Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-22

4
| 200 to 400 miles farther from seaboard.
| Moreover, some of the competitive
agricultural regions. such as the Argen-
| tine and Australia, are close to seahoard,
| and with sea rates about Che same as
before the war they are able to compete
with the American farmer IN foreign
| markets to a greater advantage than
before the war This increase In trans
| portation rates also affects the prices
of many things which the farmer must
/ buy. for much raw material Wnlch
| comes into the Midwest pays the IN
creased freight rate, and this In turn Is
| taken up by the consumer We cannot
return TO pre-war railway rates without
ruin to the railways.
| Need Modern Channels.
Therefore, l have long asserted that
| the real hope OF reducing charges upon
| our bulk goods was through the mod
ernization Of our great interior water
ways BY modernization 1 mean in
creasina depths to point where we can
handle 10000 tons in line Of barges
pulled by tug. This administration
has authorized the systematic under
taking of this modernizaticn. Within a
| few years we will have completed the
deepening of the Ohio up to Pittsburgh,
and beyond the Mississippi to St Paul
and Minneapolis, the Illinois to Chi
cago.
I'VE already have experience with
results. for with only the main river
| from st. Louis to New orleans as yet
working properly, the rates for trans
portation of bulk agricultural products
| through that section are near pre-war
railway rates We will not have the
advantage of full results until the entire
| Mississippi and its tributaries are in
one connected transportation system.
I'VE have another great opportunity
of relief In the building OF ShipWay
| from the Great Lakes to the sea. Our
engineers have recommended the st.
Lawrence route as the preferable outlet.
The administration has undertaken
negotiations with Canada upon the SUBJ
inct. II these negotiations fail we must
, consider alternative routes In any
event the completion of this great
| system of barge lines on the rivers and
connecting the Lakes with the Gulf, of
opening shipway from the Lakes to the
sea. will make an effective transporta-
ton system OF 10000 miles in length
| penetrating 20 Midwest States. 1t will
connect these States with seaboard at
| the Gulf on one hand and with the
North Atlantic on the other. And this
means more than the mere saving upon
the actual goods shipped over these
routes. If part of our crops can move
to market at a or 10 per cent saving
per buShcl, the buyers competitive bid
! ding for this portion of the crop will
force upward the price of the whole
crop.
Affects All Industry.
And this development concerns not
alone agriculture. but every industry
and business in the Midwest The
manufacturer and merchant in this
section is suffering from, a curtailment
Of his distribution field; his business
province has shrunk. This development
should tend TO increase manufacturing
industry In the Midwest and thereby
create larger diversity OF employment
and a greater local market for agricul-
tural products, Nor does this develop
ment mean the Gripping OF our rail-
ways. The annual increase in railway
traffic will give to then. a far more and
complete Offset to these diversions.
Moreover. everything that increases
the prosperity of the country also helps
the railways The policy of rapid con-
summation Of this great project will be
continued IL the Republican adminiStra-
ton be continued We should at the
present rate of progress have completed
the Mississippi system within the next
four years. 1t Is vital part of the
rehabilitation of the Middle West aqri-
culture and business
The modernizations of our waterways
recall again the earlier life OF Iowa. AT
one time its transportation was IN large
degree over these same rivers and many
OF our pioneers reached this State by
vtI t~1t..
RATS. Nor are the days of the pioneer
over
We have TO pioneer through economic
problems, through scientific develop
ment and invention on to frontiers Just
as forbidding. just as romantic, and
just as pregnant of added happiness as
cur fathers ever knew The test of our
generation will be whether we can over
come these frontiers. whether we can
hold mastery over the system we have
created, whether We can maintain the
advantage We have inherited, whether
we can hold ourselves nation dedicated
to equal opportunity for all.
Recalls Pioneer Days.
There are those in this audience who
saw Iowa an open prairie, I recall
members OF my own family who In nv
childhood were still breaking the soil In
The western part Of the State and were
then still living in the first sod houses
OF the pioneer farmer, Our fathers and
arandfathers who poured over the Mid
west were self-reliant, rugged God
fearing people OF indomitable courage.
They combined to build the roads.
bridges and towns: they co-operated to-
2ether to erect their schools, their
churches and to raise their barns and
harvest their fields. They asked only
for freedom OF opportunity and an
equal chance
In these conceptions lies the real
basis OF American democracy. They
and their fathers gave genius to-
American institutions that distinguished
our people from any other In the world
Their demand for An equal chance Is
the basis OF American progress. To
those who have. BIZ necessity worked in
other lands comes this most vivid
meaning Of America and deep graft
tude for what our fathers have builded.
Here there are no limits TO hope; no
limits upon accomplishment: our obli-
cation today is to maintain that equal
opportunity for agriculture as we'll as
for every other calling
When we traverse the memories OF
those who have builded this State and
this Nation I've recall these acts which
are rooted In: the soil OF service. When
we rehearse bur own memories we And
that none give us such comfort and
satisfaction as the record Of service We
have been able TO render.
II do not believe our people have lost
those finer qualities OF rugged character,
self-reliance, 0r initiative, nor have they
lost the great quality which they i'm
b@dded in American character. the quail
it4f Af ENA al
mutual service. II is in this quality
that our hopes must lie In the solution
OF our great problems
And ] must say again that the solt-
ton NJ these problems has but one pur-
posc~~that is. the comfort and welfare