The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-01-23
VIEW AT BEAUMONT.
Beaumont. Texas. January 81.


that assumed the task Of decelvlng th'
people OF the West as to water condition!
at several ports on the Texas gulf coas
so us to promote the interest of on,
for which they, as Individual members
stood god-fathers. This committee, n:
an organized body was of few days
however. Either conscience or an un
grateful constituency rebelled and with
the exception of the secretary-a Mr.
Dana. who should be given due credit fol
his persistency-passed among the things
that were. And even Mr. Danas exist
once as secretary has been something
similar to the mythical jack-olantern
When least expected he would flood q
cropping world with an official CD bulle-
tin of light on deep water conditions or
the Texas gulf coast that was OF suff-
| Client brilliancy to dazzle and deceive
even the most wary, and then subside
| for weeks with rery a flicker. But. Ike
| the committee. the seoretaryship is no
| more. Mr.. Dana and his bulletins have
gone the way OF all good things. but
from their ashes has arisen, phoenix-like
Howell Jones with his speeches. Mr.
| Jones Is the president of deep water
| utilization committee that lives as mon
ument to a meeting that was held In
| Topeka, Kan, few months ago The
| Post correspondent is not informed as to
| what individual should be credited with
|
| Its duties. but the presumption Is reason
| able that there must be defects in the
| plans and speciflcatit MS, and there IS also
| danger that this committee will go the
| way Of the Denver cOmmitter-that Is,
| as tbs Denver comnittee resolved itself
| down to Dana and died. so will the Tupe-
| ka committee resolve Itself down to How
A., el Jones and do likewise.
| In fact. even at this early date. news
paper articles would create the impression
that Howell Jones is the deep water util-
| ization committee OF which he Is presi-
dent. and while 1t may be strange If not
startling these same articles indicate that
Mr. Jones, with the assistance of the
Galveston News and the supposed influ-
ence that the presidency of the deep
water utilization comrnittee confers is la
boring to advance the interests of Gal
weston to tho detrlment of three other
points on the Texas gulf coast that have
reasonable expectations of becoming deep
water harbors.
So far as the people who are Interested
in developing the harbor facilities of Sa-
bine Pass are concerned they have no
objection to Mr.. Jones and the News laud-
Ing Galveston, and when the News mis-
repres' nts rival ports 1t creates no sur
prise because the people are accustomed
to II. But when Mr. Jones, as president
VI tUe upep water utlilShtlON committee
In a speech before the agricultural board
of Kansas says. MY understanding is that
not OYER twenty feet of water is expected
to be obtained at Sabine Pass" and 'n
the same breath says he knows that ,hlr-
" feet of water will be obtained at Gal
vcson. Tho Post correspondent as well
as the people Of East and Southeast Texas
are constrained to inquire of Mr. Jones
as to the source of information on which
he bases his understanding as regards
expectations as Sabine Pass. If Mr.. Jones
reads any data regarding deep water con-
ditlons on the Texas gulf coast except
TIE hqrhor improvements as published IL
tho Galveston News or Dana's ante bel
lum bulletins he must certainly be fully
informed of the fact that the contractors
now at work on the Sabine Pass bar
have given bond to the government to Sc
cure twenty-four feet of water Again
II Mr.. Jones is attending to the duties
that one would naturally suppose are
incumbent on the president of the deep
water utilization committee he certainly
must be familiar with the report of Major
Quinn. engineer in charge of government
improvements at Sabine Pass. This report
was published and submitted to the secre-
tary of war more than two months ago
and in language that Is Intelligent states
that the improvements at Sabine Pass con-
templates a construction of tetties 10
H..
means 30foot channel over the bar
These are facts. they have been as accessl-
bic TO Mr.. Jones as to anyone and when
he publicly declares that the government
only expects to get twenty feet of water
at Sabine Pass he convicts himself of ig-
noranco or inattentIon to duty that, to
say the least, should disqualify him for
SO important a position as president OF
the deep water utilization committee.
1t Is not assumed that Mr. Jones Is ip
norant however, nor that he IL NOT at
tending to his dtuies as he sees them.
To the contrary, the presumption is that
his Misrepresentation Of Sabine Pass was
premeditated. But the building of Port
Arthur, the southern terminal OF the
Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf railroad
and dredging of the 2i-foot channel from
the townsite to deep water will soon bo
underway, however, and then will the
water conditions at the pass be so firmly
established that neither the Galveston
organ nor Howell Jones with his misrep
reservations will be sufficient to shake
public confidence or detract attention
from the future great
-
beaumont is not ambitious to figure as
n political center As a rule the peonle
OF this city are too busy to give much |
time to political discussion the concensus |
of opinion being that no resident of this |
N''S 'NNA' 'NtN' tiit 1Allfu states, |
matter which party came victorious out |
of political campaign or what set of |
men drew official fees or salaries.
In State and National elections the |
city as well as the county has voted demo- |
cratic since the days of Reconstruction. |
but not within the recollection of The |
Post correspondent has any demoarltlc |
citizen been Il candidate for an official
position higher than a State senatorship
The rumor now Is. however that Jefferson
county VIII present the name of Senator
X. a. Greer to the democratic conyen
ton as candidate for congress in the
Seconl congressional district.
This information has not been ob,ained
from Palestine or any of the other sun.
posed political centers, nor does II dove.
tail with the several states shat have
from the brains Of staff CORE.
sponderts. Neither Is II based llpon ro-
marks by Senator Greer, but upon a real
izetion that the senator has demonstrated
an ability that in the house of representa-.
lives would be useful to his constitu.nts
lust what strength Senator Greer woula
develop as candidate for congress Tho
Post correspondent would not presume 10
conjecture. Many are of the opinion TINT
silver Will be the prevailing if NOT tha
exclusive issue in The campaign ana n
rf,rht hn |