The Springfield herald., 1910-01-21

| their proper extension. and the bonds
running ten years or more I" be taken
up by the proceeds of returns to the
| reclamation fund. which returns as
the years 20 ON. will increase rapidly
| in amount.
New Law Requisite.
| Respecting the comparatively small
| timbered areas on the public domain not
| included in national forests because of
| their Isolation their special value for
agricultural or mineral purposes. 1t Is ap-
| parent from the evils resulting by vir-
for the disposition of timber lands that
| the acts of June ;. 1873, should be re-
pealed and \ law enacted for the dispo-
sition of tho timber at public sale. tho
lands after tho removal of the timber to
be subject to appropriation under the
| agricultural or mineral land laws.
| What \ have said in really an epitoms
| of the Recommendations of the secretary
| of the Interior In respect to the future
| conservation OF the public domain in his
| present annual report. He has Eiven
close attention to the problem of DISPOSE
| tion of these lands under such conditions
as to invite the private capital necessary
to their development the one hand
and the maintenance of the restrictions
| necessary to prevent monopoly and abuse
| from absolute ownership on the other.
These recommendations are Incorporated
| in bills he has prepared. and they are at
| tho disposition of the congress. j garment
| ly recommend that all the suggestions
| which he has made with respect to these
| lands shall be embodied In statutes and.
especially. that the Withdrawals already
| made shall be validated far neces-
| sary and that doubt to the authority
| of the secretary of the interior to with
| draw lands for the purpose of submitting
recommendations as to future disposition
vtutu fIor l. lad
shall be made complete and unQuestioned.
Disposition Of Forest Reserves.
The forest reserves of the United
States some $780, 900 900 acres In extent. are
! under the control of the department of
agriculture, with authority adequate to
preserve them and to extend their growth
fur AS that may be practicable. The
Importance of the maintenance of our
forests cannot be exaggerated. The possi-
billty of scientific treatment of forests
so that they shall be made to yield q
large return In timber without really re-
Iucing the supply has been demonstrated
In other countries. and We should work
toward the standard set by II IN as far
as their methods are applicable to our
conditions.
Improvement Of River.
I come now to the Improvement Of the
inland waterways. He would be blind.
indeed. who did not realize that the peo-
pie of the far west. and especially those
of the Mississippi valley, have been
aroused to the need there Is for the Inn
provement OF our inland waterways.
The Mississippi river. with the Missouri
on the one hand and the Ohio on the
other, would seem to offer a great nat
ural means of Interstate transportation
and traffic. How far. II properly improved
they would relieve the railroads or sup
plement them in respect to the bulkier
and cheaper commodities Is a matter of
conjecture. No enterprise ought to be
| .( Irl. to Hof-
initely ascertnined and the benefit and
advantage of which are not known and
assured by competent engineers and other
authority. When. however. / project OF
n definite character for the Improvement
of a waterway has been developed SO
that the plans have been drawn. the cost
definitely estimated. and the traffic
which will be accommodated is reason
ably probable think II IL the duty OF
congress to undertake the project and
make provision therefor In tho proper ap-
preparation bill.
One of the projects which answers the
description have given Is that o. intro
ducinE dams Into the Ohio river from
PittsburR to Cairo, SO as to maintain at
all seasons Of the year. by slack water.
a depth of nine feet Upward of seven
of these dams have already been con-
structed and six are under construction.
while the total required is 30. The re-
naming cost 10 known to be SS3. 000 900.
1t seems to me that in the development
of our inland waterways 1t would De
wise to begin with this particular project
and carry It through as rapidly as may
be. assume from reliable Information
that 1t can be constructed economically
in ten years. ! recommend. therefore,
that the public lands. in river and har-
Dor bills. make provision for continuing
contracts to complete this Improvement
and / shall recommend in the future. II
1t be necessary. that bonds be issued to
carry 1t through
What has been said of the Ohio river
is true in a less complete way Of the I'M
provement of the upper Mississippi from
st. Paul to st. Louis to a constant depth
| of six feet. and of the Missouri, from
| Kansas City to ST. Louis to constant
depth of six feet and from st. Louis to
| Cairo of a depth of eight feet These
| projects have been pronounced practical
| by competent boards of army engineers.
| their cost has been estimated and there
| Is business which will follow the I'M
provement.
| As these improvements are being made.
and the traffic encouraged by them shows
| itself of sufficient Importance, the i'm
provement of the Mississippi beyond
Cairo down to the gulf. which Is now
| going with the maintenance of depth
Of nine feet everywhere. may be changed
| to another and greater depth II the neces-
| sity for 1t shall appear to arise out OF tho
| traffic which can be delivered on the river
| at Cairo.
| Cheap Rail- Rate Necessary.
I nm informed that the investigation
| by the waterways commission in Europe
| shows that the existence of a waterway
| by no means assures traffic unless there
| Is traffic adapted to water carriage at
| cheap rates at one end or the other OF
| the stream. 1t also appears in Europe
that the depth of the streams Is rarely
| more than six feet. and never more than
| nine. But 1t is certain that enormous
| quantities OF merchandise are transported
over the rivers and canals in Germany
and France and England. and 1t Is also
certain that the existence of such meth
| DDS OF traffic materially affects the rates
| which the railroads charge. and 1t Is the
best regulator of those rates that we
have. not even excepting the govern
mental regulation through the interstate
| commerce commission. For this reason.
hope that this congress will take such
steps that 1t may be called the inaugu-
| rator of the new system of inland water
ways. For reasons which 1t is not neo-
| essary here to state. congress has seen
fit to order an investigation into the In
terror department and the forest service
of the agricultural department The re-
suits of that investigation are not needed
to determine the value of. and the ne
cessity for, the new legislation which
have recommended in respect to the pub