The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1913-12-05
SENATOR makes
FINE SPEECH
Wesley L. Jones Covers a Wide
Range Of Subjects at Com
mercial Club Smoker

The Commercial Club rooms were
crowded to the doors last Friday
night on the occasion of the smoker
arranged in honor of u. S. Senator
Wesley L. Jones. The crowd in
cluded a good sized delegation from
Pasco and many from Richland and
other valley points. Probably but a
small percentage of those present
had met the Senator as it has been
four or five years since elast visited
Kennewick; and on this account the
invitations to assemble and hear
Mr.. Jones speak were very generally
accepted.
Any account we could give here
OF what the Senator said would of
necessity be but a fragmentary one.
The subject upon which it had been
announced that he would talk was
River and Harbor Improvement" )"
and for nearly an hour and half
OF rapid fre-talkiEg the speaker not
only covered the subject which had
been assigned, but gave his views
and a lot of information and advice
concerning the Palouse project, the
tariff and currency questions, Pan
anna Canal tolls, Alaska and Mexico.
Regarding the work of improving
the Columbia, the Senator reviewed
the progress of the work from the
time that the government first made
an appropriation for improving the
canal at the mouth of the river. He
told of the opposition to the early
efforts of the state representatives to
get the first appropriation for the
Cello work, but how each succeed
ina appropriation was easier to get
as the work progressed, and stated
that the locks would without doubt
be ready for use in 1915.
In connection with the proposed
local port district and the improve
ment of the Kennewick harbor, Mr..
Jones said that recommendation
for preliminary harbor survey at
this point would be comparatively
easy of insertion in the next rivers
and harbors bill. He said that gov
eminent aid in our harbor improve
ment would be given only on the
recommendation of the engineer
sent here to make the survey
and therefore it will be largely up
to the local business interests to aid
in every way possible the engineers
preliminary work.
Like advice was given to the Pasco
delegation regarding the re-survey
which is now practically assured for
the Palouse project.
In commenting upon the admin
istration policies, Mr.. Jones stated
that he regarded a wise solution Of
the currency question to be of greater
importance than the tariff in pro-
noting a return of general business
confidence, and deplored the ten
dency of the democratic house to
make the currency bill a party
measure.
The senator strongly upheld the
Panama Canal legislation, denying
the right of use of the canal to rail-
road owned ships and declaring for
free tolls for vessels flying the Amer
ican flag.
He said thai the wonderful possi-
bilities of Alaska would never be
developed without railroads n d
that in his opinion the roads would
not come for many years if private
capital were to be relied upon. He
endorsed the proposition of thou
sand miles of railroad to be built by
the government at an estimated cost
of $40, 100000.
Regarding the Mexican trouble,
the speaker said that he had the
utmost confidence in the ability of
President Wilson and his advisors
to cope with the delicate situation.
He advised those impetuous persons
who were demanding that our troops
be sent into Mexico, to think we'll
what war means. He said that