Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-12-15

Rivers and Harbors congress, inter-
ested especially in no project, but in
general policy of improvement of
! our navigable rivers. And, these two
organizations, together with the
Lakes-to-the-GuH organization and
the Trans mississippi congress, have
done a great work in behalf of navi-
cation on and Improvement of our
inland waterways. Their activity,
statistics and reasoning have brought
the entire country in favor of river
Improvement The two great politi-
cal parties in convention assembled
in 1908, after careful consideration
and great deliberation, declared in
favor of improving our inland water
ways, and the candidate of each par
. ty advocated the policy upon the
stump. In his trip down the Mississ-
: ippi river in 1907, in every speech
: that he made from St. Louis to Mem
phis, President Roosevelt spoke in
favor Of it, and President Taft, in his
/ trip down the Mississippi river from
St. Louis to New Orleans, not only
spoke in favor of the policy but adj
vised the issue and the sale of bonds
to promote it.
During all of this time no one has
raised voice against it. No news
paper, no magazine has printed
word, SO far as I know, against such
policy. The entire country is in
favor Of it, and some Of us are get
ting a little impatient because con-
gress has done so little for the pro-
motion of this policy. Let us not be
impatient. The improvement of our
internal waterways is a tremendous
undertaking, and while the country
and congress, and the two great po-
litical parties are committed to the
policy, there is some question as to
whether we have a definite and prac-
tical plan that appeals to congress
as feasible and practical.
This is not only tremendous un-
dertaking, but we have tremendous
ly large country, growing bigger and
more expensive every day, and as
conservative people, we want to
know, and congress wants to know
that the money expended in the i'm
provement of our waterways will not
be wasted. but will be invested in
permanent improvements that will
| last If the improvement of our
! waterways is going to be the great
benefit to our country that we be-
lieve it will, then they should be i'm
proved as soon as possible so that we
| might enjoy the benefit. It is evil
dent that the appropriations hereto
fore made are not large enough to
| bring us any beneficial results. Be-
| cause of the magnitude of our gov
eminent, each department growing
and increasing in Importance every
year, and becoming more expensive
every year, and the appropriations
for maintaining the government in
creasing every year, it must be ap-
parent to everyone that any political
party in power will hesitate to ap-
propriate money necessary for the
completion of this work in addition
to the appropriations which are nee
essary to maintain the government
How, then, is the money to be
| raised? The money could be raised
by an issue and sale Of bonds in the
same way that we raised the money
to build the Panama Canal. Are we
justified in issuing and selling bonds
for the Improvement of our water
ways? If the work is to be tempo
rary only, no; but if it is to be per-
manent improvements, beneficial to
those who are to come after US as
we'll as those who are now living,
then it is only just and equitable that
all who partake of the benefits should
share in the burdens. If our river
improvements are permanent and
lasting they will add so much to the
national wealth of the country, and
become in fact permanent invest
ment that posterity will inherit and
will not object to paying its pro-
portionate share of the cost.
No one has though, of any improve
ments other than permanent; and
yet, has any organization presented
to congress any feasible, practical
plan that would justify a congress in
appropriating five hundred millions
Of dollars, or issuing and selling
bonds in the sum Of five hundred
millions of dollars? At the Rivers
and HarbOrs congress in Washington
in December a year ago, we were
criticised by some members of con-
gress for not presenting feasible,
practical plans for the improvement
of our rivers. We were told that
congress was in favor of such i'm
17rovements just as soon as they could
lss shown something practical and
1easible. This is work for our engi-
leers, who can figure out to a math-
ematical certainty, everything that
Is necessary for the permanent i'm
Irovement of our rivers. This we
should do. - ~:~:"...s "a. - X
+, We should remember also that the
only authority congress has to APP
propriate money for the Improvement
Of our waterways comes through the
Interstate commerce clause in the
Continued to page 9. 5. .. NJ.