The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-11-18
GOV. MILLER DENOUNCES BIG SHIP
 CANAL PROJECT AS CRIMINAL F00LISKNESS'

900 by the United States, as "crimin- al foolfshness" in wasting millions sadly needed for other Improvements and as an attempt to realize an i'm possible dream"
 The governor declared that the tax burden would be increased in order to promote what was only an exper- tment and asserted that the prime ne- cessity was to improve first our own ports and waterways instead of pro- noting a project in a foreign coun- try. He affirmed that the New York state barge canal could, if Troperly utilized, carry all tht 1o,O00bOO tons Of grain which annually w9uld seek water outlet from the West. He asserted that no unprejudiced person competent to speak on the sub Ject believed that ocean-going ves- sels would ever navigate such a wa terway as the proposed St. Lawrence fhdp fhdp canal; 1hla.+ The The governor declared him that opposition to the St. Law renee canal would result in retaliation of the IS states composing the Great L!akes-St. Lawrence Tidewater Asso- citation. It might seem waste of eff fort, he said. to speak in opposition to the project, as the association had announced that if the IS states ap- proved the project, favorable action would be taken on 1t by Congress this year.
 Nearly s10O.0OO had been appropri- ated by the states in the Tfdewater | and breng pressure to bear on Con gress, he said. He added that the Charleston and Jacksonville Cham bers of Commerce had suggested 1in- ing up with the Great Iakes-St Lawrence Tfdewater Association on principle of reciprocity. The gover- nor pointed out that there was dan ger to the country on the promotion reciprocity between sectional inter ! ests and declared such a method precluded a fair consideration of any undertaking on its merits. He de- clared that he regarded the cost of the St. Lawrence project as a mere bagatelle compared with the evil of introducing in Congress the method affecting legislation by combinations of groups or sectional blocs.
 "'1 trust that the time has not yet come when the trading of support for local improvements can commit the treasury of the United States to vast project for the improvement of a waterway in another country re- gardless of its merits," said Governor Miller.
 Int governor denied that the report of the engineers on the St. Lawrence canal was altogether favorable, as he said was asserted by its proponents and said that they had reported only on the estimated cost and it's practi- cabiHty from an engineering stand point. They did not consider the commercial feasibility of the project"
 
 over the country as having submitted a report altogether favorable to it."
 Governor Miller said that he sym pathtzed with the desires of the Mid dle West for better and cheaper trans portation but that the industries of the country already were staggering under excessive taxation and exces- sive cost of transportation.
 ''It is unthinkabIe," he went on, ''that the burden of taxation will be increased at this time by a vast ex- penditure which, in the most favor able aspect, is only an experiment. and 1t is imperative that we concen- trate on those Improvements which will serve the greatest needs of the commerce of the country" The pro ponents of the St. Lawrence project have been "dazzled by visions," the governor affirmed. ''They see the At lantic coast extended to Duluth, they sea ports with the flags of all nations flying in their harbors. The danger lies in the fact that the partisans of the project are too prejudiced, while the rest of the country have not Suf- ficient interest to examine the project fairly on its merits"
 The governor analysed the cost of the scheme by saying that the propa- gandists had heralded over the coun- try that the total cost would be S250,- 900, and that 1t would include the development of 100000 horsepower which, he said, lis held out as an all turing bait to the New England states It would be reasonable. in his opinion, to add at least 25 per cent. as unexpected cost which would bring the United States half up to more than s150, 100000 for canal 25-foot deep. He estimated that 1t would cost the United Stataes an ad- ditional S5o,00o.OO0 to deepen the channels and barbors of the Great Lakes to a depth of 25 feet so that, i've have an initial expense of s200,- 100000 to be borne by the United States" as its half of the entire pro l ject. That sum was one-hfth the to- la. amount expended in improving all