The Washington times., 1912-09-26
7. R. DECLARES
FORWATERWAYS
AND LEYEE PLAN
Non-P Political Address Be-
fore Interstate Body
At Memphis.
By THEODORE rrLLER.

MEMPHIS, Tenn, Sept. 26.-With
. non-political speech on levees and
improved waterways before the In
terstate Levee Association, Colonel
Roosevelt resumed here today his
tour Of the Southern States.
At Jackson. Tenn, this afternoon
the colonel is expected to deliver q
campaign speech, the first of q po-
litical nature in the solid South.
Following his welcome in Arkan-
sas yesterday Mr.. Roosevelt was al
most Historically welcomed in Mem
phis last night and this morning.
While both these States are admit
teddy Democratic, the ovations ten
dered the former President indicate
his great popularity here and fore
shadow a surprising large vote
next November for the new party.
The Colonel's Speech.
In his speech before the Levee Assoc
citation today Colonel Roosevelt spoke,
In part, a. follows:
The United States rightly prides itself
on the business ability, not merely Of
It's business people, but OF its citisens
taken as q whole. 1t IL to this business
sense Of the nation that today I am
about to appeal. 1t Is not too much to
say that the immense internal water
system of the Mississippi valley plays
as great a part In the national life as
the oceans themselves. the Pacific and
the Atlantic. The waters Of the Mis-
sissippi, at every stage. condition the
life Of all our people who live In this
giant drainage basin. just as the ATTAIN
tic and the Pacific oceans condition the
lives Of the men Of the seaboard.
In the past we have only vaguely
recognized this fact, and have tried to
treat the problem It implies in hap
hazard and piecemeal fashion. I do not
think that this method, or rather this
no-method. will longer commend itself
to the national Judgment. More and
more we are growing to think nationals
ly. More and more we are growing to
realise that many Of our problems are
by their very nature such that they can
only be dealt with as a whole. and only
Half the states Of the Union have q
vital concern In the treatment Of the
waters Of the Mississippi and It's tribu-
taries. and a portion of the great basin
own limits. within those Of Canada.
II 10 evident that no one State can SO
much as make an efficient beginning
In the endeavor to grapple with this
subject.
Must Control Freshets.
The great floods OF the Mississippi
valley come from the combination OF
the great freshets from the source
streams. These freshets must be con
trolled. and they can only be controlled
through the action Of the Federal GOV
eminent. In short. In dealing with tn,
Mississippi, we ought not to think o.
levee work along the lower course Al
our only end. The problem Is mucf
greater than keeping the water OF thu
concerns changing the conditions unde
which half the continent Is drained ant
turning our giant internal river system
into one of the greatest OF natfona
assets. The problem is a national one
not for the States, because what threat
ems each State with ruin Is often no
anything which can be made beneficial
to that State. The Federal Govern
ment should harness the waters or tn
Mississippi river drainage basin. NJ
one State can do even a small part o
the work in first-class fashion.
The loss from Mississippi Hoods
not confined to the States along tn
lower Mississippi. 1t stretches all tn
way from ths head waters Of IN
Missouri. Mississippi. Ohio and othe
tributaries to the Gulf itself. On tn
Ohio watershed. for example, the direc
damage In Pittsburgh alone during tn