The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-03-07

General GiImore's letter. ehich . nuhl.k.s
elsewhere, shows The people Il Flora1A her %.
portuniiy ct placing themselves upon an eaanlifv
with our sister States IN the matter Of sen-nuss
worthy OF the name
The Legislature Of Florida. IN the Internal N
pr0vement system. devised with great wi.aam
and sagacily nearly thirty yeArs ago. rested enc
extreme OF us railway system upon the Gulf a
Tampa, another ~ Pensacola, and me Atlantic
terminus 1T p0Ff suitable f6r sea-goinr sieam-
ers- This harbOr Was selected as me anlv ans
on the Atlantic coast which met the rseuiss.
menis Of the system. having IN view E1ns
Atlantic freighis-
The railways lhen c0mmefced have been g.
RED forward, and In another year vii b. cnm-
pleied from Pensacola on the west, and Tamua
on the south 10 the Atlantic Il Fernandina
The population of The 5iafs has n the mean-
time, more than doubled, ana rs c0mmerce and
trade have af least qnadrupIel The vast tiuhsr
forests Of the interior have BEN reached and the
increased demand for the pitl:h pine OF Flonds
IS filing every available poA with vesseA o.
these but two ports offer fNciiiies Cor larsiEn
commerce-Pensaeolaa and Fernandina Punns-
cola, by reason OF tweniy-foar feet OF wnier q
its baT. has become the largest export lumber
port in the United States. Florida shipped two
hundred millions of feet in 1880 Of which one
halt went out If the port Of Pensacola n is e.
IRENE western boundary II such q quantity q
the harbor Of Pensacola. what may not be anlic-
ipafed rs The export when the whole peuinsuz
of Florida, nearly 500 miles In length. rolls IN
product " the entrance Of Cumberland Sound
Fernandina. with an equal depth OF wafer a.
Pensacola, would be likely ia exceed any por n
the United States, owing O. The large area Of
production seeking an outlet In Iis w2iera
With q railway system extending through the
peninsula four hundred miles. and westward two
hundred miles, Florida can. for generations 10
come. supply the demands af foreign COUNTRIES,
as well as our own, for the pane timber s0valued
everywhere, before il can become exhznNed
Instead of the destruction of the timber IA clear
ing up our pine forests, evey tree viii became
valuable and pay more than the value OF The
land it occupies. when our harbor becomes &C.
cessible 10 the ships Of the world
II IS not Fernandina that IS interested IN his
matter, but the whole interior Of which IL IS the
sea port Bradford. Alachna, Levy. Marion.
Sumter, Hernando, HILLSIDE '0ugh and Polk on
the one hand, and Baker, Columbia, Suwannee,
Taylor, Lafayette and Madi. ON on the other are
very greatly interested Urge and productive
counties. with an immense wealth Of timber Tor
ests and fruitful fields.
The question presented sharply and clearly
before us by General Gilm res letter is Shall
Florida have 3 irst-class Atlantic port or moi
Shall she be able TO send hes products Of lumber,
cotton, naval stores. sugar. fruit and vegetables
demands OF q large commerce, or shall she be
dependent upon other ports outside of her limits.
which. by the energy and perseverance, Of Other
States, have been improved and deepened Al ths
public expensss
Savannah and Charleston. By The aid Of apprO-
priaiions Of The General Government, are having
their bars deepened 10 admit vessels OF the lar
gcst class. II will be seen that General Gilmore
says that by similar expenditure Florida viii
be enabled to have the port q Fernandina Plsced
upon equal, and, in pnhni OF fact, supEnm
footing.
Shall We move vigorously % Obtain such result
or notf We can have our seaport made one Of
the best harbors on the Southern coast If We
resolufely ask for H.
II is the interior which creates the exports and
the business of commerce, and II Is the interior
which is mist largely interested In It's develop
menf.
The cnst Of sea freights. Il is wcIl known. d.
minishes with the increased size Of the vessels
employed A deep entrance and good harb0r
mean cheap freight, decreased charges and en-
larged facilities