The Nevada County picayune., 1908-03-05
uRGE PROMPT R|v[R WORK
ROOSEVELT GIVES VIEWS TO CONGRESS IN SPECIAL MES
 SAGE ON WATERWAYS.
SAYS STREAMS SAVE FORESTS
Suggests That Work or Mississippi Should Be Begun at Once, Max ing It Loop of
 the Sea.

congress Wednesday on inland water ways development, urges prompt and decisive action" by congress, and de clares that improvement should be gin with the Mississippi river and its tributaries.
 The Mississippi should be made loop of the sea he says, and work upon 1t should be begun al the earli- est possible moment Only less i'm. portant is the Atlantic inner passage. parts of which are already under way. The inner passage along the gulf coast should be extended and con nected with the Atlantic waters.
 The need for the developing of the Pacific coast rivers is not less pressing. Our people are united in support of immediate adoption Of a progressive policy of inland waterways development"
 These paragraphs are the keynote of the presidents message and Of the preliminary report of the Inland Wa terways Commission which was sent with the message to congress.
 General Mckenzie Diasents.
 General Alexander Mckenzie in a separate report. dissents from this view He can not see. he says, that all these subjects are clearly and necessarily associated with the sub ject of channel improvement and in terstate commerce. He thinks there should be further investigation, espe- cially of legal questions, before all are included in the program.
 If the report errs at all. says the president in his message. it is by over-conservatism."
 The report shows says the mes sage, that commerce was driven from the Mississippi by the railroads. While production was limited. the railways, with their convenient terminals, gave quicker and more satisfactory service than the waterways. Later they pre- vented the restoration of river traffic by keeping down their rates along the rivers, recouping themselves by high CT charges elsewhere. They also ac- quired water fronts and terminals to an extent which made water competi- ton impossible Throughout the coun- try the railways have secured such control of canals and steamboat lines that today inland waterway transpor- tation is largely in their hands
 Hits Water Power MonopoIsts.
 The message recommends a deep and another along the Atlantic and gulf coasts as of value in the national defense. They will, says the presi- dent, also relieve the freight conges- tion and stop the absorption of the national resources of the country by monopolies.
 Among these monopolies, as the report of the commission points out, ' says the message. there is no other that threatens or has ever threatened, such intolerable interference with the daily life of the people as the Consoli- dation of companies controlling water power.
 No rights involving water power should be granted to any corporations in perpetuity, but only for time sui ficient to allow them to conduct their business proftably. A reasonable charge should. of course, he made fol valuable rights and privileges which they obtain from the national govern ment."
 Favors Concrete General Plan.
 Regarding the creation of a perma nent waterways commission, the presi dent says, The first condition of sue cessful development of our waterways is a definite and progressive policy The second is a concrete general plan prepared by the best experts available covering every use Of which our streams can be put. We shall moi succeed until the responsibility for administering the policy and oXecut ing and extending the plan is definitely laid on one man CT group of men wht can be held accountable
 Win Relieve Drain on Coal Lands.
 Regarding the benefits of com prehensive plan, the president says The use of water power will measug ably relieve the drain upon our dimin ishing supplies of coal and transporta ton by water instead ot rail only will tend to conserve our iron.
 Forest preservation. without whjcI river improvement can nos be perma nent. will at the same time help tJ postpone the threatened timber fam inc, and will secure us against a teta dearth of timber by providing for per petuation of the remaining woodlands
 Adequate funds should be provid cd, by bond issue if recessary," says the message and the work should be delayed no longer
 The report of the commission open, with the statement that there are 25, GOO miles of nayiga:ed river in main land United States and as many nor, that are naVigable or might be mad,