Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-05-01
IS OPPOSED TO
A BOND ISSUE
Senator Elkins Gives His Views
on Our Waterways.
BELIEVES IN FIXED PLAN
FOR IMPROVING RIVERS

Says Government Has Been Too Care
less in Maintenance of the Great
Water Courses, and In Future They
Should be Given Closer Attention
For Future Welfare of the Country.
Washington ID G., April 21.---'1 am
hardly prepared to endorse bond IS
sue of five hundred millions or dollars
70 develop the waterways OF tn United
States. believe that current rev.
ennes will be sufficient to. work out
some comprehensive system OF water
way Development. covering long
period OF years, bat should current
revenues fail to meet current obliga-
tons, then would not hesitate to
place an additional obligation upon
posterity In order that We may have In
the United States as perfect "a net
work OF waterways as have the coun-
tries OF Europe. say this because
posterity for ali time will enjoy the
vast benefits OF such improvement
and development"
Senator Stephen +. Elklns. OF West
Virginia. who made the above state
ment. as Chairman OF the Committee
on Interstate Commerce and as a.
ranking ms mber OF the Committee OF
Commerce. Is essentially an opti-nist.
He believes In the future of the United
States and in his conservative legisla-
tive work has reflected this optimism
on numberiess occasions Bnt Sena-
tor ElSins is not a dreamer. his early
life having taught him that TO do
things is better than to dream things
A product OF Ohio. raised on farm,
he was early imbued With the idea 81
securing an education and becoming
lawyer. After his graduation from the
University OF Missouri In 1869 he was
admitted to the bar and afterwards at
the close OF the war, he went to New
Mexico, which territory he represents
ed in the Forty-Third and Forty
Fourth Congresses. From that day to
this Stephen B. Elains has been inter-
ested in waterways AM does not take
any stock in tn oft-repeated. declara-
tion that the arilroads are antagonis1
tic to waterway development In the
United States. He says 1t will take
both railroad and waterway to do the
carrying business OF this country.
what we need most In the United
States is some fixed plan forimproving
BILE by the expenditure OF conserva-
tive sum every year. Piece-meal
appropriations are things Of the past.
so far as waterway development is
concerned. We have been too care
less and unmindful of the benefits and
advantages or these great water
courses with which nature has so
bountifully supplied us and we have
die our great traffic especially the
heavier and bulkier freight. The river
is a slow ;arrier, for great bulks can
only be transported by barges In tow.
The railroad is the express messenger
to haadle the lighter and more perish
able freight. So that the river and
the railroad have each their proper
function and we should not be blinded
to these conditions
I'VE are In the throes of our second
waterway agitation largely due to the
work OF the National Rivers and Har-
bors Congress. The first agitation fol-
lowed hard on the Revolution and In
far reaching effect shared with the
Declaration OF independence the dis
tlnction of having opened the most Inn
portant era In American history The
agitation now going on gives abund-
ant promise of still more far reyolu
ton peaceful though II Is. than was
ever contemplated In the far off days
of Washington and Gallatin. We have
reached the cross roads of the waters
and IT, behooves us to build them not
only for ourselves but for posterlty."
seen whole harbors and rivers closed
in which could have been kept open. !
All this should be prevented and we
should harness the rivers seas and
lakes to do their proportion OF the
work of commerse-building as rail
roads have. The railroad goes every
where. the river has no feeders, except |
as 1t may not and then have a tribu-
tary for its course Is fixed by immuta-
BILE law.
while / am opposed primarily to
putting larger debt upon the Ameri-
people I feel convinced that some
times this great waterway problem OF
deve .openent should be borne in
measure. or I may say largely. by |
those who come after US. When we
have 125.000.000 OF people and that
time is not so very far away, we will
need the water courses help to han