San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-10-05
A REPUBLICAN EDITOR
Talks to a Kansas Reporter About
theDaep Water Co nvention.

Talks to Kansas Reporter About
theDeep Water Co invention.
The Topeka Daily Capital, of Octo.
Der lst, whose description of the San
Antonio deep water delegates to To-
peka was published by the LIGHT
yesterday, contains the following very
excellent interview with Mr.. Mess
mer, the editor of this paper, who ac-
companied the delegations:
w. s. Messmer, of the San Antonio
LIGHT, was pointed out to the Capital
representative as the editor of the on
ly repu blican daily IN Texas. On be.
ing asked what position the San An
tonic delegation would take in the
convention, Mr.. Messmer replied:
Southwest Texas never has been
sectional and she will not depart
from her traditions now. She takes
q view of this question too broad to
re sectional and too cOmpr extensive
be obtained"
"Is not southwest Texas opposed
to any appropriation for deep water
at Calves ton?n
"Not at all. Appropriations for
Galveston are necessity. She has
her interests and she has right to
ask that they be protected, but We
do not think she has right to fore
stall the report of the United States
engineers appointed in consonance
with the Denver resolutions, and
ask in advance of that report con-
centration Of all appropriations at
Galveston"
"What then do you think should
be the action of the convention"
This convention is in very pecu-
liar position. 1t cannot consistently
ask for an appropriation of any speci-
fic amount, because the United States
engineers have not reported what
will be necessary at Calves
ton, at Sabine Pass, at Arkansas Pass,
or anywhere else; and, for the same
reason, this cOnven ton cannot recon-
mend any appropriation for any spec
ial place, because the engineers have
not said at what place or places deep
water can be soonest secured. To
ask any such thing would be an insult
to congress and gross discourtesy to
the engineers, who have made the sur
vey. Congress was memOriZed al Dem
yer for competent engineers survey
of the gulf. Congress appropriates
$4,000 for that work, the survey is
made and pending that report this
convention takes the work out of the
hands of the engineers, decides for
itself what port or ports can soonest
be opened, and asks of congress the
requisite appropriation. Our wisest
course would be to acknowledge what
congress has done and cOnfine our
selves to demanding OF congress such
as VIII be Immediately
available in carrying out the recon-
mendatiOns of the government board
of engineers in their Forthcoming re-
port to congress-"
would this satisfy southwest Tex
as.n
"Why not? We have confidence in
the fairness of the general govern
ment. We have confidence in the
j business of the action that will follow
the report of these engineers. We
have confidence in the claims that
Arkansas Pass can present; and we are
certain that the efforts of the govern
ment will not be restricted to any Sec
tional view of the case"
"Will you give general statement
of your views in connection with this
matter of a deep water pOrt?"
IF l begin you must saw me off
wnen | run out your space, for this
subject is a very deep one and its So
luton may well challenge the atten-
ton of the national government.
'In the first place, more than one
port is necessary, because, no one port
should be permitted to monopoliZe the
great commerce that would reach the
open sea through it. With one port
you would have no rival interests to
compel healthy competition in the
carrying trade such as you could Sc
cure through rival ports. Then again,
the gulf coast of Texas is SO extended
that the creation of a deep harbor at
Arkansas Pass would not interfere with
the deep harbor created at Galveston,
any more than the ports of Baltimore
and New York interfere with each
other. 1t would be impossible to
accommodate the trade entering
the ports of Texas at any
one point and the distribution
of that trade would be a benefit to
the whole country interested in the
question of deep water on the gulf.
The opening up of new lines of rail-
way would result from multiplying
the gulf ports, and along those new
lines would spring up trade that
would greatly enhance all values, en-
large the volume of production, add
to population and trade so as to mar
velOusly multiply the resources of
these great northwestern, western