The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-11-19
MPROylN5 BY JERKS.


inland waterway Improvement in
the United States as "a procession
of jerks" he epitomized not only
the interminabie and costly delays
attendant on the work, but the
strange Indifference of the Con
crosses from the beginning of i'm
provement, In 1923, down to the
present day. 1t was a homely ex-
preston, but it was terse and COM
prehensive. Equally true was his
statement that the value of the in
land waterways vas increased with
the completion Of each Improvement.
The policy OF improvement by jerks
was the certain begetter Of the pork
barrel. Under that policy no at
tention was paid to the fact that the
inland waterways form a chain of
highways, with the Improvement of
one emphasizing the value of all,
but with no possibility Of the COM
plete improvement even of n of
the great natural highways when
appropriations were made more for
the enhancement of congressional
reflections than for the advance
ment of trade and commerce through
relief from freight congestions that
come oftener and grow mor costly
with the growth of the country.
There has been no part of the
presidential itinerary that attracted
more serious attention than his trip
down the Mississippi river. There
was nothing of politics in the river
trip. But there were emphatic rec
ognitions of the necessity for inland
waterway improvement on definite
plans to be undertaken on the rec
ommendation of the Engineer Corps
of the Army upon the merits of the
streams, upon their tonnage bearing
capacity when improved, with APP
preparations sufficient for the work,
and with the Federal government
pledged to completion of work I'M
dertaken.
The river itinerary was an object
lesson. The entire country is con-
WINGED that the vital importance of
the work has at last been recognized
and placed upon a plane of recogni-
ton by the government from which
it cannot be displaced. 1t was an
object lesson of the hitherto forget
fulness and Indifference on the part
of the general government. 1t vas
a magnificent recognition of the in
land waterway as the certain and
the cheapest possible mean Of com
m%unicatlon between shipper aud re-
celver, and as a regulator Of freight
rates absolutely just and equitable
III its operations, enforcing It's judg
through the memorable Cp-
GRAFTON of the law of supply and
demand.
The policy of Improvement of the
inland waterways of the United
States has taken the place of the
policy of the particular project I'M
der which no results of good were
had, but only inevitable and costly
delays. The new idea of "A Policy;
not d Project" the platform OF the
National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress, is responsible for the awaken
ing CT official and citizen to the ne
cessity for sufficient appropriations
and for continuous work, with the
emphatic expression Of President
Taft experimenting that platform
and bringing the whole country face
to face with the practical solution Of
the great problem Of transportation.
It is a solution from which the
country will not avert its face, but
which it demands shall become the
fixed and settled policy of the Fed
eral government. The coming meet
ing of the National Rivers and Har-
bors Congress-, unquestionably the
most important of the series, and
representative of the trade and COM
mercial interests of the entire
country will present the question to
the Federal Congress in concrete
form, expressive of a demand for a
policy which oar only enure to the
benefit of each and every section
of the country.
The family circle will be complete