The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1912-10-04

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Little Rockville use of the ma
chinery and force of experts now eli,
ployed in digging the Panama canal
in the construction o. deep water
way connecting the great lakes anG
the Gulf of Mexico, was urged by
speakers at the annual convention OF
the Lakes-to-the.Gulf Deep Water
ways Association in this city. Col
Theodore Roosevelt, nominee Of the
Progressive party for president of the
United States, who made a non.politi.
cal speech before the convention, Of.
fered this az solution of the problem
and the same course was urged by
other distinguished lnen who spoke.
1t was pointed out that the well or
ganized and highly trained body OF
men now engaged On the Panama
Canal work will be available within
the next year or two and that they
should not be allowed I'd scatter until
-thiav -seaaaa 4.sssst KS & protect
is completed. - "
Col. Roosevelt spoke at the second
days session of the convention. He
abandoned politics fer the day and
spoke only on the subject Of deep
waterways. He discussed also the
problem of preventing the recurrence
of floods in the Mississippi valley,
such as that which occurred this year.
Zone of the main troubles in Sc.
curing deep waterways and utilizing
the spare flood water" said Col. Roose-
welt, lis the inability or refusal of the
champions of any one project TO look
the whole problem in the face. This
problem cannot be handled piecemeal;
there is need Of action from the stand
point of the nation as a whole. In
the past 50 much money has been
spent in improving small creeks and
rivers that the whole system of water
way improvement has been associated
with unpleasant memories in the eyes
Of many people. 1t rests with such
an organization as this to remove that
stain and convince tie people Of the
necessity of looking at the whole
problem from the standpoint Of the
general welfare.
THAT is why I so amphatically be-
lieve that this and other such prob.
lens must be handled by commits
sion: it will not do to leave it at the
mercy of scrambling interests. II we
allow 1t to be handled only through
the Initiative of congress We will find
many congressman reluctant to go
into a general scheme like the Missis-
sippi river Improvement unless their
local schemes. are coupled with It,
Others who have no creek they want
drained will have federal building
thew want constructed. The essential
problem should be considered as a
whole; the treatment of the levees of
the lower Mississippi as part of the
problem, and another part the pre-.
yention Of freshet water striking the
Mississippi from the Ohio and Mis-
souri, rivers.
Where the Flood Begins.
"The flood that devastates Missis-
.sippi and Louisiana starts in Pennsvl-
yania, Ohio, Montana and Wyoming,
therefore the problem is one which
must be considered in it's entirety and
must be considered by the national
government. Only the national gov
eminent can deal in matters of that
importance. and the national govern
ment will not deal with it unless you
take an interest in it. I speak as one
having had experience.
at is fortunate that the need for
federal action has been impressed
upon our people at the time when the
federal authorities are able to de-.
yelop the very instrument for meet
,ns the need. We have at Panama a
store Of individual ana collective skill
. which may be untitled for the pnr-
nosa of treating the problem OF the
M,ss,ssippi as we treated the problem
of Panama -. .,.o
The colonel told how he had made
thu digging Of the Panama csnai pos
s,s,a and declared that he could not