Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-02
NEW ORLEANS CONVENTION TO
FORCE QUESTION AS A CAM
PAlGN ISSUE.
FOR OFFICE
MUST GO ON RECORD
Lobby of 500 to Go to Washington
When Congress Meets-Advocates Of
Fourteen-Foot Channel For Missis-
sippi Carry tho Day - Resolutions
Disagree With Taft in Part.


issue of national politics..
Thru a set of the most warmly word
ed resolutions ever adopted by nom
partisan organization. the 5000 dele
gates to the deep water way conven-
ton, representing every state in the
union, pledged themselves to support
no candidate for public office hereafter
who is not committed in plain language
to the policy of Immediate action on
the lakes tot the gulf project
To the accompaniment of wild cheers
which swept thru the Athenaeum
where President Taft had on Saturday
cnunciated his policy of do it later
the resolutions We're adopted without "A
dissenting vote.
The creation of new national issue
however, was but part of the pro-
gram on which the convention entered
thru Its action. The schedule which
the Lakes to the Gulf Deep Water Way
Association drew up for itself means
that 1t is going to be one of the most
aggressive factors in American public
life, if plans be carried out.
SVO q lIlVdOc SdpICdIs
The convention demanded that the
federal government and congress take
a definite position or the question of
deep water ways, and it was decided
that delegation of 500 members be
sent to Washington as soon as congress
convenes in December to present the
resolutions to that body and to bring
all possible weight'to bear for immedi-
ate action.
The convention demanded of the fed
eral government that it enter on
definite and vigorous policy OF water
way improvement" and declared that
| it favored bond issue for the i'm
provements to be undertaken.
Nor did the convention stop here. In
addition 1t attacked the position If
President Taft as "fallacious," and also
poured a raSing fire into the board of
government engineers which last sum-
n er made a report declaring the lakes
to-the-gulf project feasible, but not
commercially desirable. The convention
did not mince words with the govern
ment engineers report, and proceeded
| to "repudiate and condemn" that part
OF 1T dealing with the commercial phase
of the proposition.
In short, the delegates, true to the
prophecies of yesterday concerning the
tenor of the resolutions being prepared
by the resolutions committee, put on
their war paint and announced that the
war path is to be theirs until they get
what they want.
The position Of the convention, which
represents highly influential forces
from Maine to Washington and from
Louisiana TO Minnesota, means that the
deep waterway project is going to be
forced on practical politicians as the
liveliest kind of an issue. and that it
will play an important part in the con-
gressional elections in the fall of 1910
1t also may have a star role in tho next
presidential campaign unless some
definite action has been taken one way
or the other in the meantime.
Words Not Minced
In creating the new national political
issue the convention went on record III
this fashion. these paragraphs being
the last of the 2,000-word resolutions
The delegates in this convention as
sembled, representing more than hal
the people and three-fourths of the
productive energy of the United States
do hereby deliberately and firmly, will
i. lne 1ull TedlZGtlOu Oh our OutIeS dllt
} responsibilities, demand and direct tina
a definite and vigorous policy of wate
way improvement, beginning with thu
lakes-to- the-gulf deep waterway, b.
! adopted and put in operation by tn
national government without delay.
ITO the enforcement of this demand
, we pledge our individual effort am
united support, and we hereby publicl
fn
himself, and to each other. to supper
I, TO candidate for public office who vii
not unquaiifiediy indorse and maintai
= that policy"
. In attacking the position of Presiden
. Taft, as enunciated in his Athenaeur
Z, speech and in his address up river tn
resolutions paid specific attention tn tn
0 position he took on the commerce.
o phase, altho, of course they did nc
mention the chief executives nam,
The convention condemned as fallac
: the view that the present comerce c
the Mississippi fails to show any nee
" for river Improvement and the delegate
w voiced the position that the need for
70 deep water way cannot be gauged b
y the commerce in existence before tn
deep water way has been created.
10 Pith of Resolutions.
70 The resolutions in brief did thes
~ things:
y, Created a new national issue.
Pledged water way support only
20 those candidates for office who fave
w the water way.
Condemned the declarat ton Of Pres
dent Taft that existent commerce do,
not prove need for the water way
IS Condemned that part of the Unite
States engineers report which declar
ID against the lakes -the-gulf props
rs ton as commercially desirable.
IS Demanded that the federal govern
- ment enter on a vigorous and defini
W. policy regarding the water ways.
az Demanded immediate starting of tt
a q fourteen-foot water way.
~ Demanded the improvement as nj
%, tional investment and not as "piec
~ meal experiment"
~ Favored a bond issue.
n. ----------------