The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-15
WATER WAYS CALL
 FOR IMPROVEMENT
NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBoRS CONGRESS CALLS ATTENTION TO TWO BILLS NOW PENDING IN UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

Cincinnati, February 14-(Special.) )-The publicity bureau of the national rivers and harbors congress has issued the fol- lowing statement to the public:
 Two bills of the utmost importance to all trade and commercial interests of the country are now before the House of Rep resentatives One bill authorizes the ap- pointment of the waterways commission to consist of 15 members, and charged with the investigation of all questions pertinent to waterway transportation, the permanent improvement of the inland waterways of the United States and with the duty of suggesting to the Congress the legislation necessary to bring to com pletion the work than which there could be none of greater importance and none that would so completely solve the ques- ton of transportation-with transporta- tions determining the value of every mar ketable article not regarding it's char acter.
 The other bill, complemental to the bill authorizing the appointment of the commission, provides for an issue of $500, 100000 in bonds, the proceeds to be de- voted exclusively to the beginning and the completion of waterway improvement with the proviso that the Secretary of the Treasury shall not issue more than $50,0OO OO0 of the bonds in any one fiscal year
 With the enactment of the two bills the question of waterway improvement would be determined satisfactorily. Work on waterways now in process of com pletion could be carried on to a speedy and successful ending. Work on inland waterways which cannot be begun un- der the present haphazard method of ap- proprat atons could not only be under taken but completed with the entire country enjoying the benefits of a sys- tenn of inland waterways furnishing not only a safe and continuous but cheap means of transportation to which the trade and the commercial and the agricul- tural interests of the country are en- titled and which all classes have de- manded in terms not to be mistaken as to their earnestness, their insistence and their sincerity.
 It has been well said that the ques- ton of inland waterway improvement has been taken out of politics-and it is a true saying and brought about by the strong and convincing platform of the national rivers and harbors congress, "A Policy; Not Project" But it was taken out of politics, contradictory though it may seem, by going into politics. The leaders of the two great parties recog nized the justice of the demand of the trade and the commercial interests of tile country, formulated as it had been by the national rivers and harbors con gross, and in their political platforms not only united in recognition of the ab solute necessity for an increase in trans portation facilities that could only be brought about by making the inland Wa terways nayigable, but they pledged their parties and their candidates to hearty and to sincere cooperation in the work.
 The parties and their candidates went before the people on their respective platforms, with the chief questions in each platform being revision of the tar if and inland waterway improvement. Inevitably one party went down to de- feat and the other achieved victory, with the leaders of the victorious party im- medlateiy setting themselves at work in laearing testimony and arguments whereon < tariff revision bill could be framed ard submitted to the legislative branch ol tbe government.
 Their action was a compliance with sheir party pledge-but there is not 6 shipper nor a receiver who will not as- sart with fact for his basis, that the question of transportation is the very fundamental and underlying problem of trade and commerce and that without stransportation it is of slight moment whether there be production of articles o7 tariff to protect the producer The pledge of the victorious party with ref ef>ncs to revision of the tariff was a ptadge made in good faith and 1t was the part of good faith to institute proceed
 pgs to carry out the promise. But the taxff affects only the foreign trade-and tbe foreign trade of the United States export and import <combined-ls insignifi- cant when contrasted with the enormous bulk of the inland trade and commerce of the United States. That inland trade and commerce is entitled to the same degree of good faith and like perform ance of party pledge as the foreign~trade These are self-evident propostions-as self-evident as the freight compositions which the railways cannot avoid for the reason that the volume of the inland trade and commerce is outstripping their facilities and their possibility of increase of facilities in the ratio of 100 to 20.