Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1916-08-03
Interior Needs Strong Navy
Mississippi Valley Would Be Greatly En-
dangered by Lack Of Protection With
Powerful Fleets in Time Of War.
BY HENRY A. WISE WOOD
Chairman Conference Committee on National Preparedness

| !. !: . /
People living distance from the Atlantic
or the Pacific, prone to think of a navy as some
thing far remote from their welbeing, whereas ~
there village far inland that ENJOYING ~ X
of protection from freedom of the A ~
And there is today home under the flag that vrXD
does not than before protection
that strong navy gives Let forget the VIII al
long peace during which this country has developed kM
into the very garden of the earth would have been EZW
possible without navy w."
The United States formerly thought to have but two coast lines
the Atlantic and the Pacific but has four the At
lantc the Pacific and both sides of the Mississippi river The extent and
Importance Of the interior coast lines thus cony stated by the
editor Of Harpers Magazine:
"The basin Of the Mississippi the body nation All the
other parts but members important in themselves more i'm
portan their relations to this Exclusive of the and of
100000 square miles Texas and New Mexico which many as
poets form part Of it, this basin 100000 square
miles. 1t would contain Austria four times Germany or
Spain five times, France times the British islands Italy ten
times Conceptions formed from the basins Of Europe
rudy shocked when consider the the valley the
Mississippi those formed from the sterile basins of the great
rivers Of Siberia the lofty plateau Of central ASIA the mighty
sweep the swampy Amazon adequate Latitude elevation
rainfall all combine render every part Of the Mississippi valley
capable Of supporting dense population As dwelling place for
civilized man, it by far the first upon our globe"
But great it is the Mississippi sufficient itself
needs the world for market For its comfort
....v. from people beyond the q
n'e' e m.s' ~ NJ" slant Of gold the equiva-
op''' I" wv" "a'' lent in merchandise II is, there
fore seevdnt the prosperity Of both the the and Of
the many miles back the country whose products eventually
foated this dependent keeping all the
ports Of this interior coasne Of the United States open and in free
municaton with all the rest Of the world
interruption Of traffic the would be Immediately felt by
anything SELL Prices would instantly drop, indus
tries would stop hundreds thousands would be thrown out Of
poment The the artery Of the nation and such is vital
life Of all the valley Figures do not reveal
picture magnitude Of the the valley for the passage Of
each freight going up down thread the fabric Of some In
dua home the elimination of mans effort the beginning
Of anohers enterprise yet figures the best vehicle at hand briefly in
dcae the extent Of its commerce
For the years 1913 inclusive the combined exports and inn
ports passing along the Mississippi via the Gulf Of Mexico to and from for
eign ports amounted to sl3S769 tons.
Now what would become Of this huge export and import trade
Gordon Of steel ships placed around the United States has been
around Germany Whose business would remain Unchanged
Payon congestion would instantly follow products the fields
farms articles would pile up the sOrhOu and
the railroad lines the would be wholly inadequate carry
the traffic such feeble remaining markets might be discovered in
land might be reached sehy Every umbeman, every
planter every manufacturer every workman aborr would Immediately
affected Germany being hOked by the steel collar Of Eng
lands fleet would the commercial life Of the valley be rangd by
hostile feet standing off the mouth the Mississippi river
The national government charged with the duty Of maintaining
navy merely sufficient keep the mouth Of the river open peaceful
but sufficient also every Of cotton Of rice Of
Of live stock safely its destination foreign port and to
safely home again the money the merchandise that due the people
Of the Mississippi valley for what they have exported The American
s traffic policeman Of the high whose duty that trade
routes kept open for American commerce.
when every father family kept rifle the fireplace
for the defense Of his home has passed but the need Of vigilance and
49, - . precaution greater than
III n