The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1913-04-07
ATTENTION NOW ON
RIVER AND HARBOR
Recent Floods Cause Interest
in Preservation of
Navigation.
COMMITTEES ACTIV E
Congress Will Consider Leg
islation To Prevent
Recurrence.
palladium Specially


WASHINGTON, D. C., April T.
With torrential floods pouring from
the water sheds of the great inland
streams of the country, bringing ruin
and desolation in their wake, interest
in the preservation of navigation and
of the integrity of the channels OF
the great streams themselves has nat
urally greatly increased. 1t is already
evident from present discussion that
4 Congress will take up the flood-control
subject and it will necessarily be con-
sidered in connection with river navi-
cation improvement. Disaster so wide
spread and appalling as has afflicted
the Ohio Valley cannot be averted by
any work of construction born of the
ory; the best that can be done in the
opinion of practical men is to provide
against dangers that ordinarily recur
in the shifting seasons. This, in ex-
pert opinion, should be undertaken
along with the perfecting of a COM
prehensive system of national water
way improvement
For the first time in eighteen years
the Democrats are in control of both
have a majority in their important
standing committees. So far the first
time in eighteen years they control
both the committees having to deal
with appropriations for rivers and har-
bors, the Senate committee on Com
merce and the House Committee on
Rivers and Harbors. But no legisla-
tion in Congress, it should be remark
ed, has been as little tainted with par
tisan conduct as that pertaining to riv-
er and harbor improvement. For that
very reason perhaps, more than any
other, no schemes of legislation have
developed a broader, more progress
sive scope than those emanating from
these two committees. Leaders of
both the great parties, as we'll as
heads of the different administrations,
responsive to enlightened public con-
viction, have united in the establish
ment of practical annual appropria-
tions commensurate with existing
needs and the obvious demands of the
near future.
The committees of the two houses
having to deal with the question OF
water transportation through improve
ment of the navigation of streams and
harbors has of late years been COM
posed of the foremost men of Con-
gress The personnel of the commit
tees in the present Congress promises
to prove we'll up to that high mark.
Clark Is Chairman.
The senate committee on Commerce
cd xxyhiI hof Of n "a
House is yet to be named. The change
of political complexion of the Sen
ate changed the Craftsmanship and
shifted the majority. The new chair
man is James p. Clarke of Arkansas,
with the rest of the Democrats, Dun
can U. Fletcher of Florida, George e..
Chamberlain of Oregon, Joseph E.
Ransdell of Louisiana, Morris Shep-
pard of Texas, James X. Vardman of
Mississippi, John X. Shields of Ten
nessee, Thomas S. Martin of Virginia,
John H. Bankhead of Alabama and
,Furnifold NJ. Simmons of North Caro-
lima. The Republicans are Knute Mel
son of Minnesota, former chairman;
George c. Perkins of California, Will
liam Alden Smith of Michigan, Theo-
dore E. Burton of Ohio, Isaac Stephen
son of Wisconsin, Coe I. Crawford of
South Dakota and Geo. 7. Oliver of
Pennsylvania. Every part of the coun-
try is represented from the Atlantic
to the Pacific and from the lakes to
the gulf. and by men who have had
experience in both houses on one or
the other of the committees dealing
with navigation improvement. except
in cases of Messrs. Clarke, Sheppard,
Vardman and Shields. Chairman