The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-08
DEEP WATERWAY A
POLITICAL b[UNDER
Is the Opinion of Good Roads
Advocates
WORRY THE PRESIDENT
Some Money Spent in Building Good
Dirt Roads Would BE of Far
More Value TO the People
of the Country
WORRY THE PRESIDENT
BY JONATHAN WINFIELD

Washington, May Especial )-Presi-
dent Taft is being urged by those be-
hind the good roads movement to oppose
the deep waterway from-the- Great Lakes
to-the-gulf programme. Howard IL.
Gross of Chicago. representing the good
roads enthusiasts, has filed with the
President documentary proof that the
deep waterway is colossal bunder and
| a political crime" S#
| The propaganda is made up ''he as
serts," of many politicians, soldiers of
fortune and a few high grade business
men. 'Reciting the requests upon Con-
gress for a vast sum, which 1t is said
may run into ia one billion dollar, to COM
plete the proposed 14-foot channel In the
Mississippi river, Mr. Gross says: The
| only justification for this colossal expen-
diture Is based upon the suppostion that
given the improved channel commerce
vide greatly increased shipping facilities,
the result of which will be large and
general reduction In freight charges
throughout the country.
Upon no other theory could the expense
be justified
THE deep waterway plan demands a
14-foot channel from the lakes to the
gulf via the Illinois river. a six-foot chan
mel from st. Louis to st. Paul, and a SIM
liar one from st. Louis to Omaha. These
are the principal features. of which the
lakes-to-thc-gulf stretch is the main
stem or artery. That the channel should
be IA feet, no more or less, passes under
standing. 1t Is at least six feet deeper
| than necessary for modern barge traffic,
based upon European experience. If it
| Is to be an ocean waterway as the peo-
| Pile have been led to believe, 1t should be
from Is to 80 feet. II lake steamers are
to use it. the depth should be at least 20
| feet. .a...,
Reduced to the last analysis, the chan
mel is nothing more or less than barge
proposition, and for this purpose nine
feet is all that is necessary and all that
can be economically used. The cost of
| 8 nine foot waterway, as against Ia
| foot, will be as dimes to dollars.
| Mr.. Gross lays emphasis on the fact
that the United States army engineers
with years Of experience with the Mssis-
sippi river behind them, with no axes to
grind. unanimously reported against the
so-called deep waterway on the ground
that 14-foot channel is unnecessary and
that nine-foot channel will take care
of present and prospective commerce;
that the cheapest way to move oommodi-
ties Is the the only kind of traffic that
| means cheap freight and a 14-foot chan
mel Is deeper than Is required for barges,
while It would not admit lake or ocean
vessels That lake and ocean steamers
could not safely navigate the crooked,
swift flowing, bottom-shifting Mississippi
river. even IL the channel had twice the
proposed depth of IA feet, and II it were
In fact a deep waterway Is evident to
engineers.
Admitting that their is a glut in rail-
road and water facilities for handling
| freight In the grain moving periods-a
condition that presents serious questions
Mr.. Gross adds: when one recalls the
| fact that very little grain Is produced
| within wagon-hauling distance of any
| navigable river, and that the one and only
way to reach the market from the grain
| fields is first by wagon and then by rail,
| 1t Is difficult to understand how the
| steamboats, would relieve the glut on the
railroads, unless they were amphibious
| and able to call at the farm for the grain,
thus eliminating the necessity for rail
| haul.
III remedy is sought for the glut.
| then build good wagon roads, SO that
| farmers will have with a certainty a
| smooth, hard road throughout the winter.
Then many Of them will haul their crops
| for better prices, and In this way prolong
the crop moving time from go days to six
months or more. Good roads will save
the farmers dollars in transportation,
while waterways will save only pennies.
IF the proposed waterway is to bene-
| fit the farmer he must be able to get to
| it. How many of them can build their
grain from the farm to the channel? Not
| | per cent If the state of the nation has
| the money to spend on internal improve
ments let them assist the townships to
build good roads; the highways over
which the children must go to school, the
doctor to reach the suffering and over
which must pass every bushel of grain
and every bale of cotton raised. The
road reaches every field, every farm house
| and every market town. The people ev-
erywhere demand good roads, while the
politicians lead the cry for waterways.
Roads are universal; waterways are sec
tional Good roads mean a saving In
transportation far greater than can be
claimed for the waterway by Its most
ardent friends. Good roads mean better
schools, more social life. a higher stand
ard Of living-they mean progress and
civilization.
III the people are to obtain relief from
excessive freight charges it will come
| through regulation by law and not
through the proposed deep waterway If
rivers are to be improved 1t should be
shallow water improvement, following
European lines. but we must remember
that in Europe the freight is carted &c
miles or more to reach the river. This
Is practical. with the good roads of Eu-
Erope, but 1t cannot be done in the United
States.
Advocates of the so-called deep water
way would do well to explain. why the
present waterway from st. Louis to the
rulf IL not used az 1t used to be. The
river is still there and is In as good or
better condition than 1t ever was. The
government reports show that export
business from the gulf port district has
Increased from 1884, 100000 to 10000, 600 In
ten years Notwithstanding this great
increase of business river traffic has fall
len Off more than 80 per cent, while the
railway traffic has increased in the same
time about $50 per cent. The reason fol
this is that shippers have found the rail-
wav service is so much quicker and bet
ter that they prefer to use 1t.
"In 1890 the river shipments from St
Louis were more than 100000 tonk. In
L,aos they had fallen to $1,000. The raj
shipments these years were, 1880 about
kOO0 900 tons. and In 1905 100000 tons
While the rivers are public highways
oman and free to all, 1t requires large
| ca uital invested In boats. barges and ter
minals to make use of them. Have we
any assurance that the same capitalists
| uho own the railways will not In this