THEODORE ROOSEVELT 555 



plained of their lack of equipment to especially those so obviously available 



do the country's business, as is shown as the navigable deep waterways of the 



by the single remark before quoted from Mississippi basin, whose channels na- 



James J. Hill, that there was not money ture has digged so conveniently in their 



enough in the world to lay the track to ramifications for the uses of this great 



take the traffic the country offered. It area. 



is no wonder that the farmers of the As the public education on this sub- 

 wheat belt and those dependent upon ject grew out of the matter of transpor- 

 them complained if their wheat was rot- tation and the intolerable situation 

 ting in the bins for want of cars to carry which it presented, so, again, one of the 

 it to market ; if the maize of the corn most important results of the whole 

 belt was rotting in the cribs, or being movement will be a question of trans- 

 burned for fuel in the stoves of the portation. For the perfection of this 

 farm houses ; and that the cotton of the scheme, which includes as one of its 

 cotton belt was heaped away unsold, subsidiary measures the main idea of 

 because the railroads, taking advantage national and international waterways, is 

 of the situation, charged all the stuff the Panama Canal. The perfecting of 

 was worth to haul it. No wonder they the Panama Canal and the Lake Michi- 

 complained when there was a fuel fam- gan Canal, the canalization of the Illinois 

 ine over a dozen western states, and River, the perfecting of the channel of 

 farmers were burning their furniture the Mississippi itself, and the deepening 

 and farm products, and some of them and otherwise perfecting of the channels 

 were freezing to death, because there of its larger tributaries, will finish the 

 were no cars to haul them coal ; and if, backkbone of the great conservation 

 at the same time, the railroads were scheme. So that, as far as transporta- 

 being centralized through blind pools tion is concerned, steamers from Hono- 

 and other inventions of new and devious lulu and Yokohama can load their 

 methods of modern finance to put more freight at Duluth and Fort William, To- 

 railroads into fewer hands, with more ronto or Buffalo, and freight may be 

 irresponsible power of watering stock carried direct from the wharves of 

 and inflating tariffs to pay dividends on Minneapolis or Chicago, Pittsburg or 

 them. No wonder that there was a Omaha, to Bombay, Liverpool, or 

 movement in the whole Mississippi Hong-Kong. 



basin, in which, through "river and Back of this great transportation idea 

 harbor congresses," "trans-Mississippi are also the problems toward the head- 

 congresses," "Lakes to Gulf associa- waters of the rivers where the products 

 tions," "deep waterways conventions," for transportation are grown or made, 

 etc., this population of forty millions For example, it is very interesting to 

 made their protest, and said to the Gov- study the relation of the mere conser- 

 ernment at Washington : "We must vation of waters to the building of dams 

 have transportation, and we must have or reservoirs among the thousand 

 a rate which will let us live. If you sources of headwaters, which shall, of 

 don't want to undertake the job we will themselves, serve a score of uses. For 

 do it ourselves, only we must have instance, one of the most obvious things 

 transportation and living tariffs." Out to any one who will take trouble to 

 of the tremendous activity and discus- think about it, is the dynamic value of 

 sion on the platform and in the press water. And if every pennyworth of 

 which attended this movement and fol- coal saved is a pennyworth digged, it 

 lowed it arose the growing revolt will readily be seen what a saving of the 

 against the prodigious waste of the coal-beds will follow the scientific use 

 laissez-faire policy. And out of this dis- and development of the wasting water 

 cussion, too, could be marked the prog- power of the country. Whenever a rain- 

 ress of the increasing determination to storm, for example, has left a million 

 organize the national assets and con- tons of surplus water over a given area 

 serve and utilize the natural resources, and over and above that which soaks 



