The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-03-19
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Waterways Seems to Be One
of Livest Issues Before
American People.
BY EDWARD w. PlcKARD

BY EDWARD W.. PlCKARD
VIZ seems to be one of
wv the liyest issues Of the day be-
fore the American people. The week
has seen several striking @demonstra-
lions Of Importance OF the subject and
Of the popular interest.
Possibly Of first Importance was Sec
rotary of Commerce Hoover's address
at Chicago outlining an inland water
way system that would work wonders
for the Middle West-and therefore
for the whole, nation. Within FIVE
years, he predicted, the Mississippi sys-
tenn would be functioning from Chica-
so to New Orleans and from Pitts
burgh to Kansas City. Congress and
the President are. agreed upon the nee
essary appropriations.
Secretary Hoover considered the
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway
even more valuable, Two problems,
he said, are involved: the deepening
of the channel to the sea and the
sterilization of lake .levels. The lakes
are from two to three feet shallower
than they were. seven years ago. Some
thing less than one-sixth of the fall he
attributed to the diversion of water
at Chicago and the rest to the climatic
cycle. Whatever the cause, the rem
y edy, he said, lay in the construction
of control works above Niagara falls.
"Our United States engineers tell
hn ~.
corps in the world-that they can re-
store the level of the lakes by cur
failing the outflow at Niagara until
they fill up" Mr.. Hoover explained.
'"They tell us that proportionately to
the gigantic flow it is small job. BY
so doing we will have equalized the
vagaries Of climate and stabilized the
vagaries Of emotion"
"A TTORNEYS- GENERAL of half a
= dozen Great Lakes states, for
mer secretary of war, and former
solicitor general of the United States
argued for four hours in a final pres
entation to the United States SUI
premes court of the controversy over
Chicagos right to divert Lake Michi-
gan water for sanitary and waterway
purposes.
Arrayed against Newton D. Baker.
former secretary of war, who appeared
as chief of counsel for Wisconsin.
Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indi-
ana, Michigan, and New York, seeking
an injunction to prevent further diver
sion, was James NJ. Beck, a former
solicitor general of the United States,
assisted by Hugh Johnson, assistant
attorney general of Illinois, and Daniel
IN. Kirby, attorney general for Mis-
souri,.
Mr.. Bakers contention before the
court was, in brief, that the War de-
partment was not authorized to per-
init the diversion of lake water for any
purpose-that such authority was
vested alone In congress.
Mr.. Beck pointed out that as So
licitor general he had upheld the right
of former Secretary Of War Weeks to
issue the diversion permit of March 5,
1925, and that he had represented the
government in earlier litigation which
resulted in decision affirming the
War departments right to issue such
permits.
II ETTERS written by Secretary of
IL War Davis and Secretary of the
Navy Wilbur praising the military adj
vantages of the proposed all-American
canal between Lake Ontario ana the
Hudson river stirred up two fiurries in
Washington.
"You can't criticize the secretary Of
war before this board" said Brig. Gen.
Edgar Jadwin to Representative John
b. Sosnowski (Rep., Mich.), at the wa
terways hearing in the Munitions
building OF course a red-hot row
started. with talk of free speech, the
rights of congress. etc. Finally the
contestants, and even General Jadwin
agreed that opponents should be heard
later on the military phases of the all
American project. Thus ended the
first furry.
The congressman from Detroit came
10 the waterways hearing to fight New
York's all-American canal project on