50 



FORESTRY . AND IRRIGATION 



January- 



feet. He said that it would take 75,- 

 000 miles of new trackage, costing, 

 with terminals, $5,500,000,000, to ac- 

 commodate existing traffic. 



Governor Johnson of Minnesota, 

 mentioned as a possible Democratic 

 candidate for the Presidency, spoke of 

 the Mississippi valley as one of the 

 biggest and most powerful facts of 

 God's footstool ; he gave many figures 

 to support his contention that relief 

 from the present railway freight con- 

 gestion can be obtained only by im- 

 proving and utilizing the waterways 

 of the country. 



Many other notable people gave ex- 

 cellent and highly appreciated ad- 

 dresses before the Congress, among 

 them, John Barrett, Director of the 

 Bureau of American Republics ; John 

 M. Stahl, former president of the 

 Farmers' National Congress ; Cyrus 

 P. Walbridge of St. Louis ; Gustav 

 Schwab of New York; Congressman 

 J. Hampton Moore; and President 

 Finley of the Southern Railway ; Gov- 

 ernor Cummins of Iowa ; Governor 

 Comer of Alabama; Governor Hoke 

 Smith of Georgia : Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor Davidson of Texas ; Leroy 

 Percy of Mississippi ; and Lloyd E. 

 Chamberlain of Boston, president of 

 the Massachusetts State Board of 

 Trade. 



Notable addresses were also made 

 by Special Director John A. Fox, who 

 visited twenty-six States and ninety- 

 nine cities and who was cheered as 

 the "Arkansas traveler;" and Col. J. 

 F. Ellison, secretary of the Congress, 

 who gave a very encouraging sum- 

 mary of the work done ; President Jo- 

 seph E. Ransdell gave his report and 

 an address outlining the principal ob- 

 jects of the convention. 



Others who favored the Congress 

 with excellent addresses wer.e John 

 M. Parker of New Orleans ; Henry M. 

 Beardsly, mayor of Kansas City; and 

 Capt. Alex McDougall, for forty years 

 a captain of the Great Lakes, and who 



has seen the traffic on those inland 

 seas grow from practically nothing to 

 the enormous total of twelve million 

 net tons, as reported in the govern- 

 ment figures for October of this year. 

 Also George Clinton of Buffalo, a 

 grandson of DeWitt Clinton, who said 

 that the Japanese are reaching out to 

 get the trade of South America; also 

 Chas. Emory Smith of Philadelphia, 

 and Arthur Knox of New York City ; 

 and Governor Vardaman of Missis- 

 sippi. 



Two very interesting and much ap- 

 preciated stereopticon and moving 

 picture lectures were delivered, one by 

 Thos. S. Anderson of Boston, on Eu- 

 rope's Great Seaports ; and one by O. 

 P. Austin of the Department of Com- 

 merce and Labor, showing old ways 

 and new ways of travel, in a trip 

 around the world. 



The resolutions as presented by 

 Congressman J. Hampton Moore, 

 pledge the Congress to the adoption 

 of a policy calling for a five hundred 

 million dollar bond issue for river and 

 harbor improvement; they conclude 

 with a resolution presented by Hon. 

 Joseph N. Teal of Oregon, conveying 

 approbation and commendation for 

 the loyal and unfaltering devotion to 

 the cause of waterway improvement 

 by the president, Hon. Joseph E. 

 Ransdell ; by the secretary-treasurer, 

 Capt. J. F. Ellison, and by the special 

 director, John A. Fox, all of whom 

 were unanimously re-elected to their 

 respective offices. 



The deliberations of the Congress 

 were accorded a successful and bril- 

 liant conclusion by a reception tender- 

 ed the delegates by President Roose- 

 velt and by the presentation of the 

 resolutions to Vice President Fair- 

 banks and Speaker Cannon, all of 

 whom made notable addresses ex- 

 pressing their appreciation of the 

 work done by the Congress, and offer- 

 ing every encouragement for the fu- 

 ture progress of the work. 



