Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-04
Taft Gives That Reason in Of
fering River Plan.
MILLIONS FOR MISSISSIPPI
Declares Federal Government Should
Safeguard Life and Property.
ACTION HELD IMPORTANT
President, Peruvian Minister and
Others Address Rivers and Har-
bors Congress Opening Today.

bors Congress Opening Today.
Telling the delegates OF the National
Rivers and Harbors Congress that they
are here again to talk over principles
and 'resolute" again an dagain only to
md in the end that the matters they
resolute' about are determined in a
little room at the other end OF the
Avenue. President Taft today made
the principal address at the opening
session of the ninth annual conven-
ton of the congress at the Willard
Hotel
Fifteen hundred delegates, many of
whom were accompanied by their wives
and children. heard President Taft urge
that the federal government take COM
plete charge of the Mississippi river
levee system and be prepared to spend
$O.oO.ooO on 1t. with or without the
aid of the states along the great water
way. They cheered him to the echo
when he said he was out OF politics now
and therefore could tell the truth without
hurting any ones feelings, as he de-
clared the propaganda that money should
be spent on the Mississippi to improve
navigation was in the larger sense a
pretense, and that what the delegates
should do was to urge the spending OF
great sums on the Mississippi SO that
life and property should be protected
rather than that navigation should be
improved.
Woman's Congress Meets.
At the same time the convention was
cal 1ad IN tie
f. Ransdell, senator-elect from LOUIS
lana, the Woman's National Rivers and
Harbors Congress was meeting in an
other part of the hotel President Tafts
speech to the mems convention began as
soon as an invocation was delivered by
Rev. DIR. l.. G. b. Pierce
Many of the delegates were startled
by the speech. So far as they knew IL
was the first time the President has rec
commended appropriations for waterways
improvements contingent upon flood pre-
ventfon. In spite of the fact that IL did
not meet the expressed views OF many
OF them, the speech was warmly applaud
ed in many places.
The President declared that his indorse-
ment of Mississippi river improvement
would be forthcoming only If the work
We're placed in the hands OF army engi-
neers. So far as other waterway projects
Were concerned, the President said. his
approval would be lacking unless their
hackers could show good q case and
as dire necessity as could the Mis-
sissippi valley states. He said that be-
fore all other considerations must be
placed the idea OF preventing floods like
those OF last spring, which caused great
destruction from Cairo to New Orleans.
Must Show Worth.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New
Jersey and Pacific coast states doubt
less have a right to advance their
projects he said but they must show
that they are worth while. This work
am advocating now is i'm the interest
of the whole country. The Lord ar
ranged the topography Of this country.
and He did not do il according to the
views of any appropriation committee.
The history of the Mississippi river
shows that it has established it's right
to be considered as a national problem.
j would not hesitate to face this prob
lem if / We're going to continue to bear
the responsibility. which, L am glad to
say, / am not.
Il guess S50.000,000 is enough for one
morning." he concluded.
Peruvian Minister Speaks.
At the conclusion of President Taft's
speech. Mr.. Ransdell introduced Federico
Alfonso Pezet. the Peruvian minister.
who advocated making the National Riv-
ers and Harbors Congress an interna-
tfonal body and told of waterway condi-
tions in South American countries. Mr..
Pezet said. in part:
'Of your ability as a nation TO under
take and carry out the work which yod
have before you. you have given the
world absolute PROOF Apart from the
Panama canal. your engineers, both mill
tary and civil. have completed at home
works which do you honor as nation.
You, in the north, most certainly have
a wonderful photography, but still il
does not come up to ours. Where In all
this northern part OF our hemisphere
have YOU anything to compare with the
king of waters the mighty AmaZonr
Can YOU realize that by executing feast
BILE engineering works the Orinoco, the
Amazon and the La Plata could be made
to Join through their an1uentS, and thus
form one continuous water system, EN-
bracing tens Of thousands of miles OF
navigable streams?
DO you know that ocean steamers
drawing more than thirty feet OF water
can steam up the Amazon and some OF
its tributaries for distances greater than
that from ST. Louis 10 the mouth of the
Mississippi, and that ocean liners draw
ing more than twenty feet OF water do
steam ND to Iquitos, in Peru, a distance
as grea, as from New orleans 10 Lake
Winnipeg?
Buenos Aires as Port.
.'Buenos Aires, which, in tonnage, Is
the twelfth port of the world. is fast be-
coming one of the greatest ports in the
whole world. Thrty-five million dollars
has ben spent there in harbor improve
ments and before these improvements
were made the tonnage only amounted
to $1,000, whereas now it is more than
l3, ,O000oV.
Lust now we are very much alive TO
the opening of your Panama canal.
vast and comprehensive program is on
foot in South America, and nature
mas been very good to both the northern
and southern hemispheres of the Ameri-
can continent. ii is up TO us to make the
most of such bounty.
Il therefore wish to emphasize the fact
that while this organization is today ma
tional In scope, ii should extend beyond
your own borders and reach out to the
other sections Of America and become In.
ternational in scope
The address of the minister OF Peru .
was followed by one by Lieut.. Col. Will
nam p Anderson, chief engineer. depart
ment of marine and fisheries of Canada.
col Anderson said he had been COM
mi ssioned by the government of Canada
ro assure the congress OF Canadian SYM