The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-03
THE NEwLANDs PROPOSITION.

| Senator Newlapds Of Nevada has ta-
ken a comprehensive view of the dis
truetive floods in tue Mississippi river,
which have impelled the Government
to send large measures of relief and to
spend great sums of money in feeding
the homeless and distressed. He has
brought forward in the Senate prop
osition to provide what is called "a
river regulation fund.- of S50,000.0O0
the completion of the Panama Canal,
and an annual expenditure of $4,000
900 in the intermediate years. This he
PROPOSES as an amendment to the river
and harbor bill offered by himself. The
plan contemplates the control at the
headwatcrs as well as at the lower
branches of the troubled rivers of the
Mississippi Valley system. The Sena-
tor claims that his measure not only
would prevent destructive floods III all
of the great watersheds of the coun-
trv but would provide for the use of
food waters on arid lands, for swamp
land reclama ton, and for the develop
ment Of water power. One-hfth OF the
money appropriated is to be spent on
the lower Mississippi and one-tenth each
on Atlantic coast rivers. gulf rivers
exclusive of the Mississippi, the Upper
Mississippi the Ohio, the Missouri, the
Sacramento aud San Joaquin, and the
Columbia and Snake rivers, and the
remaining tenth in connecting the Great
Lakes with the Ohio and Mississippi. |
The cooperation of the great hydraulic
engineers of the country with the en-
eincer corps Of the army is invoked, !
thcv tn work under the supervision Of
the River Regulation Board, which is
provided by the measure. and the CO. i
operation Of this board with States and |
municipalities is provided for.
The scheme is as broad as the coun-
try, and its great merit is that it will !!
bring TO bear upon the mighty Ques-
tion of handling the surplus waters Of
the United States, the be,t scientific
and practical knowledge in the country,
as well as the unlimited resources of
the National Treasury in the solution !
of the question. 1t is vast PROPOSE /
ton. comprehensive as to ali the river
systems. and as beneficial as it is in.
elusive.
There Is no question about the prac.
of the operations proposed.by
Senator Ncwlands, The great deter.
rent is the vastness of the labor re-
oWred: but since the engineering skill |
of the country is equal tc the task, end
since the resources Of the National
Treasury. applied as they would be gen
erallY throughout the country, are suf-
6cieut to meet the cost of solving the
problem. there seems TO DC no reason
TO doubt the practicability of tho New
lands programme The idea has been
suggested bv many heretofore. but
there has been no concrete proposal in
congress TO move for the solution Of
the great question in practical wav.
until now. Mr.. Newlands now comes
forward with this practical proposition
involving cost altogether of $500 900,
900. We believe that this cost would
20 very far to settling the whole aucs.
tion; perhaps il would be ample for all
the work.
The problem IS 10 control the food
waters, store them at favorable loca.
tioDs in the valleys of the tributaries
o. the great streams. aud release these
stored waters later ou when thev would
be beneficial To navigation. Gu the
"wer Mississippi river. the great prob
lem - TO strengthen the banks and to
prevent their being washed away. This
can he done by proper piling and rip
f"roinc work which the hydraulic eugi
ncerS fully understand. aud work
which thcY have already said will be
annie Tor the purpose.
Tho proposition of Senator NevIaods
IS both statesmanlikc aud eminc,tI,,
practical. II is. perhaps. too much 10
expect that the avcrHgc member of
'onGrcss VIII rise to the full comprehep.
sion and necessity OF meeting the diai
cnitrT' a. Senator NowlaBds prouo,e.
To nee, ihf7n. but We cannot doubt
ihat evcriuallv this matter viii he ia
ken M SUBSTANTIALLY on the lines