The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1908-12-04
Benefits Of
Geod Waterway

F. OVVW w VIVA vvVVz
IF the people along the great
waterways Of the United States
show that they are interested and
determined to have the rivers i'm
proved and opened to commerce.
the states through which the
rivers pass will take up the agita-
ton and realization of the
necessity for practical, economical
improvement will force itself upon
congress just as the Union Pacific
railroad enterprise did; just as the
Panama canal work did, and the
Missouri river will be one Of the
first to be improved because such
States as Montana and North
Dakota need increased transporta-
tion facilities more than any other
states in the Union
This statement was made by
Will A. Campbell of The Omaha
Bee, who is in close touch with
the movement for improved water
ways and who was in Wash
burn last Friday in the interest of
the Missouri River Navigation
Congress.
1.-The Missouri river will be
seized as one big enterprise, say
$lOO.OOO,OO0 of bonds are voted for
the improvement of the stream
from Ft. Benton to St. Louis.
That is something like $4,000 per
mile, but it is cheap at that. It
would cost that much more
to build a railroad, while opening
this river means just as much to
Washburn and other towl S and
cities along the stream, as though
two different railroad companies
built double track railroads into
this town from St. Louis, Kansas
City, Omaha and Sioux City, and
then on through to Great Falls
and Helena and up to the Yellow
stone Valley.
when these bonds are offered,
they will be snapped up before the
lithographer's ink is dry, and then
will come to this country along
the river such a flood of private
capital to erect warehouses and
build elevators along the river
banks, as we'll as to put boat lines
on the river, that the whole
Missouri valley will open a new
era.
This is no dream. It is fact
that we are going to realize
and the improvement Of our water
ways is the irmest fixed of federal
irolitics. The man who told me
this morning that it was political
bunce::has but a small idea Of what
he is talking about. as the im-
provement of streams and syste-
matte cancellation is no party
issue. Both parties have been
pledged to it both in the national
and many Of the state platforms.
When the Missouri river is i'm.
proved there will not Us three
cities on the map with such a.
bright future as Bismarck, Wash
burn and Williston. They are
logically located to become great
centers. The Missouri river and
not the railroads now constructed
nor those on paper, holds the key
80 the Ignite coal industry and.
You have the fields here which
can be developed and will make
men fortunes and thousands Of
men work, when you can chute a
ton Of your Ignite on barge and
) get 81 for it because it will 60 to
the furance months Of Sioux
City, Omaha and Kansas City for
81 per ton, whereas you now pay
$l.5O to send q ton Of it to Fargo
I only q little more than 200 miles
away. .9.
Nj. Campbell told 81 the high.
freight rates which the people q
North Dakota are paying and Of
!, the disad vantage of buying II but
6ne market and selling il the
same market. & { personally know
because I watched the situation