The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-12-08
WANTS $5,OOO,OOO
FOR WATERWAYS

-
=. preparation of $50,OO0,O0O a year for
| the internal development Of the rivers,
harbors and canals of the United
States, to be distributed on the vari-
! Of the engineer corps Of the army.
! Should current revenues be INSULT
cient to make such an Appropriation
possible then the congress urges the
authorization of five hundred millions
of waterway bonds at a low rate Of
| interest, with the same conditions
surrounding these bonds as surround
| the Panama canal bonds, said bonds
| however, are not to be issued unless
current revenues prove inadequate to
carry out a policy. 1t is not contem-
plated that these bonds shall be issued
at any one time but only as the needs
of waterways and improvements make
their issuance imperative.
The National Rivers and Harbors
congress was founde din Baltimoer in
October, 1901, at which some six hum
dred delegates were present. At the
last convention held in the city of
Washington last December nearly
$500 delegates were present.
DR.. John A. Fox, director of the
congress, declares that improved wa
terways are necessary to save the
shippers of the country from the in
creasipg rapacity of the railroads. He
said:
1.-THE cities on the $4,000 miles Of
navigable waters, including the cities
! the Atlantic and gulf coasts and
the Pacific, control 20 per cent of the
population of the United States They
also control most of the commerce.
These cities-that is, most of them
are now paying high railroad rates
that could be materially lowered. If
these cities can be thoroughly organ
lied and awakened to the need of
cheaper transportation and the inn
Dortanc of convincing congress that
the only way to achieve it is through
there would be a splendid impetus
given to national commercial progress.
my judgment is that in the con-
gressional campaign of next year
many candidates will stand or fall on
the way in which they answer the
question of their constituents: Are
you in favor Of a bond issue for the
Improvement of the waterways of the
United States to the end that railroad
freights may be cheapened and that
freight congestion may be reduced to
a minimum
1.-The commercial nations of Europe
are spending every year many mil
lions of dollars to improve inland
waterways in order to cheaper trans
Dortation. We have got to keep at
the same thing
During my campaign throughout
the entire west / repeatedly showed
the people out in that great grain
producing country haw the money
spent in Boston harbor, deepening it,
would Saya Them an enormous amount
OF money by reason of cheapening
their exports to Liverpool. l want the
Boston people to feel just as much
interest in the needs of the people out
in Kansas and Nebraska as / taught
HIM the yhad in Bostons deeper har-
Dor; that by understanding these
things as national projects we can
better provide for them, and that our
interests are so closely interviewer,
there is no telling when an improve
nlent in one part of the country ben
eiits another. For instance, when
was out in Idaho 1 learned that be-
cause of the Columbia river improve
snent the wool-producers of Wyoming
ard Idaho could save forty three cents
Fer hundred pounds on wool ship
fnents out of that entire region to the
coast, and thence around the Horn to
Soston- If Columbia river is further
improved. it will meean even greater
saving to these people, and produce
still greater commerce for the great
WOOL consumrs of Massachusetts.