Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-09-26

herself does not flow into this ditch,
but into the gulf. Louisiana spends
millions to keep the drainage OF other
states of her fertile cane and rice
and vegetable plantations. She even
maintains a great levee line wholly
within the state of Arkansas as
necessary link in her protection. Yet
she has 40 control over the states
where the floods form. On.y the fed
eral government has such control;
and the federal government must not
shirk its duty. II must keep the drain
age ditch in order and prevent the
formation of the tremendous floods
which threaten ruin TO our entire re-
SioR---1A thus keeping it in order it
is clearly good business policy to
turn IL into an asset of navigation,
Of power Of irrigation, and to make
II pay huge dividends 10 all our peo-
pie in the shape of a permanent pros
perity. ! do not ask that the federal
government confne itself 10 building
levees from Cairo to the gulf. l ask
that the federal government build
these leyees as a part of a program
to harness the river and its tributaries
and make them useful agents of bus
mess in pace of dangerous agents of
destruction.
MUST HARNESS SOURCES.
1t is 10 this work that | would
ask the United States now to turn
its attention just as it has turned
its attention to digging the Panama
canal Let us use the expert knowl-
edge and the plant itself for control
of the waters of the great inland basin
which occupies over half of the area
of thr republic. The source streams
must he harnessed. The freshel
waters should be kept in reservoirs
To be used for irrigation and Conserv.
strong leyees built from Cairo TO the
gulf will hold the already party con
tTOlled floods. AS the Louisiana legis
lature has said, the nation cannot at
ford longer to permit its resources
of soil. of power, of water and OF navi-
cation 10 be carried as a wasteful and
destructive flood TO the sea. Since
the states themselves cannot in the
general interest prevent this waste
the federal government should treat
the problem as a whole. ahd graDp c
with il in the only efficient way-by
conserving such floods at their source
and thertby subjecting them at every
stage of their hitherto wasted exist
enCe to beneficial uses
Discussing the relation OF forests 10
stream flow, Colonel Roosevelt de
clared that one great reason why
foods are growing more numerous
was because of the deauding of up
lands Of their forests.
RESERVOIRS FAVORED.
Colonel Roosevelt recommended tht
construction of a complete reservoir
system.
Flood water conservation by for
ests and reservoirs will meet many
needs" he declared. When If is
accomp ished by the nation. for only
the nation can accomplish it, you OF
the lower Mississippi valley will never
again be submerged by great foods
The present levee system strengthen
ed and maintained as il must be by
federal aid. would insure you safet
against whatever foods could escape
from storage. The 14-foot waterway
that you desire and need so much
} would become a reality less through
artificial channel correction and canal
ization then, because Of increased
b summer and fall flow, and the bene
fits OF the Panama cana would thu:
} find their way by water straight tC
the heart of the continent The hydro
electric development of TIE couztT-
would be increased by many millioT
horse power, the benefits Of which
would 90 direct TO the people. Sucl
/ action would mean literally 10 pas
nrnEDs-irN q around