The Sentinel=record., 1909-10-12

New York Oct. l.-Dear Mir. Smith,
 President Business Mems League, St. Louis, Mo Referring to your letter of Sept 20, you win see from clipping inclosed that President Taft has com mitted himself. and continues to com. init himself to the development of .-e Northwest.
 Irrigation and reclamation are the swo important factors which are re. ceiying the attention of the people of the different sections of the coun. try where such Improvements are needed for the proper growth of their respective sections.
 The attention of Congress, under MT. Taft's support (which has been brought around from his personal ob- servationl is beng concentrated on the Northwest. and from fifteen to thirty million dollars have been prom ised for the purpose of putting more toiAN hliNti thllifNliOH.
 As President Taft says. the nation must move with deliberation, and if that deliberation Is concentrated upon the Northwest, tt means 1t will take several years before the subject will again be considered by Congress. in the meantime the Southwest will De on the waiting list
 One of the difficulties that have observed in the last fifteen years in the development of the Southwest. and l might say of the South, is the fact that we do not seem t6 take op- pcitunities as they do in the North west. We are anxious and enthusias. tic. but we permit other things to sidetrack us
 Itineraries are made to be smashed when 1t is necessary. None appre. eiases this more than President Taft. Nothing will accomplish as much as to let him see that country, as shown by inclosed map-that rich area. a small portion of which is now in use. but if six and half million dollars were expended on it the unproductive swamps would be changed to the finest agricultural section of the world, producing in Northeastern Mis-. souri alone one hundred million bush. els of corn. two million bales of cot ton and cghg million bales of alfana, all of which would probably be more than duplicated in Arkansas anu Lou. isiana.
 On the recent trip of the good roads party from the Soutnwe studying good road construction in the Eastern States. MT C. A. Cole, president of the Farmers Union of Arkansas, and Mir J. F. Harbert. president of the Farmers Union of Louis ana, in their talks where they were entertained by governors and other officials of the different states, both spoke on all occasions of the great richness of the alluvial valleys of Arkansas and Louisiana, only awaiting drainage
 This is one of the foremost prob. lens of the day, and is just as eagerly being sought by the different com. munities who realize what il means, as in former days when all com. munities were seeking goyernmen, aid for waterway improvements.
 am strong believer in the devel. opment of waterways under a proper system, but what We need now is something that vii give quick results The improvement of the Mississippi River has been under way for more than loo years. and it will rake many years more before any improvement over present conditions is accom. plished. This other matter is imme diate, with big results.
 All the people of that section ask is that President Taft see the situa. ton hmself. so that he may recon mend that one of two things be done, ether the improvement of the St. Francis and Little Rivers by the gov. ernment so khat they will provide adequate channels for the discharge Of the waters. or to turn the matte. over to the drainage district. 50 that