New-York tribune., 1920-09-30
would h5ve been bearing fruit a hun

would have been bearing fruit hun
Gredfcld;
/ "T am not criticizing any one poiti-
cal party The sins of omission and
commission are chargeab!e to Zach of
the great parties. We urif.ed to the
pork barrel process of appropriation
and inefficient endeavor undel either
party, and we have expended in un-
speakable waste. Worse still. we grew
unmindful of the value of our water.
ways--we turned to railways for speed
and more convenient delivery. We even
olundered to the extent of urging the
waterways as rivals of the rail routes.
when we ought to have been thinking Of
efficiency of service and effective CO.
operation
Transportation is the very kew to
all our industrial, agricultural and com
mercial activities. 1t has been So since
men irst aspired to produce and ex-
change. There are still some OK carts
IN remote and isolated sections. but
we are living in motor age We are
dolng bigger things than Of old and we
DO them in bigger way. But nothing
ought wholly to supersede the water
highways. ""'ei
,"Our problem is TO end expenditures
"hich are made to rejoice local COM
munlty, and apply them effectivelv to
B
10 End Favoring Appropriation
Il have witnessed the practice of
1aVorlng appropriation, and know its
unWortnlness and its utter lack of
adding to our common welfare. mean
to urge the ending Of it. and seek 70
apply our Federal resources to proving
| the utlilty of improved waterways be-
lore trying to satisfy nation wide de-
sire to turn Federal duty into Fed
eral favor.
The figures cannot be chailenged-
IN vast majority of improvement
projects the tonnage carried has shown
astounding diminution. Here on the
Ohio-ths wonderful waterway, with
its infinite possibilities-there has been
a dlscouraging decrease of tonnage.
lhis, too IN spite of the many millions
which Congress has gladly appropr-
ated to create the all-the-year stage of
water essential to our moving cargoes.
Here is the ideal project; here a river
unrivaled in the Old World; here an
artery Of trade which ought to throb
with vltaizing cargoes. We have the
cargoes; we have the crying need of
their delivery We ought to do more
than complete the dams which are to
give the Ohio a navigable stage of
water; we ought to develop wharfage,
exchange cargoes and complete deliv-
eries by rail, when necessary, to make
the service answer to modern needs.
Waterways to Help Rail Lines
1T must not be our thought to super
sede the modern railway. On the con-
trary, we want our railways bulded
up to highest efficiency. But we want
the waterways serving the people with
the railways and uD-to-date provision
made for transshpment of cargoes
We can at least supplement the rail
service-it will guarantee the relief
from congestion, which is an ever
growing menace, and add to that serv-
ice to the producing world which is
of proper concern to the government
and highest interest to all the people
Fuller comprehension and practical
sense are called for. We ought to con-
centrate our expenditures and energies
and complete projects and prove their
usefulness. 1t is a task fit to inspire
us. 1t is work of infinite possibii-
ties if we only proceed Alright. 1t
means more than commercial revitali-
cation and facilitated trade. 1t means
protection of property and life, the
avoidance of appalling losses; it means
a governmental contribution to our
common welfare in a field where no
agencies other than the government
are empowered to venture.
These streams are natures gift to
the people. the government holds the
title in their common interest, and it is
a manifest duty to make them of serv-
ice to meet our modern requirements.
I hope to acclaim the day when the
Ohio will picture its packets and
barges against the landscape by day
and reflect their signal lights in its
waters at night. and when l express
that wish for the Ohio I am thinking
-, g ~ , ko
Republic, on the waters of which ought
to ride vast commerce which indexes
widening trade and common good for
tune"