Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-09-26
States Can Accomplish Little
Without Federal Aid,
Roosevelt Holds.
CITES SOUTHERN FLOODS
Gives Address Before the Interstate
Levee Association Meeting in
Memphis.


a state problem.
The former president, citing the dis
astrous floods last spring as "an
awful lesson" asserted that prospects
Of relief were no brighter than they
had been before. This, he said, was
true ''in spite Of the fact that con-
gress was in session for five months
after the beginning of the last food
disaster. that the house, which origin
ates appropriation bills, was in con-
troll Of democrats, mainly southern
men, during all thata time, and yet
not one measure of permanent relief
or lasting help was enacted in your
behalf"
AS long as the habit OF doing
things piece-meal, sometimes known
as the states rights doctrine, stands
in the way, nothing effective will be
done" he continued.
Mr.. Roosevelt further criticised con-
gress for failure TO act favorably on
recommendations for ialand waterway
Improvement contained in a report of
the inland waterways commission
which he transmitted to the congress
In Feb, 1908. urging that adequate
funds be appropriated for waterway
Improvement and forest conservation.
TRIFLE WITH NEEDS.
Congress, however. not only failed
OF act favorably on these recommends
tions," Mr.. Roosevelt declared. but
II passed law which attempted to
make it impossible to continue the
work OF commissions of this kind
The republican and the democratic
parties alike were content to trife
with the vita needs OF our people
The fundamental Information neces-
sary 10 formulate an adequate. we'll
considered. and thoroughly complete
plan for dealing with the Mississippi
is not yet fully at hand. We have
been spending large sums Of money
+ In the Mississippi vaIrey, but insJ cad.
OF using IT, or part of il. 70 get the
b physical facts upon which a sound
; general plan of development must
! be based. that money has been speht
In the furtherance Of small. and dis
connected schemes which never could
measure up to problem so large
and so important"
Mr. Roosevelt further discussing the
'haphazard and piecemeal fashion
OF treating the waterway problems
Of the nation in the past. predicted
that such method would no longer
command itself to the national judg-
ment"
More and more we are growing to
l..
more We are growing TO realize that
many OF our problems are by their
, very nature such that they can be
dealt with only as whole and on v
by the exercise Of the national power.
Half the states in the union have a
vital concern in the treatment of the
waters OF the Mississippi and its
tributaries, and portion of the great
basin drained by these waters is out.
: side our own limits, within those of
Canada
CANAL PLANT AVAILABLE.
1T is evident that no one state cal
so much as make an efficient begin.
> ming in the endeavor 10 grapple with
this subject. Fortunately the matter
, mas become one of prime and press
ing importance at the very time when
this nation has learned by actual ex.
perience that il is amply able n
undertake the most colossal engin.
: eeTing job and has. as an incident
= thereto. collected the pant with
which II can undertake another iob
or the same size. The Panama canal
is now Nearing completion and the
skill and trained ability and the ma.
: chinery used in its construction are
: available for use within our own bor
j ders in developing a proper national
control OF the waters OF the Missis
sippi basin in their entirety"
: 1t was c0ltended by Colonel Roose
velt that it would be useless 10 &c
into the matter Of waterway develop
ment and improvement unless we &c
: into IL on a broad scale and on g
thoroughly sound basis"
In dealing with the Mississippi
he continued. we ought not to think
of levee work along the lower course
= as our only cad. The problem is much
greater than keeping the water of
the lands Of any one set Of men. II
really concerns changing the condi
tons under which half the continent
is drained and turning our giant inter
I nal river system into one Of the great
est Of national assets. The problem
Is q national one. not for the state
because what threatens each stat,
with ruin Is often not anything which
can be made beneficial to that state
= The federal government should har
= ness the waters OF the Mississipp
. river drainage basin. No one stat,
D can do even a small part of the worl
y In first class fashion.
Z LOUISIANA INSTANCE.
! Take Louisiana for instance: al
e though the great drainage ditch o
: the Mississippi flows right through
louisiana, the drainage Of Louisian.