Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-26
PRESIDENT SPEAKS
FOR WATERWAYS
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Continued from First Page)
under which all the commercial and in
dustrfal uses of the waterways may be
developed at the same time. To that end,
Congress should provide some admins
Etrative machinery for co-ordinating the
work OF the various departments so far
as 1t relates to waterways. Otherwise
there will not only be delay, but the peo-
pie as whole will fail to get from our
streams the benefits to which they are
justly entitled.
The commission recognizes that the cost
be large. but far less than would be re-
CURED to relieve the congestion of tramc
by railway extension. The benefits of
such Improvement will be large also. and
they will touch the daily life OF our peo-
pie at every point. uniting the interests
Of all the states and sections OF our
country. The cost and the benefits
should be equitably distributed by CO.
operation with the states and the COM
munities. corporations and individuals
benefcially affected. I heartily concur
in the commissions recommendation to
this end. Such-co-operation should result
| In united effort in carrying out the great
duty of improving our inland waterways.
While we delay. our rivers remain I'M
used. our traffic is periodically congested,
and the material wealth and natural re-
| sources of the country related to water
ways are being steadily absorbed by
| great monopolies.
| Among these monopolies, as the re-
port of the commission points out, there
is no other which threatens, or has ever
threatened, such intolerable Interior
| ence with the daily life of the people as
the consolidation Of companies control
attention to the attempt Of the power
corporations through bills introduced
at the present session, to escape from
the possibility of government regula-
ton in the interests of the people. These
bills are intended to enable the corpo-
rations to take possession in perpetuity
| of national forest lands for the pur-
poses of their business. where and as
they please. wholly without compensa.
ton to the public. Yet the effect of
granting such privileges, taken to-
| gether with rights already acquired
| under state laws, would be to give away
| properties of enormous value. Through
| lack of foresight we have formed the
habit of granting without compensation
extremely valuable rights amounting to
| monOpolies on navigable streams and
| on the public domain The repurchase
| at great expense Of water rights thus
| carelessly given away without return
has already begun in the east, and be-
| fore long will be necessary in the west
/ also. No rights involving water power
| should be granted to any corporations
In perpetuity, but only fol a length Of
time sufficient to allow them to conduct
their business profltably.
A reasonable charge should, of course.
be made for valuable rights and privi-
leges which they obtain from the national
government. The values for which this
charge Is made will ultimately, through
the natural growth and orderly develop
ment OF our population and industries,
lreach enormous amounts. A fair share
lof the increase should be safeguarded
/ IN no nn NJ no
labor 1t springs. The proceeds thus Sc
lcured, after the cost of administration
land Improvement has been met. should
naturally be devoted to the development
OF our inland waterways.
The report justly calls attention to the
fact that hitherto our national policy has
been one Of almost unrestricted DISPOSE
ton and waste Of natural recources and
Emphasizes the fundamental necessity
for conserving these resources upon
which our present and future success as
a nation primarily rests. Running water
is a most valuable natural asset of the
people, and there Is urgent need for con-
lserving 1T for navigation, for power for
Irrigation and for domestic and munich
pal supply.
Work Of the Commission.
The commission was appointed to OBJ
tain information concerning our water
ways as related to the general welfare.
Much work was done, but more remains
| to be done before a plan for their develop
ment can be prepared in detail. We need
additional information on. the flow of our
streams, the condition of channels, the
amount and cost Of water traffic, the re-
quirements for terminals. the area in
each watershed which should be kept
under forest. and the means Of preventing
soil-waste and the consequent damage to
our rivers. But 1t Is neither necessary
nor desirable to postpone the beginning
OF the work until all the facts are OBJ
tanned. We have suffered heavily in the
past from the lack Of adequate transport
tation facilities, and unless a beginning
Is made promptly we shall suffer still
more heavily in the future.
Being without funds or an expert staff,
the commission has confined itself to prin-
,iples affecting the whole problem and
the entire country. It's report is plea,
In the light Of actual facts. for simplicity
and directness in dealing with the great
problem of our inland, waterways in the
interest OF the people. 1t submits no spe-
cific plans or recommendations concern
ing even the most important projects.
| The first of these. of course, concerns
the Mississippi and its tributaries, whose
commercial development will directly af-
rect half our people. The Mississippi
L
work upon it should be begun at the earli-
est possible moment. Only less important
Is the Atlantic inner passage, parts of
which are already under way. The inner
passage along the gulf coast should be
extended and connected with the Atlantic
waters. The need for the developing of
the Pacific coast rivers is not less press
ing. Our people are united in support of
the immediate adoption of progressive
policy OF inland waterway development.
Hitherto our national policy Of inland
waterway development has been largely
negative. No single agency has been re-
sponsible under the Congress for making
the best use Of our rivers or for exercis-
ing foresight in their development. In
the absence Of a'comprehensive plan, the
only safe policy was one of repression and
representation. Frequent changes of
plan and piecemeal execution of projects
have still further hampered improvement.
A channel is no deeper than its shallowest
reach. and to improve river short of the
point of effective navigability is sheer
waste of all 1t costs. In spite of large
appropriations for their improvement. our
Irvers are less serviceable for interstate