The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-26
OUR OUTLET TO THE SEA
THE SAVANNAH VALLEY CONVEN-
TION IN SESSION.

| THE SAVANNAH VALLEY CONVEN-
TION IN SESSION.
Hon. c. 8. Murrays Speech in Accept
ing the Temporary Craftsmanship
| Col. j. H. Estill Elected Permanent
Chairman-List of the Delegates
Hon. John S, Davidson's Address
Committees Appointed and Letters
of Regret Read.
AUGUSTA, GA, Jan. 25-The Savannah
Valley Convention met this morning in the
Augusta Cotton Exchange. A large num-
Der of delegates were present from all the
counties in Georgia and South Carolina
bordering on the Savannah river, and much
enthusiasm was manifested by all Hon.
Patrick Walsh opened the proceedings by
nominating Hon. C. B. Murray. of Ander
son, S. c., as temporary chairman, and
Hon. Martin v Calvin, of Augusta, as Sec
retary. Mr.. Murray, on taking his seat,
delivered short address. He called atten-
tion to the neglect of the river, and urged
that it would never be improved if left
to itself. ''The gods help those who help
Themselves and he was glad to see the
representatives of the two States i'll conven-
| ton to impress Congress with the i'm
portance of an appropriation for this great
| highway. The speaker claimed that
Augusta should be the trade centre of the
South, and with proper river facilities he
believed that she would yet be the metropo-
| lis of the South.
DELEGATES FROM ABROAD.
The following delegates were enrolled
from abroad:
GEORGIA.
Elbert County-W. H. Mattox
Lincoln County,. H. ReInsen, P. W.
Sale, D. w. Sale, j. D. Colley, j, n. Zellers,
| w. r. Murray, f, Samues, w. II. Groves,
| D. c. Coleman and L. p. Elam.
| Columbia County-M !. Branch, D. G..
Moore, Oliver Hardy, l. V. Ballard, T. L.
Cleary and F. E. Eve
Burke County,. NJ. Rodgers.
Chatham County,. II. Estill, A. H. Mac
! Donell, Bierne Gordon, D. l. Mac cIntyre and
Wilkes County-T. c. Hogue and T. B.
Greene.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
Anderson County-W. w Humphries, A.
S. Todd G. F. Tolley, E. B. Murray, Will
lam S. Brown and c. A. Reed.
Abbeville County-W c. Benet, Z. B.
Gary, w. A. Barrimore, j. A. Gilbert, w.
| IL. Bailie, Albert Gilbert, j. r. Hester, w.
II. Mays William Bailey and N. l.. Bon
ham, Jr.
Edgefeld County,. T. Bacon, c. Ward,
DR.. j. H. Jennings, James Callison, Thomas
Hammond, w. j. Reedy and j. P. Black
well
Aiken county-B D. Lamar, T. j. Davies,
D. S. Henderson, l.. G. Ligon, G.. E. r.
Drayton, James Aldrich, O. c. Jordan, j.
j. Pluss, Hon. James NJ Cobb, W. r. Eve
and w. c. Page.
Barnwell county-L W. Youmans, Dr.
G. w. Monall, f. F. Dunbar, L. A. Ashley
and B. F. Killingsworth.
Hon. A. Z. Butler, Commissioner of Agri
culture of South Carolina. was also present,
and a large delegation from this county.
Mr.. DAvIDsoN's ADDRESS.
After the preliminary organization the
delegates were addressed by Hon. John S.
Davidson, President of the State Senate
Mr.. Davidson always grows eloquent
when speaking of the great natural ad-
vantages of the city of Augusta and the
classic but muddy stream which flows to
the seaboard and enpties itself at the gates
of Savannah. The people of Savannah
heard Mr. Davidson on the occasion
of the christening of the steamship
City of Augusta, when he accepted
the steamer for the Augusta excursionists,
under the inspiration of the tonic furnished
| by Com. Hone, which forced many to liter
ally least their bread upon the watersn of
the heaving rolling sea. Mr. Davidson was
equally as felicitOus in his address to-day,
| and announced igranmatically at the
| outset, that 1.-THE men and the occasion had
met" Mr. Davidson reviewed the river
trade at some length, and presented some
very forcible facts and figures regarding the
possibilities OF trade with an appropriation
sufficient to make the river navgable at all
seasons of the year. He admonished the
convention not to expect TO win right away
| or to carry off the whole treasury at one
time, as there were plenty of applicants and
other children of the national family knock
ing at the door and calling for a division,
SOME TELLING STATISTICS.
Mr.. Davidson said that the convention
| represented 4j0, 900 people, whose aggregate
wealth amounted to $l00,000,00 The Sa-
vannah river, whose improvement was the
object of the convention, drained a fertile
area of 800 square miles,
! in which farms alone annually
yielded products worth S20,0000O0. The
Savannah river stood first in pcintof length
among the rivers of the Atlantic coast and
formed one-siXth part of the whole naviga-
| Bile river system Of that coast from Canada
to Florida. If tide-water navigation We're
| deducted savannah formed nearly one
third of the aggregate length of
the Atlantic coast rivers Upon
the Improvement of all these
rivers taken together the government had
spent, up to June 80, 1885, the sum OF S10,-
! SOS, ,2S9, or about 81, 1876 per mile, while
upon the Savannah river, which formed so
| large part of the Atlantic coast river sys-
tenn, there had been expended only $4,000,
or 1922 per mile.
Senator Davidson's address was received
with great satisfaction.
HON. w. c. BENET REPLIES.
! Hon. w. C. Benet. of Abbeville, S. c., re-
piled to Mr. Davidson. Mr.. Benet is the
| gentleman who had the plagiaristic contro-
versy with DR.. Hawthorne. He is i'm
mensely popular here, but his voice had
never Before been heard in public address.
| He was enthusiastically eloquent and made
fine impression ON the audience After
speaking of the hospitality Of the people Of
Augusta, he paid glowing tribute to the
old South and maintained that there was
no new South in political sense. We have
new methods but the same spirit and the
same men. We have new industries, but
| the same ideas and the same beauteous
women. The old South Of our fathers is still
| alive but back in