Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-03
National Rivers and Harb0rs
Congress Meets Wednesday.
SESSION IMPORTANT ONE
Prominent Speakers From All Over
Country to Address Gathering.
RADICAL REFORM Is NEEDED
Method Of Congress Making Appro-
priations Should Benefit the
Whole Country, Is Slogan.

The eighth annual convention of the
National Rivers and Harbors Congress,
which begins on Wednesday next at the
New Willard Hotel, promises to be one
of the most important meetings ever held
in fits history. 1t comes at critical
time. both in the political situation and
In the affairs of the movement for river
and harbor development.
The slogan of the Rivers and Harbors
Congress. "A Policy and Not Project,
has been the means of accomplishing
radical reform in methods of legislation,
1t is said. and marks the beginning of
new era not only in appropriations for
waterway Improvement, but in all lines
of important legislation. The men at the
head of this movement have been carry
ing on an educational campaign for
decade. insisting that appropriations for
the Improvement of harbors and water
ways should be not for some particular
pet project, that would help politicians
with their local constituents by spend
ing large sums of money for purely local
projects, but that they should be made
I'm a broad. catholic spirit. and expended
for the good of the country as a whole.
Appropriations are now made upon the
recommendations of the board of engi-
neers of the army, based upon careful
surveys made in the field. and estimates
submitted those surveys. They take
into consideration the needs of the project
surveyed, its cost and the reasOnableness
of the work recommended. The meet
ing is looked upon at this time as most
timely. as it will tend to crystalline senti-
ment in favor of an annual river and
harbor bill instead of the sporadic APP
propriations of past years.
Work Must Be Continued
u-;+b +bo IIo,ea of Daora,op<o tiyoe
under democratic control there is a fear
that the economies Of that party may
seriously interfere with waterway legisla-
ton. and the meeting this week is looked
upon as especially vital to strengthen the
friends of rivers and harbors. Should
Congress fail to pass river ard harbor
bill the cause Of comprehensive and sci
entific treatment of waterways would be
put back ten years. according to the en-
thusiasts in that movement. Without the
expenditure of further funds on certain
great projects now under way the work
of years would be undone.
The presidents Of the leading waterway
associations of the United States will be
present to address the convention about
their particular projects. Among these
will be Representative J. Hampton Moore.
president of the Atlantic Deeper Water
ways Association: Senator Duncan U.
Fletcher, president Of the Mississippi-to-
the-Atlantic Inland Waterway Associa-
ton; Thomas Wilkinson, president OF the
Upper Mississippi River Association; w.
X. Kavanaugh, president of the Lakes
to-the-Gulf Deep Waterway Association:
Col. John l.. Vance president of the Ohio
Valley Improvement Association: G.. S. z.
Holland. president Of the Interstate In
land Waterway Association, and Edgar
c. Ellis. president Of the Missouri River
Improvement Association. In addition to
these, Secretary Of War Stimson will. in
all probability. open the convention as
the representative Of the government and
Of the President as WELL OF particular
interest will be the appearance OF Mayor
Gaynor on the program. Gov Hadley Of
Missouri is also to attend the convention,
together with the governors OF various
states who are now making tour Of the
east in behalf of their individual COM
monwealthS.
Address by Gen. Bixby.
Brig. Gen. w. H. Bixby. chief of en-
glneers. will address the convention late
in the week. as will Senator Wesley l..
Jones of Washington. The chairman
OF the rivers and harbors committee of
the House of Representatives, Stephen
NJ. Sparkman of Florida, will probably
outline the policy of his committee as
to waterway legislation at the coming
session of Congress-. and his address will,
therefore. have special significance.
Secretary j. F. Ellison, whose head
quarters are at the New Willard. said
that advices from many sections indi-
Gated the presence of large delegations.
The Chicago and Ohio valley delegations,
travelling on special trains. will arrive here
in time for the opening of the congress
Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock. Bos-
ton, New York, Richmond, Norfolk,
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New
Orleans. Galveston and cities along the
Mississippi. Ohio. Tennessee, Cumber-
land and the PARKWAY Pacific coast river
towns will be represented. Rev. DIR.
Abram Simon will offer the invocation
at the opening OF the congress-. which
will be presided over by Representative
Inseph Z PanSdel of Louisiana the