Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-10-19
rAg FIXING Of a POLICY

/ the one .dbaylutrtJ So'tAteAttt 1870
to successful undertaking and compile
tion OF any work and especially so
with any work undertaken by public
authority It was only by the fixing
OF definite policy by the Government
Of the United States that the CONT
nent was spanned and the East and
the West brought together by the
lcompletion OF the Pacific railway
The Pacific railway had been the
dream OF years-and It would have
been a dream today II It had not
been for the fixing Of an intelligent
policy with appropriate legislation in
surfing the beginning, the carrying
on and the completion Of the work.
The continent Is now spanned With
rails and reaching all points-when
there comes a season Of dullness, and
only reaching points is in keeping
with the tremendous advance Of
commercial, mining, industrial and
agricultural interests. That advance
is the normal condition of the coun-
try is a self evident proposition,
With another accompanying it--the
self evident proposition that means
OF transportation--the key to prog
ress and advance-is wholly made
auate.
The country is growing too fast
to avoid car shortages-but It is not
growing fast enough to enable It to
bear the tgreat losses which comes
to al conditions OF trade and com
merce because OF inadequacy of
means OF communication between
shipper and receiver, en- inadequacy
which makes It plain that It is not
Jones. the shipper. who pays the
freight. but the consumer Of the ar
ticles shipped.
The south--the progressive and the
New South-so vitality interested in
the question OF transportation and
interested. perhaps, more than any
other section Of the country, in the
completion Of the Panama canal. re-
calls also the fact that the canal had
rs origin lnthe dreams of the Span. |
fish monarchy more than two centu-
ries ago. The dream continued until
States awoke to the fact that the
work was purely. and wholly a work
Tor this Government to undertake
alone. with the Hay-Paucefote treaty
forever settling the question of owner
ship and control in the United States.
That step was followed by the course
which the Government of the United /
States should adopt with reference to
inland waterway lmprovement-the
OF a fixed and definite !
policy such as was adopted with refer
ence TO the canal and under which
The great work is SO rapidly progress
Ing and certain, In lie completion. to
add immeasurably TO the foreign /
trade and commerce OF the country
Yet that trade and commerce, great
though Il is and will be. Is compare.
lively Insignificant when compared |
with the inland trade and commerce
of the country now so badly hampered |
aud impeded in It's development be-
cause OF lack Of means OF transporta.
ton between shipper and receiver
The National Rivers and Harbors
Congress. whose program Is; "AI
Policy; not Proieet"-and whose
work has brought so wildly TO the
OF Congress aud the ship
ping ana receiving public the neces-
sity for the adoption OF o fixed policy
Of waterway lmprovement--wi hold
lis sixth annual convention at the New
Willard, Washington. d. O., on Deem.
Der 5, and 10. c6lnoldent with the
assembling Of the slxU-First Con-
gross, and not one OF the vast inter.
ests OF this section Of the United
States should be unrepresented. The
question involved is one OF the nrst
Importance; the delegates to the
congress- win be most thoroughly rep
resentatiye men and OF les influence
upon The Congress OF the United
States there can be no doubt--and
there ehould ~ mona