Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-31
PLANS AND ESTIMATES
I'm ORDER, HE SUGGESTS
Women of New Orleans Likely to
Blind Issue.
PAYS COMPLIMENT TO CHARMS
President Greeted With Cheers and
College Yells at Lakes-to-Gulf
Deep Waterways
Convention.

President Taft celebrated the successful
termination Of his trip down the Mis-
sissippi river today by addressing the del
egates to the convention OF the Lakes
to-the-Gulf Deep Waterways Association.
which has as its object the Improvement
OF the Mississippi river and its trtbu-
taries
On the arrival OF the President dele.
gates and visitors sprang to their feet.
Many mounted their chairs In order
to get better view of the bowling. smiI-
ins' big man who was working his way
through the double line of secret sery-
ice men and police officers.
He stood on the platform a moment.
greeting President Kavanaugh Of the
waterways Association, and then bowed
his appreciation Of the applause.
Cheers and Yale Yells.
President Kavanaugh presented him
with a handsome gold badge, and then
introduced Gov. Sanders Of Louisiana,
who. in turn, introduced the President.
The applause broke out again, and was
reinforced with some vigorous Yale yells.
When 1t died away President Taft COM
menced his address
.The President began by having a lit
tie fun regarding the trip down the river.
ne SAID tnat dangers great had all been
run, and that the fleet had come through
without the loss Of single man.
MI. Tart taunted the congressman and
governors for having resorttd to the hu-
initiating device of land transportation
at one stage of the journey.
The President decla rad baf No ,,roc~e~.
had been made I'm river navigation in this
country in the last forty or forty-fiye
years. The waterways of this country.
Mr. Taft declared, must be used even
tnally to carry the bulk of heavy mer-
chandise.
The Presidents declaration that he IA.
vored the issuance OF bonds for carry
ing out the Ohio river Improvement as
waterways called out burst OF APP
plause. The Ohio river improvement viii
cost s63.OOOOOO
Mr.. Taft said that he also favored
oonds Tor all other improvements. includ-
ing the Mississippi, Just as soon as q
feasible project can he decided upon and
can be shown to be necessary and iusti-
liable. The Ohio river gives ihe bulk OF
business to the Mississippi. the Presi-
den! declared, and every Improvement OF
a tributary tends TO Increase the value
or the great highway to the gulf.
AohAh6 ~oW III 0TOeT.
The President told Of the improvements 3
to the Mississippi on the way down. and
especially i'm protecting the banks from q
further sloughing of at the outside OF
the bends. The engineers say they need
s., ,OO0.OO more a year to carry on this
beneficial work as 1t ought TO be carried
on. and that 1t was a shame Congress did
not give IL to them.
In conclusion President Taft declared
that the time for oratory was past and
that il was now time TO get down to brass
tackS.
He said:
1T is now up to you gentlemen TO de-
eide what you want, what IL will cost.
how long II will take and what the result
will be. Once that Is done you can COM
mand, not ask
He paid compliment to the women OF
New Orleans and predicted that IL the
delegates to the convention remained here
two or three days they would forget that
there was such a thing as river.
The Presidents Address.
President Taft said:
az am delighted to be present-you sec
we adopt in our administration the Roose-
Welt policies to the full-and to hear the
highly honorable delegation that has
come from st. Louis to the gulf.
"we have passed through all the dan
gers Of the navigation OF the river, and
they are not confined to the shoals, sand
banks and the bends. We are here with
out the loss Of single man.
There are some few of us who have
braved the whole way. / hesitate 10
speak OF those who resorted to the hu-
initiating device of taking land trans
be suppressed in the minutes OF this
meeting.
When Uncle Joe addresses your honor
able body don't ask him where he left
the river and when he got back to H.
Epoch in Transportation.
But. jesting aside. our coming indi-
Gates what we hope may be an epoch In
the change of the character or trans
portation in this country.
do not misunderstood me. / don't
think that we are going TO fill the bosom
oe the Mississippi with barges and ocean
steamers tomorrow morning.
..The change which is bound TO be ell
fecfed with respect to that stream will
come gradually. 1t will come with the
demand that IS certainly growing for an
improyement In our transportation and
the cheapenng of that kind of trans
nortation to wit. bulky merchandise, that
ought to be carried more cheapiy thah
il is today.
We have seen human ingenuity de-
yeloped to the highest degree In the
growth of our railroad transportation
and the economy of the conduct Of
railroads. But tha condition OF our
rivers, the apparently hopeless task Of
making them useful. has turned the
public attention from them and thera
isn't in reference to river construc-
tion or river navigation. that improve
ment that we ought to have had In the
last forty years.
No Progress in Forty Years.
"I ask you what progress has been
made in the last thirty or forty years
in reference to river Improvement? Now
we have reached a point where we are
bound to use these streams because the
amount of freight that is required %
be carried will necessitate 1t.
I'm Germany and in foreign countries.
to which we are pointed to show what
can be done with river navigation, the
exercises control and says
that. with respect to the rates, certain
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