The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-09-01
A Greater Interest Than Ever Before
Is Being Shown BY the Senator'S
and Representatives. and
BY the People.
WHAT RAINEY BELIEVES
He Favors Bond Issue Of Liberal Pro-
portion to Carry Out The Work
Of Improving the Inland
Waters and Canals

WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. L.
Since the passage of the tariff bill a
tremendous quickeniDg of interest in
national needs is not noticed and
this interest is not iikel..- to wane
as time passes. Already there is
noticeable. changes going on through
out the country on the subject OF i'm
proving the inland waters of the
United States and the utterances Of
those great railway kings, Hartman,
Hill, Yoakum and others, who state
that the railroads cannot transport
more than 60 per cent of the freight
at the time 1t should be carried, has
emphasized the needs for broad and
comprehensive waterway policy on
the part of the federal government.
to the end that the great natural
thoroughfares Of the country may be
made to do their share of transporta-
ton.
A much greater interest is being
shown by senators and representa-
/ tives in congress than ever before in
the subject Of waterways and their
improvement Congressman Henry
T. Rainey. of the Twentieth Illinois
district, is among the leaders OF the
house to unreservedIy favor bond Is
sue of liberal proportion to carry on
the work of improving the inland wa
ters and canals OF continental United
/ States, one of the cardinal planks in
the platform OF the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress, whose sixth
annual convention In Washington
next December gives promise of be-
ing the biggest waterway convention
ever held.
The waterways OF the country"
said Mr. Rainey today. have fallen
into disuse for two reasons: First,
the railroads have been increasing
their carrying capacity, building
larger engines, building larger cars,
laying heavier rails, and double track
irg their lines until now the limit
of development seems to have been
reached. Nothing has been done for
the waterways while this remark
able railway development has been in
progress, Rivers have not been
dredged to any considerable extent,
the banks OF the streams have not
been regularized, and IS yet no com
prehensive system of waterway de
velopment has been entered upon. In
the second place, railways paralelling
rivers and reaching cities along our
rivers have pursued the policy OF max
ing cheaper rates to river points,
/. rates often as cheap or cheaper than
river steamers of the present capa
, city can make Railways have been
| carving freight to river points al
. loss in order to destroy river traffic
and have been compelling inland
/ towns and cities to pay higher freigh
rates than they ought to pay in ordel
2 to make up the loss. There has beer
for a half century fight OF the rail
roads against the rivers, with no or
CARNATIONS until comparatively re
q cent period fighting for the rivers.
There is only one way to NEE
the situation and to restore to raj
roads the competition they ought Z
have. and that Is by improving ou
rivers connecting them where neces
Q sary with artificial canals, dependin
i upon the electric lines reaching on
rivers and extending out now into tn
interior of the country to furnish l
connection with the improved rivers
the competition which gigantic raj
!, way combination must have. Improv
!, our rivers and you will have furnishe
= to every man great free nations
highway upon which he can launc
his boat and carry his goods. free
all charge. to the ocean highway
Of the world.
ssThe building of the Panama can;
4 meets with the approval OF the coul
& try and yet it will fail to accoTplis
the results for which it is intende
unless we impro-e the 10000 mile
B of navigable rivers lying within o,
mountain ranges, unless we impro,
rivers and harbors between our mou1
Z tain ranges and the seas in order
enable freights to be transporte
cheaply from the interior to tt
worlds ocean highways. The tin
it seems TO me. is here when the cou