Bismarck daily tribune., 1912-03-30
New Congressman From the
South Wants lDterCOdStdl
Canal System
River and narbor Bill Carries
Appropriation for That
Purpose
viii Strive for the Canal
System as Long as He
Is IN Public

| Is IN Public
Robert M. MeWads.
Bismarck Tribune Washington Bureau.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 30
Chosen by their people to be col
leagues as United States Senator
from Louisiana are two members o
the present house of representative
who, during an unusual length OF ser
vice in that honorable body have beel
DISTINGUISHED by their active and az
gressive interest in national water
way improvement. Joseph Ransdel
who is to enter the senate, succeed
ing Murphy j. Foster on March 4
1913, is widely known as the presi
dent of the National Rivers and Har
bors congress. Robert Broussard
who succeeds Joan r. Thornton, or
March 4, 1915, is now serving his
eighth term in the house.
Chatting about a speech which he
made several years ago in the house
on the present as 1.-The canal age -
Broussard says: II am still Of that
mind. The object lesson of the i'm;
portance of canalization mas been
right under my eyes all my life. My
district reaches from the Father of
Watrs to the Gulf of Mexico, south.
westward. Immensely important as
is the improvement Of the Mississippi
and it's tributaries, scarcely less im-
portant is the canalizing that ought
to link that great river with the other
streams that flow into the gulf. In
our region we have long contended for
an intercoastal canal system, and we
are beginning to see our efforts re-
warded. The river and harbor bill
recently passed by the house carries
an appropriation which will mean the
completion of the coastal canal in
Louisiana and much Of southwestern
Texas, moving on toward the compile
tion Of the project towards Browns
vile, Texas, as the objective point
on the Rio Grande.
Canal Not Vet Appreciated.
"Not very many of our people fav-
orable to river and harbor improve
ment properly appreciate the CON-
mercial importance Of the intercoastal
canal enterprise. Deepening the
channels of rivers and maintaining
the improvement is itself but q form
of canalization, often enormously ex-
pensive, and It should be borne in
mind that frequently another heavy
item of expense in the maintenance
Of river navigation, is to keep the
mouths of the river unobstructed by
bars formed by inevitable deposits of
silt from time to time.
Gulf Coast Easily Accessible
There are in the Mississippi and
her tributaries, and in the rivers
which flow into the gulf 13,600 miles
of navigable inland water, whose util-
ity is often hampered by bars formed
at the mouths of the streams. The
gulf coast canal system, especially in
our reason, is to render accessible to
easy, safe and economical transpor.
tation large area of productive
country. There within reach of canal
transportation is one-half of the sugar
production of the United States, nine
tenths of the rice, all the sulphur,
nearly all the salt, and immense for
est products in pine, cypress, and
hardwood, with farm lands alreay un.
der flourishiug cultivation, and many
thousans of acres of lans awaiting
reclamation by drainage, which are of
unequalled fertility.
I'VE shall see here the development
of swift, light-draft vessels, numer.
Gus and reliable, undisturbed by the
elements that dispense perils on river
and sea. Without the canal a vast
part of this wealth producing area
would be at the mercy of railway
rates for all overland transportation.
With it the railroads could do not
business unless they co-oporated in
the evelopment Of the country in
their traffic with the gulf terminals.
Has Great Commercial Value.
In every part of this country, and
In every part of every other country,
where commerce has made most pro-
gress and reached the most endur-
ing stability it has been through the
canal. Our intercostal canal would
not only Immediately demonstrate
its extraordinary commercial value
but it would more than repay the
nation for its comparatively slight
cost in its pal2able stratgetic import.
ance, for, in time of war, it would
be invaluable for coast defense and
provide safe harbors for the prepare.
tion for offensive operations of the
seaboard.
"All the mI7;ments Of war, troops
provisions, ammunition. armament,
light craft, gu1.boa!A torpedo boats,