Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-06
AOPEFOR RIVER BEIlERMENr
John A. Fox Of National Rivers and
Harbors Committee Here.
TELLS OF WORK BEING DONE
Thinks the Work on the Missouri
River WIN BE the Next work to
BE Undertaken by the Ma
tionaI Government.


hopeful outlook for the immediate i'm
provement through congressional appropria-
ton Of the Missouri river is held out by
John A. Fox special director Of the Ma
tional River and Harbor congress. Mr..
Fox arrived In Omaha Wednesday to renew
mountaineering and to see the triumphal
entrance Of King Ak-Sar~Ben.
Mr.. Fox, who visited Omaha year ago,
has just completed tour Of the cities along
the Great Lakes and after that attended
the Conservation congress at st. Paul I'm
mediately following that he addressed large
audiences at Bismarck, Pierre, Yankton and
Sioux City, awakening interest in the
definite and complete improvement Of the
missouri according to the plans adopted by
the National River and Harbor congress.
Perhaps no immense undertaking in the
last fifty years said Mr.. Fox, has made
such a remarkable record as mas the Ma
tional River and Harbor congress in its
propaganda for a definite system OF well
improved waterways. Our efforts culmi-
mated last December, when from $3.50 to
1000 representatives from the waterways
cities gathered in Washington, and these
men heard an expression from the river
and harbor committee of congress declar-
| ing that there should be an adequate appro-
river and harbor work and that the great
worthy projects should be taken up and
pushed to completion.
| DE Alva Alexander Of Buffalo, chair
man of the congressional committee, the
successor of Burton. paid the highest trib-
ute to the National River and Harbor con-
gress In presenting his appropriation bill
for rivers and harbors when he stated that
II was due to the efforts of this great
organization that the country was SO
thoroughly reused as to make possible the
appropriation Of $52,00O,0O0 on rivers and
harbors
THE greatest victory gained through oui
persistent and active agitation was the
definite adoption by congress of those pro
jects which have been reported thus fal
, by the Board OF Engineers. One Of these
was the Improvement Of the Ohio river t.
cost se3O0O,Ooo. 1t is to be completed in thu
next ten years. The upper Mississippi. Il
cost s20.0O0,0Oo will be completed in tn
next eight years.
Taft FavOrs work.
These projects had long dragged on tn,
books receiving but small and scant ap
propriations, so that without such adoption
as regular projects they would have beei
deferred almost indefinitely. Presiden
Taft has spoken most encouragingly of gu
work and on every occasion has reiterated
what has been expressed in the policy o
, the National River and Harbor congress
\ that is. If we are to get any results in i'm
o provement Of our waterways these mus
be taken up as national projects in a com
plete and definite way, just as the Pan
anna canal was taken up, and pushed to
Z ward completion.
'frTha Missouri river ia now the nex
{ great river project that remains to b
adopted as q unit of the great system an
{ no stone should be left unturned by tn
e cities on its banks until this Missouri
river project Is placed in the same categor
( as the upper Mississippi and the Obi
rivers.
d Major Shulz' estimate shows that S42
d 10000 will be needed to give definit
= and reliable channel UP to Sioux City, an
this project can be made as definite g
K is the Ohio for nine feet from Pittsbur
i to Cairo 1t also can be completed With
Il the next ten years. and this would Civ
us about 1900 miles of our great interiC
Il trunk lines of the Mississippi valley as
q working basis for our waterway system
:. Urges Large Attendance,
70 II cannot urge too strongly upon ii
y business men OF all these cities the in
"a pOrtanco OF having THIS PROJECT adopte
Is by congress at the coming session. OF
n organization will hold it's annual meetir
10 in Washington the first week in Decen
l. Der, and there ought to be from 900
d 1000 business men in attendance on thu
le congress from the cities on the Mssou
ID river from Fort Benton TO its mouth"
ir 81 have just found the greatest intere
10 awakened into the two Dakotas, and Go
L. ernor Burke has promised to head a lari
g, delegation from North Dakota He wi
q gladly join the governors of states low
e, down, so as to make a demonstration
70 Washington In favor of this work / sR
1t Governor Vessey at Pierre, and he hop
to be able to attend with a large numb
Of men from the cities of South Dakot
would like to see a special trainload Gro
the continent from this city bearing gre
streamers advertising that this section
I fully awake to the Importance Of the IL
provement of the Missouri river"
Mr.. Fox will go from here to Nebrasl
City. Atchison and St. Joseph, and W
u return Monday TO attend the meeting