The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-02-10
Speaker Clark Advocates Bio
Appropriations for Rivers
and HarborS.

WASHINGTON. D. G.. Feb. 10
God Almighty in His Infinite wisdom
and goodness, has given US the most
magnificent system at waterways
that was ever youchsated TO any
people in the history Of the world,
and we have been more negligent
IN improving and using them than
any other civilized people on the face
OF the globe. It was the Speaker
speaking Champ Clark, as he "a ia
miliarly known from one end or the
country to the othey-who has been
q member OF the house of represen-
tatives for twenty years, was speak
er OF the Sixty-second Congress. Is
speaker Of the sixtysthird, and will
undoubtedly be the speaker OF the
sixty-foufth as we'll. = -- ~.
OF course I am In, favor Of i'm
proving our rivers and harbors:, .
continued the speaker. mo man
who wasn't could represent my CON
stituents, for my district skirts the
Mississippi for 100 miles, aud strad-
dies the Missouri for 40 more. But
that Is not the only reason nor even
the most important reason, why am
interested In waterways for consid-
er that the conservation, improve
ment and development OF our ma.
tional resources AFFECTING, as It
does, not only ourselves but our chill
dren to the remotest generation-is
the greatest problem before the
American people.
Il have asserted time and again.
both in Congress and out Of st, that
It would be profitable investment
for the American people to make
these rivers navigable in fact If
there never was another passenger
or pound Of freight carried over
them, because they would regulate
the freight rates. But do not be-
lieve that there will be any lack of
passengers or freight to use them
when they are improved, nor do 4
believe that their Improvement will
injure the railroads in the long run.
II we ever make these rivers navi-
gable, here Is what will happen: the
heavy freight, the stun that is not
perishable Immediately. will be car
ried by the boats. and the perishablN
freight and the passengers, most OF
them. will be carried on the rail-
roads.
"A man who, has travelled over
this country as much as have in
the last twenty years knows that
one OF these two things must hap
pen--either the railroads have got
to double-track or quadruples tyack
their roads: or the rivers have got
to be made nayigable. If the freight
Of this country is to be carried. The
United States has not completed It's
growth-it is still in its infancy.
This nation is not tinished--it ha.
hardly heen begun. The principal.
trouble Of the railroads today is not
so much tracks as terminals and
the time Is coming when the rail-
roads, not matter how many tracks
they have, will not be able to do the
business.
I'VE are inclined to boast OF the
81 900. 700 people which we had at
the time Of the last census, or the
100 100000 which we probably
have today, but let us take little
look into the future. Until short
time ago the farmers OF this coun-
tTy were ITylHB u SpTedu IHeIuSelNSS
out over as many acres as possible.
Now they are beginning to see that
what they have got to do is to go
down into the soil and get as much
out Of every acre as possible. Some
years ago James Wilson, OF Iowa.
who for sixteen years was secretary
of agriculture, made a speech in
Which he said that If the Mississippi
Valley were cultivated for all 1t Isl
worth, each acre on the average
would sustain one human being. Do
you know how many people that
would give us? 1t would give us
4 .250. 100000 people between the
top OF the Rockies and the crest OF
the Alleghenies.
During the twenty years that I
have been in Congress q good many
rivers and harbors bills have been
passed. and every one OF them has
been derided and denounced ana
called Pork Barrel. II there
ever was a time when that epithetI
applied to river and harbor legisla-
ton, that time has passed. The
chief trouble in the past has been
not that too much money was APP