The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-16
DULUTH AS
OCEAN PORT
DULUTH COMMITTEE JOINS IN
MOVE FOR CHANNEL TO SEA
REFUSES TO JOIN GREAT
LAKES CITIES CONFERENCE
AS 1T STANDS. d

Duluth Herald: Two actions in rela-
tion to the Great Lakes and water
ways taken by the public affairs
committee of the Commercial Club at
its monthly dinner Inc meeting last
evening, may have a stronb bearing
on water transportation on the Great
Lakes n a passage to the sea. One
was the decision to join with the Chi
ago Association Of Commerce and
similar bodies at Milwaukee, Detroit
and Cleveland in sending a delegation
to Washington to confer with Secre-
tary Of State Bryan for action look
ing toward the deepening OF all in
terlake passages and the creating OF
a deep waterway canal paralleling
the st. Lawrence rapids, at as early
a date as possible.
The other was the decision of the
public affairs committee against hav-
ing the club become a member Of the
recently formed Great Lakes Cities
Waterways conference, and to stick
to the Chamber OF Commerce OF the
United States of which it is now a
member and from which it is deriv-
ing great benefit.
= At the conclusion Of his address on
h deep waterways matter, Chair
man julius H. Barnes made the state
ment:
n believe that within fifteen years
and possibly in ten years from now
we will be loading vessels at Duluth
docks bound for salt water"
Mr.. Barnes reminded his audience
that within three years the Erie
canal will be deepened to twenty-five
feet and, that soon the Welland canal
will be enlarged. He presented q let
ter from H. C. Gardner, chairman OF
the committee m waterways OF the
Chicago Association OF, Commerce on
the deep waterways matter, and 1t
was because Of this letter that the
motion was adopted to have the club
appoint delegates to act with the
Chicago association delegates. The
letter follows:
chieago's Action.
"Our committee on waterways held
a meeting yesterday, and today pre-
scented it's report to the executive
committee of the Chicago Association
of Commerce. After consideration 1.-The
executive committee passed the fol-
lowing resolutions:
Resolved, That we are heartily in
favor of building the necessary canals
having a depth Of not less than thirty
feet at Weland and paralleling the
st. Lawrence rapids, n we believe
that if the Dominion of Canada will
build and maintain these canals 1t is
only fair and equitable that the Unit
ed States undertake by treaty at it's
W expense. to build and maintain
the. necessary channels OF equal
navigable depth between Lakes Erie,
Huron and Superior; also at its own
expense the necessary works for
controlling the lake levels.
Resolved, That this matter be TAX
en-, up promptly with Secretary OF
State Bryan, either by correspondence
Or by visitation of a committee, &C.
cording to the Judgment OF President
Defrees. -
1T is proper to say in this n
ton that the executive committee had
before it the Townsend resolution
passed by the United States senate,
reading as follows: ''.. .... .
Resolved, That the president be,
and he hereby is, respectfully re-
quested' to enter o negotiations
with Great Britain or the Domonion
of Canada with a view to an interna-
tional agreement for the concurrent
= or cooperative improvement Of navi-
cation In waterways used, or. which
can be used, in. ommon for the COM
merce Of Canada and the United
States.
AFTER the meeting I had an inter-
view with President Joseph 81. De-
frees, and it was decided that the
best way to present the matter to
oGCEGLHIy oESSA- 10 ny lSlthLlOu ne
appointed Mr.. Rittenhouse and my
self to go to Washington for that
purpose. He also asked me to write
this letter to you, and to write SINH
lar letters to the chamber Of COM
merce at Milwaukee, Detroit and
Cleveland, suggesting that they take
similar action and appoint delegates
to go to washington with our dele
gates. m r
81 am writing this to you, and Will
take advantage Of our kind offer to
bring the matter before the Duluth
chamber OF commerce without delay.
I hope favorable action will be talk
en-, and that you will be chosen as one
of those delegates to go to Washing
ton. I cannot. Of course, at this
time name the. date for meeting Sec
rotary Bryan, but will it is quite
urgent because during the very first
days of April, a large delegation Of
Canadians advocating the st. Law.
rence-Welland route as against the
Georgian bay route will go to OF
tawa. / hope we can meet Secre-
tary Bryan. and arrange so that our
influence will be felt in Ottawa be-
fore the Canadian delegation arrives
there"
Refuses to Join.
Mr.. Barnes, who attended, as a
VS. ACtS5obV an pnpAAS uaIulAS rCOA1t~
mittee, q recent meeting at Buffalo,
N. Y, where the Great Lakes Cit
les Waterway conference was held,
made his report last evening. He said
that he believes the matter will not
work out as desired. Fourteen cities
were represented. Some of them
very minor mes and it was decided
that nothing would be done until tile
plan proposed could be reported back
to the cities having delegates present,
and then reported back to the confer
ence next September. The thing to
which Mr.. Barpes objected was that
no plan for any city or cities broach-
I'd could receive Endorsement unless
two-thirds of the delegates-eactl
city being entitled to one--would vote
in favor OF it. Mr.. Barnes pointed
out that Ii the nine larger cities. COM
prising a total population of $780,
900 desired o certain piece OF legis-
iation Endorsed, the five smaller ones,
comprising about 10000 population,
could block 1t. He made no recon-
mendation but there was no nlistak-
ing his opinion in the matter. A mo-
ton TO keep out, of the conference and
remain with the national chambes. of
commerce was unanimously carried.
Mr.. Barnes, during the evening told
OF meeting in washington, two whole
salers from Minneapolis, who were
nothing short of vehement in their
dsnunciation of the lake and rail
victories that Duluth mas been scor-
Ing over the Twin Cities.
P~ersecutinu Min