The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-17
Delightful Benscot Lithia Limeade At All Soda FOuntS
RICHARDSON WRITES ABOUT
 IMPROVING THE TENNESSEE

Isidered eminently proper that the Muscle Shoals development of water power, to-
 gether with the improvement of naviga-
 tion over the s7 miles referred to, should
 not be pressed in connection with the
 general improvement of the Tennessee | river, because this would invite unneces-
 sary opposition and endanger our sue cess.
 The board of review, in recommending
 the appropriation of $S,S06,04S, used this
 language:
 "The work should be prosecuted at such
 a rate as to complete it in eight years,
 and initiate appropriation of s1O00,000, is recommended with additional contract au-
 thorization amounting to g, GOO ,0oo.' l l dc not hesitate to say to you that this recommendation of the chief engineer !, of the Tennessee river endorsed by the
 board of review and confirmed by the chief engineer of the army, recognizes in the most satisfactory manner the com
 mercial value of the Tennessee river and
 classes 1t among the most worthy and
 deserving water ways of the country for permanent improvement
 I have no doubt that congress will ac- cept with proper legislation the recom-
 mendation made by the engineers of the war department.
 Heretofore, as you well know, appro- priations for the Tennessee river have been made by piece-meal and not with a view to create through navigation. Un- der this policy, bringing about nothing more than local traffic, the commercial value of the Tennessee river has never had a fair consideration and fair chance. In company with the lamented Judge Rouhac memorial which will stand to the credit of that able and good man, this jolicy of putting the Tennessee river upon basis of permanent improvement was urgently insisted upon.
 You will note what the board of re- view says about the Muscle Shoals pro- ject not being feature of the improve ment of the river as recommended In the report of the board of review, but that the Muscle Shoals project will be handled in a special report on that sub ject I do not hesitate to say to you and the many friends of the Muscle Shoals waterpower development, that this recog- milton given the Tennessee river by pro- viding a given, fixed policy for its per manent improvement, is an assurance to me of the most convincing character that thel development of waterpower at Muscle Shoals will eventually follow. It is hardly to be believed by any one Dhat if the unlted states government IS ready and willing to expend this large amount of
 money in the improvement of through
 navigation of the Tennessee river, that it could be induced to destroy such valu-
 able asset as the waterpower affords at Muscle Shoals, believe that the friends of Muscle Shoals ought to take great encouragement from the situation as 1t now is with reference to the river. we nave contended for several years
 that the Tennessee river is the natural and only great waterway outlet of the great wealth of the Appalachian Southern park to the watershed of the Mississippi valley. The classification just given to It by the recommendations above referred to recognizes that the Tennessee river constitutes that great and important com
 mercial link. AS soon as these reports
 are printed I will as a matter of course. send copy. The information that this letter contains was secured by me in special examination of the reports re- ferred to. Sincerely your friend, VIM. RICHARDSON.