The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-26
Two Notable Gatherings Mark the Day In St Louis and
 East St Louis
WATERWAY IMPROVEMENT
 IS WIDELY DISCUSSED
While Taft Is Not So Enthusiastic as His Strenuous Predecessor He Gives Encouragement to
 Deep Channel Idea.

St. Louis, October 25.-Waterway iu- provements as a part of national poli- cy of conservation of the streams ths lands adjoining them and the forests at their sources was the theme of two not able gatherings in this city, and in East Taft. Joseph G. Cannon. speaker of the national House of Representatives. and Governors Deneen of Illinois and Hadley of Missouri. took the leading roles. Vice President sherman was also at the East St. Louis meeting. his presence making the list of notabes gathered for the oc- ] easion the most complete roster of official dom that has assembled at any place west of the Alleghenies. Cabinet members, United States senators and representa- tives and ministers from foreign govern ments listened to the speeches at one or both of the meetings. Added to these were state and municipal officials of all degrees and close to 100000 citizens from the ranks, who had hocked to the two cities to see and hear their officers.
 Tonight the President. the speaker, the diplomats legislators and several hundred representatives of commercial organiza- tions of Illinois. Missouri and other states in the Mississippi valley are speeding down the Mississippi river aboard a fo- tilla of paddle wheel steamers bound for New Orleans. There they are to assemble with hundreds of others in the annual convention of the Lakes to- the Gulf Deep Waterways Association convention. whose pet project is the creation of a perma- nent 14-foot channel from the mouth of the Illinois river to tpe Gulf of Mexico.
 Cannon Favofs Project. While tire Presidents utterances on waterway improvements were not so far reaching regarding tke creation of the i 14-foot channel as those of President l Roosevelt on similar occasion-and. therefore. not entirely cheering to the advocates of an immediate commence ment of the work-yet the fact that Speaker Cannon unquahfiedIy indorsed the chief executives stand regarding bond ! issues for such projects. gave these same advocates encouragement. The general good was the motive which the President prescribed for the undertaking of am- bilious work.
 Let us take up each project on its merits" he said, and determine by all means at our command whether the country in which that project is to be car ried out is so far developed as to 1usti- fy the expenditure of a large sum of money and whether the project will be useful when done.
 When you have determined that on the general principle of good to the entire country, then I am in favor of doing that work as rapidly as 1t can be done. and I am in favor of issuing bonds to do It."
 Referring to this sentiment. which was uttered in a meeting at the St. Louis Coliseum at noon, Speaker Cannon. ad- dressing the gathering at the dedication of the new federal building in East St. Louis, later in the day, said
 "It Is safe and sound outlining of a proper policy for us to pursue in this great middle west. We have improved the Mississippi in the past and we shall be improving it hundred years from now. when we shall need all our water courses.
 We, in this generation. win do our part wisely. We will not throw money [ into rivers to be washed in the sea. The work most needed will be done first"
 The Levee System.
 The speaker indorsed the Ievee sys- tenn, congratulting East St. Louis ana It's neighboring towns on the compie- tion of the river barriers, the dedica- tion of which formed part of the days celebration. He predicted that the Mississippi would yet be permanently confined to its banks. through it's length, and advised that the states ad- joining 1t share the cost with the na- tional government
 Just previous to these utterances by MT. Cannon, Governor Deneen of Ilii- nois had issued official statement in which he asserted that the coming extra ordinary session of the assembly of that state would be expected to en- act legislation enabling the state to undertake immediately the s20.0oo,c00 worth of waterway improvement pro- vided by the bond issue recently au- thoized by the electorate.
 q believe that the Illinois general assembly will crystalize into action tho sentiment shown here, and winch will be shown everywhere from St. Louis to New Orleans during the next few days" said the governor.
 illinois should maintain its leader ship In waterway improvements. Had this states policies been pressed by the federal and state governments there would have been enough waterpower developed in our public streams to pay for the entire development of our democratic waterways"
 Great Public Question.
 Governor Hadley of Missouri. while introducing President Taft to the coliseum audience, urged that the de- velopment of the river channels into navigable waterways would do much toward settling the transportation problem. which question, he said was the greatest before the country today. He said that while the rivers first and railroads later were able to care for all the freight and passengers offered to them, that today neither can do it alone. Increased facilities for public carriers, he argued. was a crying need.
 President Taft made four speeches today. but the longest consumed Iess than half an hour. At breakfast, as q