The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-12-04
Alabama Congressman Dis
Cusses Coming Legislation
CRISIS IS NEAR At HAND
mitfee Are United In View That
Something Must BE Done
for the Rivers
by wArTERsoN srEALEY

BY WATrERsoN sTEALEY
Washington, December 3.-(SpeciaL)-
Representative sparkman of Alabama.
ranking minority member on the rivers
and habros committee of the House. and
perhaps Its next chairman, in expressing
an opinion as to the needs of rivers
and harbors committee of the House, and
! Congress- said today: LAS much depends
on the national rivers and habors col-
eress, which meets here next week, as
on the United States Congress, whether
there will be rivers and harbors bill
this session. The hands of the federal
| Congress must be supported by this great
body of waterway enthusiasts. otherwise
We may get defeat in our plans
| These views are supported by the chair
man, Representative Alexander, and Rep
resentatiye Ransdell, president of the
rivers and harbors congress, and "a mem
beF of the rivers and harbors commit
rec and Col. John L. Vance, president
Of the Ohio Valley Improvement asso-
| ciation.
Without any reservation whatsovere,
the gentlemen above named are unani-
/ nous in their opinion that a crisis faces
1
| that, if a rivers and harbors bill is not
passed at the coming session of Congress
| 1t may put the cause of improving the
| rivers, harbors and canals of the country
/ back 10 years They say, therefore, that
! IL behooves those who are Interested in
| this national movement to make the
rivers work. to meet here Wednesday,
wien the biggest convention ever held
| by the rivers and harbors congress will
be held
Secretary J, Ellison. whose headquar-
/ ters at the Willard are among the busiest
! PAGES in the capital said that the most
reassuring reports We're being received
from all sections of the country that
| large delegations would be - attendance
| upon the convention. the presence Of
! cutie a number of governors at the bead
! OF tfeir' delegations giving the meeting a
! distinctly. national character in keeping
with the purposes for which the con-
gress was organized national policy
| fcr waterway improvements without re-
! gard to the individual character of the
project except that it have the indorse-
ment of the board of army engineers,
| charged with this work.
| Germany has spent dollars where the
! United States has spent cents, said Cap |
tair Ellison who is old Ohio river
man lin building international canals |
and canalizing its rivers and has found
the investment tremendously profitable
| II would pay to make our principal riT-
ers uavigable at all times. even if there |
was not an immediate and large increase
of water traffic thereon. because of the
lower freight rates which waterways
| force from railroads million dollars |
spent in improving a waterway would be
we'll expended, even IL the water traffic
did not increase single ton. II by means
! of competition thus created y million ami
| half dollars was thereby saved to ship |
| in, ipnt ra
ways have accomplished this very thing
and to emphasize this position the con- |
vention of the National Rivers and Har-
bors congress this week shorld be thf |
| biggest over
Renpportionment Plans
Representative Crumpackcr of Indiana, |
chairman for the committee on the cen"
sus which will initiate legislation to be
| considered by the House on the congress
sioral reapportonment question, has ar
| rived in Washington.
| s,i have not had time' said Mr.. Crum-
packer today, ito consult with any of
my colleagues about the matter. Oi
course the fact that the democrats have
captured d number OF state legisiature3
| and can redistriet will be matter OF
much consideration upon the part of re-
| punlicans of the House and naturally 1t is
| POSSIBLE that there will be no bill thus |
|
| states a chance to recapture Legislators
! M, own view is that precedent should |
be followed and bill passed 1t Is usu- |
| ally the best politics to do the square
| thing.
| Mr. Crumpacker did not care to dlscuss
| The suggestion of cutting down southern
| representation on account Of negro dis
| frapchising 1t is unlikely that Mr.. Crunl-
packer will enter into the scheme lie
| will be the only republican in the lndt-
ana delegation in the next Congress
River improvements
On his special message to Congress
on Waterways improvements Presl-
| dent Taft will probably include a para =
graph calling special attention TO the
Muscle Shoals project on the Iennes-
see river as an important project IN
| the Improvement of the waterways OF
| the country.
| Representative Richardson of Ala
bama talked with the President about
| the matter this morning and before
| the special message is prepared VIII
| again consult him. The project is now
before the board OF review and do
! cison of the question us to the amount
| of cost to be contributed by the gov
ernment and the Muscle Shoals Hydro
| Electric Power company Is up for de-
| cision Representative Richardson be-
lieves that The board Is favorable to
| the scheme of Improvement. and rec
ognizes its Importance. !
4 Four New Senator's
Four new senator's will be sworn in
| to fiji vacancies caused by the deaths
| of Senator Daniel. Senator Dolliver.
Senator McEnery and Senator Clay.
| The new Virginia senator will be
| former Governor Swanson; the Senator
from Iowa will be Lafe Young; Louis
| lana, former Governor Thornton, and
| Georgia, former Governor Terrell. SEN
ator Purcell VIII go out in January
| when the North Dakota legislature
elects his successor. All the new ap-
pointed senators will have opposition
! for reelection. If Hoke Smith enters
the race in Georgia he will likely win
and 1t is also among the probabilities
that the insurgent republicans will beat
Lafe Young in Iowa. In Virginia
Swanson. who has an excellent House
! record and will make a valuable sem
ator. VIII be opposed owing TO his