Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-04-14
HILL TO talk
ON WATERWAYS
RAILROAD PRESIDENT ONE OF
FIVE DISTINGUISHED MEN
CALLED BY PRESIDENT.
washington Bureau of
The Ottumwa Courier,
WaShin ptnn Anril /:

Washington, April 10.
James J. HILL president of the
Great Northern railroad, will make
one of the leading addresses at the
| White House conference of governors
in May, on the conservation of natural
resources. His subject will be 1.-THE
Relation Between Rail and Water
Transportation"
In accepting the invitation TO attend
the conference, Mr.. Hill says in a let
ter just received by President Roose
welt: The people of this country have
entirely failed to appreciate the rapid
| ity with which they are consuming
what was probably the most noble her
ttage of natural resources to be found
In any country. The greatest founda
ton of value, and, l might say, Of
life itself, is in the formation of the
soil. and this is being wasted as reck.
lessly and rapidly as any of the 9TH
ers."
1t is understood President Hills sub
iect will inevitably lead him into
discussion of the competitive rela
lions between the railroads and canals
of this country. regarding which sig
nificant revelations have recently been
made For instance, the tonnage of
state and corporation canals fell from
16,304,323 in 1880 to 6,606,S14 in 1906,
according to recent census report
These canals were in part competitors
of the railroads and helped to regulate
freight rates. The cause of their de-
cline Is now under investigation by
the bureau OF corporations. The cost
of canal improvements, which are
known to have been abandoned be-
tween 1889 and 1906, was $21, 1897 ,779
and this large amount of money was
thrown away, too, during a period
when railroad facilities were fast ap-
preaching their working limit. The re-
storations and developments of the
canal systems will be one of the most
important topics before the confer
ence.
President Hill is one of five dis.
tinguished citizens who have been
personally invited to attend the con-
ference. The others are Grover Cleve-
land, William Jennings Bryan, John
Mitchell and Andrew Carnegie. These
guests, with the governors of the
states, will be entertained by Presi
dent Roosevelt at dinner on the
evening of May -. The sessions will
begin the following morning The
plan is to hold two sessions day for
three days. President Roosevelt will
open the conference with an address
and he is also expected to preside at
each session, If not throughout each
session
The meetings will be held in the
EAST Room of the White House.
This room has been the scene of many
historic events, but it has never before
been used to accommodate confer
ence dealing with such an important
public quest IN. Nor has it, or any
other place, been heretofore called
upon to shelter the President of the
| United States and the governors Of
the states in Joint deliberation. The
possibilities of such history-making
gathering have led many organizations
and individuals to suggest they would
like to send delegates. Many of these
are pressing for representation. but
they are necessarily meeting with dis
appointment. Secretary Loeb informs
them that it has been determined to
hold the conference closely to the sub
| ject Of the observation of the coun-
try's natural resources All the ma
tional organizations invited are in
some peculiar way interested in this
subject
Nor will the capacity of the East
Room permit greater latitude in rep
resentation. Indications already are
that the room will be crowded. Each
governor will be attended by three
delegates. Some forty great national
organizations will be represented Cab
met members, the justices of the SUI
preme court and members of con-
gress, and the Inland Waterways Com
mission have been invited, and ar
rangements will also be made for the
accommodation of newspaper and
magazine writer's This list fully &C.
counts for the seating capacity of the
East Room, allowing for the fact that
on account Of their other official duties
comparatively few members of con.
gress can probably be in regular at.
tendance.
The Importance of the conference
and it's notable personnel, as we'll as
its non-partisan character is indicat
ed by the fact that it happens that
practically all of the republican and
democratic presidential possibilities
will be there in their capacity as cab
met members. Knox and LaFollette
are invited as senators. Fairbanks and
Cannon have received invitations be
cause Of their positions as presidine
! officers of the two houses of congress
Hughes will be on hand as governor OF
New York. Bryan is one of the five tc
receive personal invitation. johnson
has the same standing as Hughes, BY
| 1yir two Of haf nf INV 10
Judge Gray will attend at a delegate
from Delaware.
This fact, coupled with the time O
the conference, on the very eve Of the
two great national political conven
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