The Washington herald., 1913-12-01

For years the National Rivers and Har-i
bors Congress has met In Washington
each December. 1t viii follow its Gus
tom this week. and will be welcome.
This is the best city in the United States
for its purpose, since It Is aimed at Sc
curing from Congress such appropriations
and the application Of such permanent
methods as shall measure up to the re-
quirements Of the waterways OF the na-
tIon.
First as to appropriations: The OBJ
jective is to secure a total annual ap-
preparation of 100000 for at least ten
years, so as to set aside for the better
ment OF rivers and harbors a sufficient
amount TO bring all worthy plans to q
useful state of preparedness in the short
est possible time. During several years
very earnest effort was made to have a
bond issue of $500. 900 900 authorized. and
thus place much Of the burden OF water
way Improvement upon posterity. This
plan had many earnest advocates, but
never attracted serious attention in Con-
gress, as it would have removed expen-
ditures, in part at least, from the control
, or influence OF individual Congressional
districts.
Prior to the organized effort OF the
National Rivers and Harbors Congress,
appropriations were irregular and COM
paratively small. and regarded. too often.
as trading items in securing the recog'
milton OF a Congressman as an active
worker for his district. The campaign
of the congress has more than doubled
the appropriations, made them more
| regular, and thoroughly awakened the
nation to the active as well as the po-
tentiaI value of waterways in influence
| ing our national problem Of tranporta-
| ton.
The Foolish Old Way.
Second as to better methods: In the
olden, golden, pork Darref' days the
thought OF the waterway problem as a
whole was almost entirely lacking. A
gentleman who took very active part In
the recent Conservation Congress, years
ago in Congress was most active for MS
district What he did will serve as an
indication OF what ought not to be done
| in any country whose expenditures OF
public money are intended to be produc-
! tive Of good. At the foot Of series OF
rapids and a little above the navigable
portion OF the lower river. stands high
in the air the concrete shape OF huge
| Jock There Is no dam, therefore the
lock will be forever useless without much
! greater appropriations. There Is no nav
igation for more than forty miles above
! this ghostly lock, therefore II can never
have value unless millions are hereafter
| spent to make this lonesome lock OF
some value. In the same State. in those
early, witless days, wooden dams and
locks were begun by successive appro-
priations from the head Of navigation
downward" so that no pool thus formed
would be of value until the whole series
was completed. In the meantime decay
had set in and by the time the river as
| a whole was ready be of service, the re-
placement of the early locks and dams
became necessary, without the expendi-
ture for them having served any useful
purpose whatever.
Clean Agitation.
The instances mentioned above are the
sorts Of performances that brought into
being the very useful service that has
been performed by the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress. 1t is confessedly
an agitation for appropriations, but it is
a clean agitation for appropriations COM
mensurate with national needs instead
of local hunger for public money. Such
a service as II has performed has been
welcomed by the army engineers; for
their valuable survey work has been
treated on a business basis instead of a
political one. For instance, in the last
great rivers and harbors bill carrying
many millions, there was only one item
of 10000 inserted over or in spite of the
recommendations of the engineers.
The campaign of the congress had value
as early as 1908 in making waterway uses
show up clearly as part Of the needed
conservation of resources to which the