Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-10-06
URGE THE Use OF
INLAND WATERWAYS
Improved Transportation the Key
to Greater Prosperity of the
West, Is President Cases
Advice Thousand Dele
gates Attend.

Mississippi Commercial congress, with
q thousand or more delegates from
the western half of the United States,
began its five days deliberations here
today with a display of enthusiasm
by the delegates that argues well for
successful and interesting session.
Temporary Chairman j. b. Case,
OF Abilene, Kan, called the delegates
to order and in his opening remarks
pointed the way for the many promi-
nent speakers who follow him, DWELL
ing at some length on the vast work
there Is to be done in the west In the
way of conserving natural resources
and the expansion of present indus
tries to a far wider scope than yet
attempted.
Among the delegates are repre-
sentatives of eighteen states, four
territories and six foreign countries,
while the national government Is rep
resented by w. r. Wheeler. assistant
secretary Of commerce and labor.
Colonel Ike t. Pryor. Of San A.ltotio,
and Colonel Fred w. Fleming, of Mis-
souri,. are the strongest candidates for
the presidential nomination. Omaha
and Denver are making a fight for
the next meeting place, but the report
that Galveston Is a candidate Is de-
MED by Senator Harris of that city.
In his speech President Case took
occasion to endorse the reclamation
service, calling attention to the great
work it is doing; he advocated that
all public lands be settled up as
quickly as possible and suggested tnat
dry farming homesteads be increased d
to 800 or $40 acres; he endorsed the
forest service and the Roosevelt poll
icy of preserving the forests, and
pointed out the many new problems
with which the commercial congress
has to deal. He said in part
Transportation Is Chief Problene
out of this remarkable advance
ment of the Trans Mississippi country
comes one great problem tnat over
shadows all others now before us.
Important as are the various inter-
ests which we are trying to build up,
and close as are they to our national
life. the present day question before
the Trans Mississippi country Is that
of transportation for its constantly
rising abundance Of production, The
one thing that the farmer and the
miner want to know today is now to
cheaply and most directly to a world
market. only two methods are open,
by river transportation and by rail-
way. There are no vast inland seas
no great bays or lakes to furnish a
passage for all this wealth of grain
and minerals. There are rivers that
how for hundreds of miles. but Offer
only AN indifferent method of trans.
portation. 1t is pleasing to see that
Ehe government is taking an interest
in the possibilities of ths form 81
transportation and that the water.
ways are receiving attention. 1t has
been one of the efforts Of this con
gress to urge and secure assistance
along this line. The government owe:
1t to the people who occupy these fer
tile acres to give every possible aid
in deepening and broadening the riy-
,ers that can carry our products 10
deep waters. 1t owes to these states
and territories a more determined ef-
fort than ever before to improve the
western harbors to which may bC
shipped western products. The great
granary and mineral territory of the
United States is going to have it,
rights in waterway improvement, d
know the reason why.
Waterways.
In making these improvements We
of the Trans Mississippi country are
most interested in those streams and
harbOrs that touch our own states
We are particularly desirous that tht
navigation OF the Missouri and lower
Arkansas rivers be improved unit
there shall be a worthy advance e
the transportation of our western pro-
ducts. Along these streams are grow
ing cities and improved farms, anC
the government owes it to the mer
who are making a prosperous country
OF what was once open plain that Tn y
be given every possible encourag
ment
However, only a comparatiyell
small portion of the Trans Mississippi
country can be reached by navigab.
streams. We must depend upon tht
iron rail as highway to market for
the greater portion of our products
The railroads came into the western
states and found them a trackless des
ert. Today the most splendid limited
trains In the world flash across we'll,
imDrOyed and wonderfully deyaIonpd