The Washington times., 1913-03-27
CONSERVATORS SEE
LESSON IN FLOOD
NeWIand, Murdock, and Graves
Declare Floods Show Need
of Federal Control.

Senator Newlands. Congressman Vic
tor Murdock, and Chief Forester
Graves were among the conservationists
who declared today that the Ohio floods
made a pressing national issue of the
control of the waters of the great
streams of the country.
The Newlands bill, for the creation of
board of river regulation and a fund
for the regulation of navigable rivers,
is given decided impetus by the terrible
disaster which engages the attention of
a Mortified country today.
The conservation of flood waters
must come. the sooner the better" said
Congressman Murdock "Out in Ohio
the elements themselves have furnished
an unanswerable object lesson of the
necessity OF conservation, the control
by some systematic, effective method of
such floods. Congress will have to deal
with the question, and the conservation
cause is made stronger today as the
tragic flood story is told"
Senator Newlands, who has long ad-
vocated a control of navigable streams,
and who proposes to appropriate $50,-
cn,oo0 annually for ten years to reduce
the dangers from overiows. said:
Brought Home Forcibly.
The appalling disasters reported
from floods in Ohio and elsewhere must
of the problem of improving our rivers
more forcibly than ever, the conviction
that our present method of dredging,
Ieyees, and bank reVetment in limited
districts is fundamentally inadequate.
These things will Lot protect the dwell
ers on the lower reaches of our rivers,
so long as there is no control of head
waters.
The valleys OF the Mississippi and
its tributaries can be made safe from
foods only by comprehensive planning
and treatment from source to mouth"
Senator Newlands said he was for
1evees but that he also wanted head
water storage and other means of low
ering the crest of the flood, SO that
less levee protection will be needed.
channels and soil erosion, the Senator
said. is also necessary. He added:
But all these things are in vain,
unless we adopt an adequate system
for the control of run-off at the head
waters of the Mississippi The people
of Pittsburgh and Dayton are entitled
TO this. no less than the people of the
lower Mississippi are entitled TO levees.
''It is, as has recently been said, no
question Of charity. but one of the
performances Of national duty. 1t
trust these floods. much as they are
to be deplored, will have the effect Of
rousing the American conscience to
our duty in these matters
Needs National Attention
Chief Forester Graves believes the
Ohio. floods will focus attention as
never before upon the national prob
lem of conservation. The matter is
too big. he said, to be handled except
along a national scale
Denuded forests, Mr.. Graves ex-
planned, cannot be blamed to any great
extent for the Ohio disasters. The
floods, according to reports at the
Forestry Bureau, were caused prim-
arily by great precipitation, and did
not descend from the head waters as
is frequently the case in more noun
famous sections, where the valleys
suffer because of denuded forests.
THE Ohio floods, however" said Mr..
Graves, illustrate the general neces-
sity of the conservation of forests and
waters by some system of reservoirs.
The conservation or control of flood
waters is one of the biggest problems
in this country today, and Congress
alone can deal with it. 1t is not a
State problem. The Forestry Bureau
has no jurisdiction over it. nor has
any other bureau at this time, for
the control of flood waters is an un-
settled question, and we can be con-
cerned only to the extent of a general
conservation policy"
Chief Forester Graves declared that
the pssage of the Weeks bill for the
protection of the Appalachian range,
and the White mountains was an i'm
portant step toward the control of pos
sible flood waters in that section, and
had shown the growth of conservation
sentiment throughout the country. On
the other hand he explained that the
Ohio foods had wrougt havoc in a fat,
agricultural section, and were apparent
ly caused by undue and unpreventable
precipitation, instead of the onrush
from unprotected headquarters
Some system of flood reservoirs must
be devised to protect localities of that
cnaIacter,'' he continued. while the
conservation of the forests about the
headwaters in the higher regions, such
as is contemplated in the Weeks bill,
will play its part in a comprehensive
conservation plan which this country
truly warranting the attention of the
national lawmakers