Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-08

Resembling in magnitude and enthu-
eiasm q great political convention. the
National Rivers and Harbors Congress
was called to order this morning in the
assembly hall Of the New Willard Hotel
by its president, Joseph E. Ransdell.
Every seat In the large hall was occupied
md several hundred delegates were COM
PEELED to stand during most Of the pro-
Ceedings. Not In months has the Willard
Hotel been the scene of such a large as
sembly. Before the convention met the
lobby was crowded with delegates from
all parts of the country, and as the time
for tha convention drew near the eleva-
tors leading to the tenth floor resembled
crowded street cars. where even standing
room vas exhausted.
1t was shortly after 10 o'clock when a
sudden outbreak of applause at one end
of the hall announced the arrival of
President Taft. AS he reached the plat
form the convention arose and greeted
him with prolonged and enthusiastic APP
plause, which reached its climax as some
one called for three cheers and a tiger
for the President of the United States
After the invocation, pronounced by
Rev. DIR. George Alexander of New York
city, the presiding officer introduced
President Taft as ''one Of the best
friends of waterways in the Union
President Taft's Address.
Pres, dent Taft's address aroused the
greatest enthusiasm among the delegates,
and time and again he was compelled to
pause while various suggestions he made
were vigorously applauded.
The President said:
II don't know that | have any right to
be here To talk about waterways, unless
II makes man expert on the subject
TO have gone down the Mississippi river.
The dangers TO which one was exposed
on that Journey. by reason OF the shoals
and other obstacles and temptations of
the journey, certainly offered an op-
portunity for careful study and delibera-
tion. Now, / think | am a sufficiently
established resident of Washington to
make what | have to say an address of
welcome. am delighted that you Sc
lected Washington your place of meet
ing You have done il wisely first be-
cause when you want thing done it is
just as well TO get close to the man that
IS TO do il, and. secondly, Washington
Is always Il good place to come to- and
you can induce the ladies of the family
to come with you. which is always an
assurance cf both work and pleasure
II congratulate this Congress on hav-
ing brought the subject of WATERWAYS
to such point that the representatives
In Congress, from one end of the coun-
try to the other. recognize it as sub
1ect that calls for action. They have
not come to definite conclusion as to
the policy that ought to be adopted but
tney nave come to the conclusion that
some policy must be adopted with ref
erence TO the development of those in
strumentalltleS which nature has fur
hshed for the transportation of goods
ana Tor the controlling OF railroad
rates.
A Wise Platform
y Oh. III your declaration, saw that
You are in favor Of a policy and not in
favor Of any particular project / think
that wise platform TO take; and yet,
when 1t comes TO the practical enforce
ment and accomplishment of something.
you have got to get into projects You
may insist that policy ought to be
adopted. and you have insisted and I
do not doubt that you haye-indeed I
know you haye-made that distip-
SuIshed member of Congress, the head
Of the rivers and harbors committee
SIT up nights to devise a policy which
shall be presented to the country and
satisfy the demands that have arisen
III such al had almost said unani-
mous-way the country through. But
YOU are coming near now to the detail
Of projects.
"One has to travel over the country
to find out what the country is thinking
about You go into the northwest and
you find the development of the Columbia
river as one of the great projects of many
who live in that neighborhood. You go
into fsr-distant Texas and you find that
they have an inland waterways project