The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1910-12-10
DELEGATES TELL
OF CONVENTION
CONTINUED from Page one.)

few millions each year on the improve
ment of the water courses of the Unit
ed States. Each address today convey
ed a message of optimism, and men of
prominence representing every section
of the United States urged the sup
preston of local and individual pro-
jects for the Improvement and advo-
cacy of a broad national policy for the
betterment of the waterways.
For more than an hour before the
time set for the opening of the con
gress at 10 o'clock the delegates began
to arrie and take their places in the
audit orium the tenth floor of the
Willard Each state had a separate
section designated by small flags
Every seat in the large hall was occu-
pied when President Taft. accompanied
by Capt. Butt, his military aid and
Secretary Norton, arrived at 1890
O'Clock.
! The President took his place on the
platform with Representative Joseph
Ransdell. president of the congress, and
! other distinguished guests. Senior Fran
cisco Leon de la Barra, ambassador
from Mexico, who made one of the adj
dresses, arrived early, and was intro
President Taft's Address.
/ Following the invocation by Rev.
Samuel H. Greene of the Calvary Bap-
duced to the congress and made a brief
address. He said:
IF you have read any part of com
ment which was isued yesterday. you
will probably reach the conclusion that
I exercise the powers of the mayor. oil
| Washington. Now it is proper func-
ton of every well organized and wei
conducted mayor to welcome those who
come as guests of his city, and that is
the function in which / appear now.
welcome you to Washington.
I'VE do not always have snowstorm:
in Washington, but snowstorms seen
to be the fashion this year
Il have delivered myself so often o.
views on rivers and harbors and the
character of appropriations that ough
to be made. and the studies and in
estigations that should be conducted il
advance of action, that 1 am not going
to detain you this morning with any
disquisition on the subject. am COINS
to see If 1 can earn that good VII
which l lost yesterday by being short.
There is only one thought that
want to add to what | have said to thf:
convention and to other audiences OIL
this subject, and that is this: Their
was a time in the history of the countr.
, when river navigation was great.
; more important than it IS now Th
growth of the railroads and their en-
tering into the trade of all sections o
the country have diminished the i'm
portance of river navigation under ex
sting conditions, and the problem
which you gentlemen have to solve. am
which Congress has TO solve, and al
who are in favor of using water trans
portation and who believe that it ha
elements of economy that ought t
make 1t enter much more largely int
the general transportation of thl
country than it does, is the union an
the cooperation of railroads and riv
ers. The terminal difficulties with re
spect TO river transportation are tn
difficulties that you have to overcom
before you shall solve this question
Now, they have overcome ii in a meas
ure in Europe, but they have not reach
ed the solution that will be satisfac
tory to us. and / verify believe that /
the ingenuity of the American exper
in transportation, we shall find our
selves of the inherent economy in rive
| transportation and unite that, thu
il shall dovetail with the railroa
transportation and make all carrias
cheaper and more economical"
When the President finished a fash
light picture was taken of the assemb
age.
The Mexican ambassador was the