6o6 



CONSERVATION 



should begin at once, i he improvement of 

 the branches of this main line, such as the 

 Upper Mississippi with its tributaries ; the 

 Ohio with its leading tributaries, including 

 the Tennessee and Cumberland ; the Mis- 

 souri; the Arkansas; the Red, the White, and 

 other rivers ; and the interstate inland water- 

 way of Louisiana and Texas, should proceed 

 simultaneously with the development of the 

 principal line. 



The deep waterwav is practically complete 

 from Chicago to Joliet through the courage 

 and enterprise of the single city of Chicago, 

 which has by the expenditure of $55,000,000 

 created a deep channel across the main 

 divide between the waters of Lake Michigan 

 and those of the Mississippi. A special board 

 of survey, composed of United States en- 

 gineers, reported to Congress in 1905 that 

 the continuation of the deep waterway from 

 Joliet to St. Louis was feasible, and would 

 cost only $31,000.000. The state of Illinois, 

 assuming that the Federal Government will 

 take the responsibility of completing the 

 waterway to the Gulf, is about to cooperate 

 to the extent of $20,000.000. The delegates to 

 this convention heartily congratulate the 

 great commonwealth of Illinois and the splen- 

 did city of Chicago on their initiative, and 

 express the hope and belief that their exam- 

 ple will influence other States to lead to 

 similar effective cooperation. 



A special board of survey, composed of 

 United States engineers, was through the 

 efforts of (his association created by Con- 

 gress last year, to survey the deep waterway 

 route from St. Louis to the mouth of the 

 Ohio, and to report to Congress the feasibil- 

 ity and cost of the waterway. That board 

 will report during the winter; and we, the 

 delegates to this convention, demand that 

 when this report is made, Congress shall at 

 once provide funds sufficient to begin opera- 

 tions in a large and effective way. 



The broad plan for improving all the 

 waterways for navigation should take ac- 

 count of all other uses of waters and benefits 

 to be derived from them by the people ; 

 should consider the conservation of the natu- 



ral resources of the country in their relation 

 to commerce and navigation ; should extend 

 to forest preservation, reservoirs and other 

 means of stream control, and the maintain- 

 ance of the level of our Great Lakes in such 

 a manner as not to interfere with their navi- 

 gation and commerce ; should consider floods 

 and their prevention, together with irrigation 

 and drainage ; should take account of bank- 

 revetment, levee-building, and other means 

 of protecting the bottom lands and increas- 

 ing their productivity; and should contem- 

 plate regulation of terminals with a view to 

 rendering rail transportation and water 

 transportation complementary and jointly 

 useful to the people of the country. 



This convention is in hearty accord with 

 the movement for the conservation of the 

 natural resources of the country, and heart- 

 ily approves the efforts of the National 

 Rivers and Harbors Congress in seeking to 

 develop the waterways of the Nation. 



Fully realizing the importance of the pro- 

 posed constitutional amendment unanimously 

 submitted by the legislature of the State of 

 Illinois to be voted on the third of November, 

 and recognizing in it a practical step in the 

 direction of the realization of this project; 

 and also recognizing in it the first great 

 movement by any state in the matter of the 

 conservation of its natural resources, we ap- 

 prove said constitutional amendment and 

 commend it to the favorable consideration of 

 the voters of Illinois. 



We, the delegates in this Convention as- 

 sembled, representing half the people and 

 three-fifths of the productive energy of the 

 United States, do hereby demand that a defi- 

 nite and vigorous policy of waterway im- 

 provement, beginning with the Lakes-to-thc- 

 Gulf Deep Waterway, be promptly adopted 

 and put into operation by the National Gov- 

 ernment. To the enforcement of this de- 

 mand we pledge our individual effort and 

 our united support ; and we pledge our per- 

 sonal honor, each for himself and to each 

 other, to support no candidate for public of- 

 fice who will not unqualifiedly indorse and 

 maintain that policy. 



