United
states government, acting under the legis-
iative grants Of Congress, first stirred the
mud by dredging IN the Delaware River
or New York Bay, il assumed the obliga-
tien 10 keep those harbors up to the
standard fixed by the fullest needs Of
commerce. It invited cities TO improve
their docks 10 accommodate large ocean
vessels. It held out the inducement to
railways 10 bring their tracks to the
waters edge and construct terminals for
the transfer of freight from cars to yes
sells. So when the government assumed
charge and control of the navigable
streams of the interior it entered into
a practical contract with the States and
communities bordering these streams that
their waterways would be improved 10
their highest capacity. The States were
thereby prevented from improving the
streams themselves. Corporate enterprise
was forbidden to undertake the canaliza-
ton Of important stretches and fix the cost
of their works and franchises on the
traffic. The Federal government has
made its formal and deliberate declara-
ton that IL viii do this work. That neceS-
sarily involves that it will make the i'm
pr0vements adequate TO modern needs and
To do any less would be
mockery and breach of good faith.
In all the range of material benefits
for this nation there are none OF such
possibilities more certainly
attainable than this. The conception Of
the fields Of the Northwest linked by
waterways with the coal of Pennsylvania,
the cotton fields OF the Gulf. the ports of
the Pacific and the cities of theCOast: the
picture of great lows and fleets of steam
ers. bearing grain, coal, iron, and cotton
on the streams from the Lakes 10 the
Gulf and from Nebraska TO New York;
the fun enjoyment Of the Panama Canal
for the productive interests Of the Missis-
sippi basin and the Atlantic Coast alike;
the agriculture of that vast region
doubled in its production by the rewards
Of intensive cultivation and the multi
plication of near markets, surpasses the
ability of the human mind IN prasn in its