The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-09-25
FEDERAL CONTROL or STATE
LEVEE SYSTEM is BEING
URGED BY MANY.
COL. ROOSEVELT WILL SPEAK
Address of President kavanauah
Urges Completion of Work and Says
1t is of More Value to Country
Than Panama Canal.

Little Rock, Ark, Sept. 24.-Col. e
S. Conway of Chicago, second vice
president of the lakes 10 the Gulf
Deep Waterways association, presided
at the opening session of that body
held in this city today. The conven
ton will continue three days. Presi
dent William Kavanaugh was unable
to attend the initial session, and his
address was read by Steele Hayes
clerk of the Arkansas senate. Col
Theodore Roosevelt will deliver an
address Wednesday.
MI kavanaugh said:
This association mas evolved the
slogans that river reguatilon is rate
regulation for transportation. f%Hoth.
er truth, self -evident, then naturally
follows, that river regulation is price
regulation. Thus we reach the very
depths of the problem, the cost of liv
ing.
Our leading engineers have al
ready told us that it is easily posi-
BILE to secure a preliminary depth
from the lakes to the gulf of at least
IA feet, and our consulting engineer,
Lyman E. Cooley, says that 24-foot
channel can be had from the gulf OF
the St. Lawrence to the Gulf Of Mex
leo, $3.50 miles, for less than the cost
of the Panama canal. Such a chan
mel would mean that the ships Of CON-
merce could sail down the Gulf of st
Lawrence through the Great Lakes
through Chicago and st. Louis down
the Mississippi river, through New Or
leans to the Gulf of Mexico The
bagatelle compared to this completed
project.
1T is essentially fitting, now that
the Panama canal is being completed
that the eyes of the people of this
country be focused upon the Lakes
to-the-Gulf deep water project. In
deed, l do not believe that the Pan
anna canal will be of that benefit to
the people of the United States that
it's cost would indicate, unless this
deep waterway project is successfully
and quickly completed. 1t has even
been asserted that without the com
rletion of this deep waterway system
the Panama canal might even be a
detriment to the people living far in
land along the Mississippi valley To
them the cost fthe necessities of life
would be so much greater than to
those living along the seacoast that
the canal would prove an injustice to
all inland dwellers. The people who
dwell within confines of this valley
know the underlying truths Of what
have asserted, and they want this
project completed.
Now is the psychological time to
strike the most telling blow for this
great cause of the people of the Mis-
sissippi valley.
"a few generations hence this ma
ton will have completed tasks that
make the Panama canal look small in
comparison. The perfecting OF mere
14-foot channel from the lakes down
the Illinois and Mississippi rivers to
the gulf is small task compared with
the btIlding of the Panama canal
Therefore, why should the federal gov
ernment hesitate In beginning it i'm
mediately. at this psychological time!
The people OF the Mississippi Valley
want the improvement.
This movement is not political. II
is non partisan in every sense The
interest OF the people is deeper than
politics; and the people have the
over to work their will in the con-
gress.
"a very important phase Of this
Lakes to- the-Gulf deep waterway has
been stressed by the recent record
breaking floods in the Mississippi val
ley. These floods have been more dam
aging than any gone before. Portions
Of fourteen parishes in Louisiana were
under water at the same time. am
in favor Of the federal government
taking over these levees and perfect
scientific principles. In many places
ing them along the most advanced
am convinced that it would be wortf
while for the government engineer
to consider putting in concrete cores.
II we are to have a good channel II
the river, it is necessary that W
have good leyees along the rive