Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-26
UNRECUlATED ROADS DRIVE
commerce FROM The RIVER

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sble Throughout the country the
railways have secured such control of
canals and steamboat lines that to-
day inland waterway transportation
is largely in their hands This was
natural and doubtless inevitable under
the circumstances, hut it should not be
allowed TO continue unless under care
full Government regulation.
Requires Intelligent Regulation.
Comparatively little inland freight
Is carried by boat which is not carried
part of its journey by rail also. AS
the report shows, the successful de-
velopment and use of our interstate
waterways will require intelligent
regulation Of the relations between
rail and water traffic. When this is
done the railways and waterways will
assist instead Of injure each other.
Both will benefit. but the chief benefit
will accrue TO the people in general
through quicker and cheaper trans
portation.
The report rests throughout on the
fundamental conception that every
waterway should be made to serve the
people as largely and in as many diff
ferent ways as possible. 1t is poor
business to develop river for naviga-
tion in such way as to prevent its
use for power. when by a little fore
sight 1t could be made to serve both
purposes. We can not afford need
lcssly to sacrifice power to irrigation,
or irrigation to domestic water supply.
when by taking thought we may have
all three. Every stream should be used
to the utmost. No stream can he SO
used unless such use is planned for
in advance. When such plans are
made we shall find that instead. OF
Interfering. one use can often he made
to assist another. Each river system
from its hcadwaterS in the forest tC
its mouth on the coast. is single
unit and should be treated rs such
Navigation OF The lower reaches OF =
stream can not be fully developed
without the control of floods and low
waters by storage and drainage. Navi
gable channels are directly concerned
with the protection OF source waters
and with soil erosion which takes the
materials for bars and shoals from the
richest positions of our farms. rh.
nicipal water supply. for power. ant
In many cases for irrigation must alsC
be taken into full account
For National Defense.
The development of our inland
waterways will have results far be
| yund the Immediate gain to commerce
Deep channels along the Atlantic anC
| Gulf coasts and from the Gulf to tn,
| Great Lakes will have high value 70
| the national defense. The use of water
power will mPasurably relieve th'
| drain upon our diminishing supplies o
| coal. and transportation by water in
stead of rail only will tend TO cOnserv,
our iron. Forest protection. withou
| which river improvement cannot b
| permanent. will at the same time hell
/ to postpone the threatened timbe
| famine. and will secure us against
total dearth OF timber by providing
for the perpetuation of the remaining
woodlands. Irrigation will create tn
means of livelihood for millions y
people, and supplies OF pure water viii
| powerfully promote the public health
If the policy Of waterways improve
ment here recommended Is carried out
1t will affect for good every citizel
OF the Republic The National Gov
trnment must play the leading part f
securing the largest possible use o
our Waterways; other agencies ca
assist, and should assist, but the wor
is essentially national in its scope.
What Congress Should Do.
The various uses of waterways ar
now dealt with by Bureaus scattere
through four federal Departments. A
present. therefore, it is not possible I
deal with q river system as singl
problem. But the Commission her
recommends policy under which n
the commercial and Industrial uses {
the waterways may he developed 8
the same time. To that end, Congres
should provide some Administrative
machinery for coordinating the wor
Of the various Departments so far q
II relates to waterways. Otherwis
there will not only be delay, but I'll