Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-26
KAYANAUGH CRITICISES TAFT
President Of Deep Waterways COnven-
ton Discusses Rivers Bill.
APPOINTMENT OF BOARD DELAYED
He Says Action OF chief Executive Has
Delayed, So Not Thwarted, the
Purpose of the Legis-
1nffOu.
Intiou

Purpose Of the Legis-
Iatiou.
ST LOUIS, Nov, 23-President Tafts
/ growing indifference" toward the deep
! waterway movement and his favorable
/ leaning toward his own river the ohio,
! which was also spoken of as official par
/ TALLY" formed the subject Of severe criu-
/ cism in the address OF w. X. Kavanaugh,
/ president Of the Lakes TO the Gulf Deep
| Waterway association at the opening of
| the associations fifth annual convention
/ today.
| Mr. Kavanaugh charged that "by in
! direction President Taft had caused the
partial failure OF the plans which seemed
near success when the last river and har-
/ Dor bill was passed.
AS George H. Munroe Of Joliet, H., the
/ treasurer arose to report a check for 81, 500
was handed him by a representative OF the
| Chicago Association Of Commerce. But for
! the check, Munroe said, the association
/ would have been practically without funds.
President Kavanaugh's Address.
! Prefacing his address Of welcome with a
/ review OF the work of the Lakes to the
! Gulf Deep Waterway association, President
/ William X Kavanaugh declared today that
| the organization had consistently demanded
that the river betterments be put on a
practical basis. On this point his words
were:
Almost at the outset this organization
unlike other river associations, condemned
the pork barrel policy and demanded that
the river improvements be put on prac-
teal basis IN which commercial conditions
should be handled paramount to political
consideration
What is the result? Within the last
four years public sentiment has changed;
demands for waterway Improvement have
become non-political and even the presi-
dent, despite a growing indifference toward
our great project and favorable towards
his own river, has announced that here
after no pork barrel bill will receive his
approval.
Each Waterway "a Unit.
From the beginning, this association
has taken the ground that navigation
should be developed in accordance with a
comprehensive system, beginning with the
lakes to the gulf deep waterways as its
natural main artery Throughout its his
tory this association has insisted on the
principle that each waterway is a unit
from its source to its mouth-the only prin-
ciple on which the perpetuity Of navigation
can rest.
Throughout its career this association
has held that the waterway issue is one
OF business and not of politics. The re-
suit? While no single fundamentally can
alone bring about a revolution among a
great people, this organization is among
those those that have in the last two years
stirred the public sentiment to its depths.
awakened the spirit of citizenship and i'm
planted in the hearts of our people sense
OF civic duty rising above the call of parties
or command of bosses, and let him who
doubts recall the Ides Of November"
Need of BETTER Transportation.
Speaking of the necessity for transporta-
ton facilities he said:
The need for better and quicker trans
portation has not grown less since this as
ISOLATION was created-indeed, Il has grown
later and more pressing. In 1906, we were
all startled by reports Of railway conges-
ton so serious that towns throughout the
western interior suffered for lack of sup
plies, while the produce Of the farms rot
ted on the ground for lack of cars TO carry
1t to market This condition, which gave
our movement its first impetus, led to the
forecast that production would soon suffer
from both the insufncienoy and cost of
transportation.
Thanks chiefly to the fidelity Of men
now present, the Sixty-first congress at
Its long session last winter, enacted a river
and harbor bill superior to its predecessors
In several respects, largely in that Il con-
tanned modest appropriation for the lakes
to the gulf deep waterway conditional on
approval by board Of engineers for which
provision was made.
President in Criticized.
The item was well intended and had the
intent been carried out faithfully, the criu-
cal point Of our project would now doubt
less be past 1t is a bitter disappointment
that we have to record at least partial
failure of this intent through an official
Partially, first noted by some of US in
last years river trip. The president post
poned appointing the board authorized in
the act for many weeks, thus making II
apparent that the boards report I'm conform
ity with the act of congress must neces-
sarily be hastily arrived at. The president
also appointed men ON this board whom the
people feared were unfriendly to the prof.
ect
Thus by indirection the purpose Of the
legislation has been delayed, II not
thwarted. Surely the president misunder-
stands the meanings of that memorable
river trip. Surely he misjudges the temper
OF the men, the interior, indeed OF the
country at large. Our present need is for
legislation 30 definite and specific that It
will become effective, despite Indifference
and unfriendliness from any quarter, how
ever exalted or however unexpected and un-
warranted the opposition may be-"
President Kayanaugh commented on the
heavy toll OF railroad transportation. the
wisdom Of developing the waterways of
the country and declared that conditions
were far more favorable now than they
were four years ago; that the best en-
trenched opponents 70 a progressive river
policy had been dislodgod.