New Britain herald., 1915-12-01
PROPERLY IMPROVED INLAND WATERWAYS
Necessary for Defense of United
 States, Says Sen. Randall

y , paredness is essential to National se-
 curity and the safeguarding of the
 National honor, and I am heartily in ] favor of a reasonable increase in our 1 army and especially in our navy" 1 The speaker was Senator Joseph E. [ Ransdell, who has just returned to
 Washington from his Louisiana plan
 tation, where he spent the summer, 1 and on which it is said the Senator
 is practicing diversification of crops 1 raising less cotton and more hogs and
 hominy and things.
 Improved Inland Waterways.
 "But,'' continued the Senator, "as
 a necessary auxiliary to the armed
 forces of the United States, there must
 be adequate facilities for the speedy 1 mobilization of men and munitions in l event of war, and the best, cheapest
 and most permanent means that can
 be provided is to be found in proper ly improved inland waterways. 'I denounce as false the charge that river and harbor appropriations are wholesale steals and useless extrava gances, and am convinced that they are not only wise expenditures but safe and sound investments, which will pay substantial dividends in cheapening transportation charges. thereby lowering the cost of many staple commodities to the ultimate consumer.
 Many People Misled.
 "The next convention of the Ma tional Rivers and Harbors Congress, which meets in Washington December 8, and 10, will tend to crystalize the sentiment which is being aroused throughout the country against the foundless charges of pork barrel which reached a climax in the fill busters resulting in the defeat of the last two Rivers and Harbors bills. The opponents of waterway improve ments have made the welkin ring with their, utterances. and because friends of waterways have not suffi- ciently taken the offensive and refuted these islanders, many well-meaning people have been misled.
 'The rivers and harbors bills are framed upon the recommendations of the engineers of the U. S. Army, and each project appropriated for, twice runs the gauntlet of the searching criticism of ten engineer officers whose integrity and ability are beyond suspicion before it is considered by the Rivers and Harbors committee of the house and the commerce commit tee of the senate. These committees pass upon the report of the chief of engineers, practically always recom- mending to their respective houses only those, and all of those, projects by the engineer corps Con- gress then takes such action as it rix hor aotc ere the results.
 Branded as Thieves.
 ITO assert then, as these so-called critics have done both in and out or congress, that river and harbor bills are full of pork and graft of every kind, and that many waterway appro- priations are nothing more or less than so much money stolen from the public treasury, is to brand the off, cers of the U. s. Corps of Army En- Eineers, the members of the house. committee on rivers and harbors, and the senate committee on commerce, and all of the members of both houses who have voted for rivers and har- bors bills, as thieves, and to charge that in contravention of their oaths of office, they have advocated and en- dorsed the squandering of millions upon utterly worthless projects. Such a slanderous accusation is as false as Satan and will be rejected by all thinking men.
 1T call upon all friends of water way improvements to refute these as- sertions whenever they are made, and standing shoulder to shoulder, to pre- sent a united front to our critics. Our slogan is The proper improvement of all the nations worthy water courses A splendid opportunity to voice their indignation and to endorse the work of improving our waterways will pre- sent itself at the coming convention of the National Rivers and Harbors con rress. and I urge all friends of wa terways to attend in person or send their representatives. Prominent men from every section of the United States, governors, senators, congress- men and leaders in every line of in- dustry, will address the congress, and a special feature of the convention will be the open debates in which the delegates will be given an opportunity to express their views and the views of the people they represent. We are aiming to make the coming conven- tion the greatest in the history of our organization, and expect to have an attendance surpassing that of any previous year. LOCAL COURT SENDS