Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-04-10
DEMOCRATS PROMISE i.
TO Do MUCH FOR OUR
RIVERS and RARb0RS
t2peciai To The Tribune.)

Washington, D. c., April 1o.-"Rep
resenting a district through which
flows the Tennessee river. one of the
grand Mississippi Valley system OF
inland waterways, the most important
system OF continent navigable rivers
on the globe, l have always been deep
ly interested and in all seasons an
ardent advocate OF broad and com
prehensive system OF river and har'
Dor improvement, just what the Ma
tional River and Harbors Congress
has been so powerfully advocating, for
a decade or more"
This was the cheerful and emphatic
response of Representative William
Richardson, Of Alabama, to pertinent
questions. Judge Richardson is one OF
the veteran democrats of the house,
always strong in its councils, and as a
prominent member of the committee
on interstate and foreign commerce,
even while a member of the minority
party, has had perhaps more than any
other Democrat to do with shaping
the reformation of legislation relating
to railway rates. He has given deep
study and great labor to the trans
portation question, and has showed
signal evidence of his conviction that
the railways OF the country must
reasonably conform their rate charg-
es to the Importance OF waterway
transportation, and that the naviga-
ton of the rivers of the country should
be adequately cared for as the only
intelligent policy looking to the solu-
ton of the transportation problem.
when | use the familiar words,
river and harbor Improvement add
ed Judge Richardson, II employ the
words in their literal and in their
fullest sense. River and harbor i'm
provements must 60 inseparably to-
gether in any system of waterway i'm
provement worthy of congressional
legislation. 1t means the embracing
of every river in the country and jev-
cry harb0r of our coast line that is
navigable and keeping them navigable.
1t is the only way in which we can
hope successfully to compete with
the natural disposition of the railway
systems and combinations to take ad-
vantage of the absence of competition
and if we did not take care of our
splendid waterway resources to this
end, We would be seriously in default
of our duty to the country whose well
fare We solemnly pledge ourselves to
sustain.
Eyes, l certainly think the National
Rivers and Harbors Congress doctrine
of standing for and urging the main.
tenance of a policy and ont a project
is of sufficient Importance to be es.
pounsed by the national democratic
party, because it is a policy of JUS
tice and of the sOundest common
sense, and is in complete harmony
with the democratic principle of op-
position to all forms of monopoly.
Il am confident that the democratic
house of representatives will not fail
amply to provide for river and harbor
Improvements for just such reasons
as indicate. The composition as
made up by the majority in the house
of the rivers and harbors committee
is, to my mind, full assurance that
the staunch friends of river and har-
Dor improvement now numbering their
millions of sensible citizenso.in every
part of the United States, will have no
cause of complaint of the committee
or of the democrats. Let's take the
list of members of the committee.
There is Sparkman, of Florida, chair
man. many years a member of the
committee, whose devotion to the sub
ject has never been questioned. There
is Ranpdell, of Louisiana, the presi-
dent of the national Rivers and har-
bors congress, who has made most
ideal head of that great organization
and who but for the adherence to the
rule of seniority would have been
chairman of the committee. The 9th.
ers of the democratic contingent, Bur-
CESS, of Texas; Humphreys, of Miss
issippi; Taylor, of Alabama; Ellerbee,
of South Carolina; Edwards, of Geor.
gia; Small, of North Carolina; Booher,
of Missouri; Gallagher, Of Illinois;
Boehne, of Indiana; Driscoll, of New
York; Donohoe, of Pennsylvania, and
Scully, of New Jersey, are all high.
class, patriotic men representing Sec
lions most vitality concerned in river
and harbor Improvement with a per.
sonnet that is highly gratifying to US
who are deepest interested in this
great subject. The republicans have
always been ably represented on this
committee. They had a great chair.
man in Burton of Ohio and a. wise and
progressive chairman in Alexander,
whose retirement from the House was
a most regrettable loss. Yae Repub-
1ican membership of the committee
who were reelected-the party's quota,
eight, were as to seniority:
Of Massachusetts; David
son of Wisconsin; Young, of Michi-
gan; Rodenberg, of Illinois; Humph-
rey, of Washington, Madden, of Him.
OILS; Kennedy, of Iowa; and Barchfield
Of Pa. All of these are strong men.
Taken together with the democrats,
there is no part of the country from
New England to the Pacific coast,
from the lakes to the gulf, that is not
fairly and exceptionally well repre-.
sented in the character and ability OF
the men composing and likely to com.
plete the membership of the comml.
tee when it reaches consideration of
the next river and harbor BILL"
nnnR uAYa1