The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-30
GIVE BONDS TO
BETTER RIVERS
Waterways Advocates
Favor Plan
ILLINOIS soLoN TALKS
Representative RaineY Urges ADO
ton Of scheme.
Thinks Fail Be.sas. Of Pa.an. c...l
WIN Not BeaReail.sa Until
Inlana streams Are
Improved.

Washington. Aug. 2s.--(speciaL)--
Since the passage Of the tariff bill q
tremendous quickening Of interest In
national needs Is noticed and this In
terest is not likely to wane as time
passes.
Already there are noticeable changes
going on throughout the country on the
subject Of improving the inland waters
of the United States and the utter
ances OF those great railway kings
Hartman, Hill. Yoakum and others,
who state that the railroads cannos
transport more than so per cent OF the
freight at the time 1t should be car
ried, has emphasized the needs for q
broad and comprehensive waterway
policy on the part OF the Federal gov
eminent, to the end that the great nat
ural thoroughfares of the country may
be made to do their share OF transpor-
tation.
A much greater interest is being
shown by Senators and Representa-
tives in Congress than ever before In
the subject of waterways and their I'm
provement.
Congressman Henry T. Rainey. Of the
Twentieth Illinois District. Is among
the leaders of the House to unreserv-
eddy favor a bond issue OF liberal pro-
proving the inland waters and canals
of continental United States. one OF
the cardinal planks In the platform OF
the National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress, whose sixth annual convention
in Washington next December, gives
promise OF being the biggest water
way convention eyer held.
Waterways Now In Disuse.
'"rhe waterways Of the country" said
Mr.. Rainey today, shave fallen into dis
use for two reasons: First. the rail-
ing capacity, building larger engines,
building larger cars, laying heavier
rails. and double-tracking their lines
until now the limit of. development
seems to have been reached. Nothing
has been done for waterways while this
remarkable railway development has
been In progress. Rivers nave not been
dredged to any considerable extent,
the banks of streams have not been
regularized, and as yet no comprehen-
sive system OF waterway development
has been entered upon,
I'm the second place, railways par
aIleling rivers and reaching cities along
our rivers have pursued the policy of
making cheaper rates to river points.
rates often as cheap or cheaper than
river steamers of the present capacity
can make. Railways have been carry
ing freight to river points at a loss IN
order to destroy river traffic, and\have
beenNcompeiling inland towns and cit
les to pay higher freight rates than
they ought to pay in order to make up
the loss. There has been for half q
century a fight of the railroads against
the rivers, with no organization until
a comparatively recent period fighting
for the rivers.
Must Meet Situation.
There Is only one way to meet the
situation and to restore to railroads
the competition they ought to have,
and that Is by improving our rivers
connecting them where necessary with
artificial canals, depending upon the
electric lines reaching our rivers and
extending out now into the interior OF
the country to furnish in connection
with the improved rivers. the competi-
ton which u gigantic railway combina-
and YOU win have furnished to every
man O great free national highway up
on which he can launch his boat and
carry his goods, free of all charge. to
the ocean highways Of the world.
'The building of the Panama Cana
meets with the approval of the coun-
try. and yet It will fail 10 accomplish
the results for which IL is intended
unless we Improve the $4,000 miles OF
navigable rivers lying within ouI
mountain ranges and the seas in order
to enable freights to be transporter
cheaply from the interior to the worlds
ocean highways. The time. It seems Il
me. Is here when the country would ap.
prove a bond issue of large size for the
purpose of improving rivers on a com.
prehensive basis. The development Of
the country now depends upon 1t.
Declare for Bond Issue.
by a majority OF nearly 100000
votes the State of Illinois has declared
itself for this proposition, and has
voted in favor OF a bond issue or y2O..
900 900 in aid Of the Lakes to the Gun
deem waterway. The State of New
york has voted 3101, 900. 900 In bonds t
deepen the Erie Canal. The waterway
from the Lakes to the Cuff Is an inter.
state waterway. The Ohio River is ar
interstate waterway. The Missouri, the
Tennessee and the Arkansas Rivers are
ali great interstate waterways. The
Atlantic coast deep waterway is an In.
terstate scheme. Illinois and New
York have done their part towards Gre
ating efficient waterways within their
boundaries connecting our interior
lakes with the sea. The time has come
for the national government to issue
bonds for the purpose OF carrying on
the great work of river improvement
and canal building upon which the flI-