The Tupelo journal., 1908-10-16
WATER DEMANDS
WORK OF CONNECTING LAKES
AND GULF MUST BEGIN.
Theodore Shonts Attacks Operation
of Railroads by Commissions
as Inimical to Country.

Chicago, I~l.-Adoption of resolutions
declaring the opening of a deep channel
way connecting the Great Lakes with
the Gulf of Mexico to be an imperative
duty of the general government; that
this work should be Immediately begun
and completed as soon as possible; Sc
lection of New Orleans for the next con.
f%ention, and the reelection of old of
t~icers, were the features of the closing
session today of the Lakes-to-the-Gulf
Deep Waterways Association. While
the attendance was not so large as that
OF the previous meetings, the interest
was not lessened.
Two interesting addresses held the at
tention of the delegates present. They
were by Theodore p. Shonts of New
York, and John A. Ockerson of st.
Louis. Mr.. Shonts attacked violently
the system of operation of railroads by
commissions.
The resolutions as adopted follow:
Commence on Sound Basis.
The general welfare of the people Of
the United States can best be promoted
by establishing the of the
country on a sound basis and by so en-
larglng it that agricultural and mineral
may be developed, to the end
that production and manufacturing may
be encouraged.
Easy and adequate transportation is
the FIRST essential for the development of
tho nnraa pf ~. iii Gu \
the responsibility for this development
rests on the general government.
1t has been demonstrated during tho
last ten years that when business con.
ditions are normal the transportation
facilities afforded by the railways are
utterly inadequate. The leading rail-
way authorities declare that water
transportation must be developed in Or
der that the freight of the country may
be handled properly and promptly.
unde the constitution the regulation
OF comerce between the States deyolyes
ON the general government, and neither
States nor private capital can be per-
mltted under the constitution to assume
these duties.
Duty of Government.
The duty, therefore, devolves on the
general government to give the country
adequate transportation facilities bv de.
veloplng the navigable waterways. This
duty should be recognized by Congress
at once, and the waterways should be
made efficient freight carriers; other
wise the United States cannot maintain
commercial equality with other nations
which are paying adequate attention to
their waterways.
The all-lmportant question of trans
portatlon Is a paramount issue. If it
be found that the current revenues of
the government are insufficient for Wig
orously carrying out on a broad plan
the development of our waterways, Con-
gress should procure funds for that pur-
pose by providing a sufficient bond is
sue.
This convention declares that the
opening of a deep channel wav connect.
ing the Great Lakes with the Gulf of
Mexico to be an imperative duty of the
general government, and that his work
should be Immediately begun and COM
pleted as speedily as possible. Any plan
for inland waterways development
comprise a main trunk line in the
form of a strait connecting Lake Michi-
gan with the Gulf of Mexico by the
Illinois and Mississippi rivers.
The branches of this main line, such
as the upper Mississippi, with its tribu-
%taries; the Ohio, with it's tributaries, in
GLIDING the Tennessee; and the Cumber-
land, the Missouri, the Arkansas, the
Red, the White, should proceed stimuli
taneously with the development of the
main line. The deep waterway is prac-
tically complete from Chicago to Joliet,
and the continuation from Joliet to st.
Louis will cost only S31, 900 900. The
State of Illinois, assuming that the Fed
eral government will take the response.
bility of completing the waterway to
the gulf, is about to cooperate to the
extent of $4,000, 900.
This convention is in hearty accord
with the recent movement for the con-
servation of the natural resources of the
country and heartily approves the efforts
of the National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress in seeking to develop the water
ways of the nation.
We do hereby demand that a definite
and vigorous policy of waterways i'm
provement, beginning with the lakes-to-
the-gulf deep waterway, be promptly
adopted by the general government.