The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-10-29
WATERWAY
BONDS
TAFT FAVORS ISSUE FOR I'M
PROvEMENT OF INLAND
RIVERS.
Would Help Control Rates of Railroads
Executive Declares Work on
Aquatic Highways So Far Has
Been Mere Procession of "Jerks,"
Due to Politics.

| H..
address here before the Interstate In
land Waterways League and citizens
of Corpus Christi, President w. H.
Taft announced himself as strongly
favoring a permanent and practical
system of inland waterways as means
of controlling railroad rates and said
he favored a bond issue policy for car
rying out a practical system of i'm
provements.
Up to the present time, Mr.. Taft de-
clared, congress has provided for i'm
provements in piecemeal fashion, and
the work on improvements has been
nothing more than procession of
jerks"
Before any project is entered upon,
the president declared, it should be
thoroughly considered by board of
engineers as to it's feasibility.
Once the Improvement is declared
desirable and the communities which
it is to serve can convince congress
that their growth has been such as to
jus tify the expenditure of large sum
of money to take care of increasing
the improvement might be begun at
once.
Not Different from Panama Canal.
The president said he could see no
difference between improving inland
waterways and digging the Panama
canal. Each project should be separ-
ately considered to determine whether
or not it is worth doing, he said.
Mr.. Taft referred to the fact that in
| the Ohio River Improvements were
under way to secure a 9-foot stage
from Pittsburg to Cairo. An intercos-
tai 9-foot canal, he declared, would be
of great service to the entire country.
The president said he recognized
the danger of issuing bonds indiscrim-
inately and said the people must not
lose sight of the fact that some day
the bonds must be paid. But he de-
clared his great faith in the conserva-
tism of congress and the American
people, and said he did not believe
they would go into the improvement
of waterways by means of bond is
sue on haphazard basis, but would
conservatively calculate whether or
not the time had arrived to do the
work. He said that more than $780,
000,0 900 has been spent in improve
ment of waterways in the past. In
stead of working toward a great ave-
nue. of commerce, however, the money
had been spent in piecemeal projects
to clamor from home, or as mat
ter of party consideration.
Criticism of Engineers Unjust.
Criticism of the army engineers for
their policy of waterway improvement,
the president declared to be unjust.
The committees of the senate and
the house are responsible for the cur
rent policy, he declared. AS long as
the limitation of home clamor and par
ty considerations continue, the presi-
be expected. The matter should be
looked upon from business point of
view, which, after all, he declared
to be a patriotic point of view
While improved waterways are the
best method of controlling railroad
rates, the president said, they were
not the only means, and the interstate
commerce laws should be amended so
as to make these laws effective.
The president said he did not be-
lieve in radical laws that would Grip
pie railroads, and he thought all wise
pers ons would agree that the best pol
icy was square deal for the railroads,
that they should be allowed rates
which they ought to have and that
popular prejudice should not be per-
mitted to deprive them of a reasonable
profit.
1--WE are funny people" remarked
the president Before the railroad
comes everybody is in favor of it. A
month after it comes, you can't find
anybody in the country in favor of it,
unless it be the local counsel"
| Five Years for Oregon Banker