THE RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS 49 



by a reasonable and adequate bond is- in Europe great freight blockades have 



sue. been done away with by a proper di- 



Ambassador Bryce, following the vision into water and rail freight of traf- 



Vice-president, spoke of the program fie. The transportation problem, he 



of internal improvement, as to water- said, has been solved by shipping 



ways, that is being carried out in bulky and non-perishable freight by 



England. He said that ultimately the water, while costly freight goes by rail, 



improvement of rivers and canals, in- "Given the canals, rivers, and water 



stead of being inimical to railroad in- routes," he said, "by which the bulky, 



terests, would be found to have been cumbersome, and heavy freights can 



of benefit to them. In conclusion he be shipped, the situation in any freight 



said : blockade would be at once relieved and 



'T need hardly say that the circum- the recurrence of the same evil at once 



stances of continental Europe afford prevented. It is true that if enough 



more to you in the way of practical money were spent on the railroads 



suggestions than England can supply, they could be so increased in capacity 



and I would specially recommend to as to meet the present needs, but that 



you the splendid system of internal would involve an expense of $50,000,- 



navigation that has been created in ooo for immediate needs, with no guar- 



Germany. The Rhine now carries an antee for the future, whereas one-fifth 



enormous traffic, although on each side of that sum, judiciously expended in 



of it run trunk lines of railways. the improvement of the rivers and har- 



"Nature has given you a larger river bors and in the construction of canals, 



system than exists anywhere else in would solve the problem." 



the world, except in the tropical for- Following the appointment of the 



ests of South America, and in the con- committee on resolutions, with George 



sideration of the great plans to which E. Smith, of Boston, as chairman, and 



your attention is now being called, you the committee on nominations, of 



will have the interest and sympathy which the chairman was John L. Vance, 



of every one who feels that this superb president of the Ohio River Improve- 



gift of nature ought to be turned to ment Association, Samuel Gompers, 



the utmost advantage for the develop- president of the American Federation 



ment of the unqualified natural re- of Labor, addressed the Congress, 



sources which your country possesses." "The men of labor," he said, "are 



The last speaker of the morning ses- deeply interested in the improvement 

 sion was Andrew Carnegie, who of the waterways, and as far as we 

 promptly "made good" with the Con- can help in the general result we are 

 gress by declaring his advocacy of the with you from now on. The men of 

 bond-issue plan. He said that not labor never have joined in the howl 

 even the strictest constructionist could against the railroads and other com- 

 logically object to the improvement of binations of industry, but we realize 

 the inland waterways by the Nation, that the building of a railway extends 

 and he warned those present, as well to it the right of way without any 

 as the entire country, against the con- competition over the same railway, 

 sideration of sectional projects, saying while on the other hand the improve- 

 that plans of Nation-wide scope are ment of a harbor, the digging of a 

 needed. canal, or the deepening of a river gives 



At the afternoon session the report an equal opportunity to every man in 



of the credentials committee was pre- the country. 



sented, and after the transaction of "In the great works of National 



some routine business the Congress character the American workingman 



quickly got down to work. Judge should have an opportunity. So far 



George Hillyer, of Atlanta, Ga., was the as it is possible, let American labor 



first speaker, his subject being- "Over- and American material enter first into 



land Canals a Necessity." He said that these great National schemes. I would 

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