Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-02-15

He says you know I am from Mis-
souri, and you have got to show me.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I do
not think that it is necessary for
| Congressman Ellis to give us any
more testimony than he has in favor
of river improvement, not only on the
Missouri but in every part of the
United states where it is feasible.
Now, just moment, fear that
possibly some member of this con-
gress might misinterpret the little
joke that my friend here perpetrated
upon the Red River of the North
when he said that it was wrong
end up" fear that some of you
may think that on account of this
it is not a river that congress should
appropriate money to improve This,
of course, would not be true, the pow
er that congress has to improve the
rivers of the nation comes from the
constitutional provision which says
that congress shall have power to
regulate the commerce with four ma
tions, between the states and the
commerce with the Indians tribes.
This great Red River of the North
flows up into Canada and the COM
merce between Canada and the
United States is commerce between
the nations, and because of this it is
subject to congressional control and
regulation, and while we want to i'm
prove the Missouri river because it
is the greatest river in our state and
perhaps will be the greatest benefit
to the most people, at the same time
we do not want to forget the Red
River of the North. was very
much gratified to see the report of
the government engineer recently up
on this subject. He reported a plan
which he says is feasible and this
plan is that the Red river at certain
points, be damned so that the food
waters in the spring can be kept back
until such time as it is safe to let it
go, and in this way by this system
Of dams and locks the Red river
can be controlled and regulated. And
want to say to you that the saving
to the farmers who live in the vicin-
itey of the Red river, which some
times in those great floods is twenty
miles wide, would be enough alone
to make the improvements, to say
nothing about the commerce at all.
The saving to the farmers, whose
lands are flooded in the springtime.
The engineers say this plan is feast
4 Bile. II it is feasible then we who
live upon the Missouri river or in.
the interior Of the state, should be in
favor of the Improvement Of the
Red River Of the North as well as
other rivers.
Now Congressman Ellis has called
your attention to the Ohio river and
told us of the great benefit that it
was to the people tributary to that
river on account of the river improve
ments that have been made upon that
particular river. He has told about
the great reduction in the price of
coal on account of it. A little while
ago was talking with one of the
engineers in charge of the Missouri
river. / did not know much about
the subject at the time and I was
looking for information and I asked
him a question as to whether it was
going to pay, would it prove bust
ness proposition with the people of
this country, and If he could ever
make the people Of this country see
that as a business proposition these
river improvements should be made
and there would not be any question
about what the result would be. He
says 1t will cost sixty-three millions
OF dollars to make the necessary i'm
lproVements, to make a nine foot
channel, and says will it pay?"
and he says, "a hundred fold, I have
seen seven acres of coal twelve feet
deep bulled down the Ohio by one
little barge, by one little tug.boat ),
Sevensacres of coal twelve feet deem!
You have seen the coal that the rail-
road company has piled up along the
4 tracks between here and Fargo. Won
have seen perhaps a half acre six
feet deep. Didn't it look like an
awful pile Of coal to you as Won
went by on the train out of the
.Icar window? And yet it was not
more than half an acre, not more
than six feet deep, and yet why. go
ling down the Ohio river is seven
acres of coal twelve feet deep all
pulled down by one little tug? Can
IEyoun grasp the magnitude Of the
commerce that can be made upon
these different rivers il they are Inn
proved SO that we can use them ,
W. 1r.a.. NJ. u