Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-27
LOOK TO HOOVER
IN FLOOD CONTROL
Mississippi Valley Confident
He Will Push Project,
RanSdeII Tells Forum.

Two million residents of the Mis-
slssippi Valley are looking 20 Presiden
Hoover in confidence that he will push
70 an early conclusion the Govern
ment's vast project for controlling f1ooC
waters Of the Father of Waters" il
was declared last night by Senator
Joseph E. Ransdell of Louisiana. speak.
ing in the National Radio Forum. ar
ranged by The Star and sponsored By
the Columbia Broadcasting Co.
THE American people," Senator
Ransdel said believe that Herbert
Hoover will prove to be the savior Of
the Mississippi Valley from the great
moods which have frequently devaS-
tated it so cruelty.
They believe he will be as prompt
and successful in controlling these ter
rible waters as was Theodore Roose-
Welt, who exercised so much vim and
Vigor when the Panama Canal act was
passed in 1903"
The Senator's address was broadcast
over the Columbia network of stations
including WMAL of Washington.
Senator RanSdell declared that ad-
vocates of speedy flood control are
greatly pleased at the friendly attitude
of President Hoover, aided and as
sisted therein by Secretary of War
Hurley and Maj. Gen. Lytle Brown
chief of Engineers" The flood work,
he emphasized, is an emergency pro-
gram needed to protect the lives and
property of the valley inhabitants and
insure the economic stability of the
Nation as a whole. Not more than 10
years should be allowed to elapse be-
fore completion of the work, he said.
The speech follows, in full:
The subject of my address is Flood
Control on the Mississippi River and
its Tributaries" Many of you are prob
ably unfamiliar with the vaStneSS OF
this problem, and do not recognize its
bearing on the interests of every indl-
vidual in the United States.
Suppose you should awaken some
morning and learn from the press that
two-thirds of the entire surface of the
States of Maryland, New Jersey, Della
ware, Connecticut and Rhode Islano
had been flooded, the people had been
driven from their homes, many of them
drowned, thousands of their domestic
animals and houses destroyed, and in
calculable losses, direct and indirecT
had been inflicted upon them? Would
this not arouse feelings of horror in
every citizen of our country? Certainly
It would. and so does a food In the
overflow area of the Mississippi, here
after referred to as the Valley.
The aggregate area of the five States
Just mentioned is 29.134 square miles,
their combined population is 1920
and their wealth $23. 621 ASS 900. The
area of the Mississippi Valley subject
to overflow is about 10000 square miles,
somewhat larger than that of these
five States combined. 1t Is true that
the Valley lands are not as highly de-
veloped as those Of these States, and
nothing like as many people reside on
them. However, many parts of this
overflow area are well developed, with
about 5000 900 acres in improved
farms, interspersed with 5000 miles of
railways, as great mileage in i'm
proved highways, many towns and
population of the Valley has more than
doubled in the last so years, and more
than trebled in wealth. It has cost
huge sums to develop its farms, drain
age systems, highways, railways, towns
and cities, and a very heavy indebted
ness rests on this property. The bonds
and mortgage notes representing these
debts are held largely by people in the
East and North. If the Valley is pro-
progress, these debts will be paid, but
not otherwise It must be remembered
that agriculture, the principal industry
of the Valley, is at low ebb through
out the Nation, and if. in, addition to
his other troubles, the Valley farmere1S
forced to contend with destructive over
flows every few years, there Is no hope
for him. No one has thought OF aoan-
CioninR to the river the great area
which has been subject to frequent
overflow. There is no richer land In
the country. The day is not distant
when our population will need this
area for food supply. Eventually the
time will come when these fertile lands
of the Mississippi Valley will be to the
United States what the Nile Valley for
many centuries has been to Egypt and
the surrounding countries.
S25O,OOO,00O Farm Products.
The agricultural products of the
Mississippi Valley aggregate in value
q portion Of its wealth, for its manu-
facture and commerce. especially of the
great city of New Orleans. are very
important.
The flood of 1927 destroyed nearly
two hundred lives, many thousands of
domestic animals and over four hundred
millions of property values, directly and
indirectly. The loss of these vast sums
greatly lessened the purchasing power
OF the Valley, and were seriously felt
throughout the Republic by a great
many of our people interested in
labor, agriculture, manufacture, COM
merce banking and transportation.
The overflow area embraces parts OF
the States Of Illinois, Missouri, Ken
lucky, Tennessee, Arkansas Mississippi
and Louisiana. During the flood of
1927 thousands OF miles of their high
ways and railways were submerged, and
commerce thereon was badly crippled
for several months. Business in many
parts of the Valley was practically at
q standstill.
Flood control on the Mississippi Is
by far the most difficult and expensive
engineering task ever undertaken in all
the tides of time, although it involves
nothing new. The outstanding feature
is its immensely and great aggregate
cost, but this is so small when compared
to the value of the property protected
that the expense is not prohibitive and
Is more than justified. The American