The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-11-25
RESIDENT
ICISED
For His Attitude on the
Deep Waterway Un-
dertaking

St Louis. Nov 25-President Tafts
attitude toward waterway projects
was attacked by William Kavanaugh,
president Of the Lake-to- the-Gulf Deep
waterway association, in the latterS
address at the opening OF the aSsocia-
tons annual convention here today.
The attendance at the convention,
which met In the First Regiment ar
mory, was as large as at any previous
conventions. Prominent among the
delegates and guests are United States
senators, congressman and governors
OF state
A special train Of waterway boom.
erS arrived this morning from Chi,
cago.
The reports of the secretary and
treasurer and the address Of Presi.
dent Kayenaugh OF ST Louis were the
principal business of the morning ses-
sion.
Workers from New Orleans and San
Francisco are among the delegates.
seeking approval of their home cities
for the Panama exposition The mat.
ter, it is thought, Will not be brought
before the convention
The delegates differ as to the depth
they want the Mississippi river to be
made by the government President
kayannugh leads in urging fourteen
feet, while strong contingent will be
satisfied with a niuc-foot depth.
Prelacing his address OF welcome
with review OF the work of the asso-
ciation, President kavanaugh declared
mat the organization had consistently
demanded that river bettermentS be
p1t on practical basis. This associa-
ton, he said. like other river associn-
tons, condemn the pork barrel policy
and demanded that river improve
ments be put on n practical basis In
which commercial conditions should
be held paramount TO political consid-
GRAFTON,
What Is the result? Within the last
four years, public sentiment has
changed. water Improvements have
become non-poltical, and even the
President, despite growing indiffer-
Gree toward our great project and
favorable action toward his own river,
has announced hereafter that no pork
barrel bills VIII receive his approval
From the beginning. this associa.
tion has taken the View that naviga-
ton should be developed in connection
with Il comprehensive system. be.
ginning with the lakes to the gulf
deep waterway as ii natural main ar
terry.
Throughout its history this asso-
citation has insisted on principals that |
each waterway is a unit from it's |
source to its mouth-the only prin- |
ciple on which the perpetuity of navI- |
CATION can rest
Thanks chiefly TO the fidelity OF |
men now present, the SiNty-firSt con-
sresS. at Its long session last win
ter. enacted a river and harbor bill
TO its predecessors in sev.
eral respects, largely In which 1t
a modern lakes-to-the-
gulf deep waterway, conditional on
approval by board of engineers. for
which provision was made.
The item was we'll intended and,
rad the intention been carried out
the critical point of our
project would now doubtless be past
I Is a bitter disappointment that
We have TO record at least partial
allure of this intent through an of
icial Partially first noted bv some
# us in last years river trip, The
resident postponed appointing the
oard under the act for many weeks,
hus making IL apparent that the
oard's reports, in conformity with
be act OF congress. must necessarily
e hastily arrived at The President
lso appointed men on this hoard
'hom the people feared were I'M
Tiendly to the project Thus. by in.
lrection, the plrpose OF the legis-
ition has been delayed II not thwart-
d. Surely the President misunder-
lands the meaning of that memor-
BILE river trip. Surely he mIsjudces
lie temper of the men of the interior, =,
ldeed OF the country at large Our ,
resent need is for legislation so ,,
chnitc and specific that 1t will be
ONE effective. despite indifference
nd unfriendliness from any quarter,
owever exalted. or however uneX-
ected and unwarTantcd the oppoSi-
on may be.
Why should not the Sxty-second
,ngress, nj its first session, adopt
lie policy OF comprehensive water de-
elopment. already approved by the n
sople, and show It's good faith by {
specific provision for deep water. a
ay through the national artery con n
citing the great lakes and the gulf. n
accordance with the plans we have Il
aned at great cost