The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-19
THE COUNTRIES SOUTH OF Us.
What the Plant System is Doing to
Control their Trade.


What the Plant System is Doing to
Control their Trade.
The following is an extract from speech
delivered by Mr. c. D. Owens, Traffic Man
ager of the Plant System, before the Flori-
da Press Association, at its meeting in Odd
Fellows Hall, Key West, as reported in the
Key West Equator of March 8:
The connections of the countries south of
us, Mr.. President, is of such vast impor
| lance, ard so closely affects the future of
the State that | regret some one more capa-
| Die than myself was not entrusted with the
duty of dealing with it. In a general way,
should say In a great measure, the map of
| our system will, TO any Intelligent mind,
conway the great possibilities of the future
to Florida in opening up the trade of the
| countries lying TO the south and southwest
Of u.s. Roughly speaking, the port of
| Tampa lies north 1000 miles of
Vera Cruz, bringing us within three
| City of Mexico, and five days from that
point to the city of New York. Our sister
| republic with a population of possibly
| II 100000 people almost next door to us
with its many millions Of imports and ex-
| ports, constantly advancing in the onward
| march of development 1t offers us field to
| exploit We have Central and South Amer
| Spanish speaking people with whom we
| ought to build up trade. And then look
| to the immense possibilities the opening of
| the Panama canal presents to us, when this
| or the Nicarauga canal are completed. We
are the short line from the East Indies to
| the great marts of the old world, aud what
| Brindis in Italy is to the Suez canal, so will
our Southernmost railroad connection on
the Gulf of Mexico be to Florida. Leaving
| Mexico and South America and looking
across the narrow channel of the Gulf
stream that divides us, we come TO the mag
nificent Island of Cuba, with its 100000
| inhabitants, its yearly shipments averaging
| 900, 900 tons of sugar, $50, 600 molasSeS, its
| tobacco and the vast area of minerals,
| land rich and fertile beyond all Others in its
peculiar products, all the lands and the
islands of the great Caribbean Sea, lie as
| next door tous, and inviting our energies in
| opening a field for the almost illimitable
| trade relations that should exist amongst
| nations in such close proximity to each 9TH
| er. When the God given right to man is
recognized by his creatures to the extent of
allowing him by law to buy in the cheapest
| and sell in the dearest market, we will then
enjoy the full fruits of our labor. In say
| ing this do not wish to be understood as
| advocating free trade in its broadcast sense.
| President Cleveland has voiced the wants
and desires of our people, and this is vast
stride in the direction of tariff reform.
| The drawbacks to the future development
| of trade with these countries, strangely
| enough grows out of our very near
ness to them; we are yearly threat
| ened with invasion from the yell
| low scourge that last year made
| good its hold upon the island and from here
! spread to the main land. In view of these
| dangers, how do you propose in the future
| to guard against them? Before our line con-
N11 chi
| tire year, or before we made our mail con-
| tract with the government, we laid our case
| before the Medical Association of the State
| of Florida, asking them under what con-
ditions they would deem it safe to permit
their communications to be kept open. In
| answer they prescribed a code of sanitary
| regulations that in effect had been previ-
ously i'll operation between Key West and
| Havana | here assert and challenge sue
| cessful contradictions, that the Plant Line
| lived up to these laws religiously, and not
| a single case of sickness of any kind ever
| occurred on one of our ships; the
| health of the passengers and crew were
never better. Now, when these sanitary
rules were prescribed it was in view of
contingency that might occur What was
the result! At the first signal of danger
the public were panic-stricken and the
shotgun quarantine promptly put into
effect Instead of aiding the stricken
community of Key West by permitting the
unacclimated to leave, they seltishly en-
deavored to pen them up on the and and
feed the fever with fresh victims. 1t was
| cruel--it was unmanly. And, gentlemen
of the press, much of the blame of this
must attach to you. When your voices
should have been raised to quell the alarm,
| and to reassure the panlc-Stricken people,
many of tine papers OF th State advocated
the harshest quarantine known to m N
| positive non-int arcourse-enforced by shot
| guns. The folly and wrong of this was
shown in forcing the hapless victims to
| seek an outlet by sailing vessels to points
on the main. where they might hope to
| elude the vigilance of the officials appoint
cd TO prevent their landing. You are all
! familiar with the pathetic incident that oc-
| CURED somewhere near Sara Sofa. A man
| who was dying, not from the fever, but
| from consumption, was denied shelter, and
persisted miserablY on the highway. Do not
suppose for moment am advocating the
! interest Of the Plant line in what | am say
| ing Our interests i'm the ate of Florida
| are too great to jeOpardize its health so far
as our moneyed interests are concerned
we would far rather withdraw our ships
than run the risk of introducing an cpl
demic. We have ia greater interests in
| other directions, and would suffer meal
culable damage if the fever were
allowed TO spread. What we do
want TO know, and what the people
of Kev West ought to know, however, is
what the main land is going to do in the
| future Whatever the authorities in their
| Judgment may deem best for the safety of
! the public health to do we as law abiding
| pople will conform TO. We know that the
record Of our service IS spotles,, aud that
the sanitary rules in effect ON our line are
tribute t. the science Of modern sanitation,
and reflect the highest credit on the able