The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-11-17

Rivers and Harbor Congress Meeting
Of This Important Organization nj
National Capital.
4 letter that will prove OF interest
10 all citizens OF this State. and par
ticulariy 10 those In the eastern sec
tons. has been received from Z. ].
Hale. Director OF the National Riv-
ers and Harbors Congress. The let
ter Is appended.
Il am requested by President Rams
dell and my colleagues Of the board
OF directors Of the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress to invite your
attention to the approaching conyen-
ton of this body. which takes place
at Washington. at the Willard Hotel.
on December 7th. Sth, and 9Th. and
to ask that you attend the conven-
ton. i will be obliged also, IL you
viii publish this letter, with such ed
itorial comments as may be convent
ent. and extend the invitation to the
commercial organizations in your city
and territory. Delegates appointed
by the latter will receive due recogni-
ton upon presentation Of their ere
dentials to the secretary, Capt. J. T.
Ellison, whose headquarters will be
at the New Willard.
las no doubt you are aware, the
National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress is now recognized as the most
important unofficial body in the Unit
States-'second in Importance as an
authority says, only to the Congress
of the United States 1t had its
origin in the desire of commercial
and industrial men to separate the
business of waterway and harbor i'm
provement from politics. Under con-
troll of the latter, efforts in this great
field of endeavor fell into disrepute,
and the stigma of the pork barrell'
was affixed to them. So great was
the effect of this condition upon the
public mind that the peoples repre-
sentatives voted hundreds of millions
of dollars annually to the purposes
of war, while they dared not make
appropriations beyond the needs of
maintenance for the waterways of
commerce, the agent of peace. AS
result of the. efforts of the National
Rivers and Harbors Congress, public
sentiment has changed; and the Con-
gress of the United States at its re-
cent session not only passed liberal
rivers and harbors bill, but declared
in favor of an annual appropriation
of $5O,00O,OO0 for this purpose.
1T is understood that the Presi-
dent, chief of engineers, and the
chairman Of the Rivers and Harbors
Committee of the House Of Repre-
sentatives, all favor the framing and
passing of an ample rivers and har-
bors bill at the approaching session
of Congress, SO that precedent for
annual appropriations will be estab-
lished by the Sixty-frst Congress. The
coming convention of the National
Rivers and Harbors Congress is relied
upon to give such renewed expression
of the popular will in this respect
that the officials mentioned will be
encouraged in the stand they have
taken.
''It is hardly necessary to call at
tention to North Cardinals great in
terest in this matter. AS you are
aware, the long contest for deepening
the Cape Fear River up to Fayette-
ville-a great work in which the en-
tire State is interested-wase ended in
May last by an act of Congress COW
ering the whole project. That had
the right-of-way, having been repeat
eddy endorsed by the Legislature of
our State. The deepening of the Cape
Fear from Wilmington to the sea
comes next, as having now the right
of-way by common consent. It is ex-
pected that the action of the coming
convention of the National Rivers and
Harbors Congress will have an inn
portant bearing on that and our 9TH
er North Carolina projects.
Respectfully yours,
&c. J. HALE,
Director, National Rivers and Har-
h0rc ropOrocc