The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-17
.LATHROP BECOMES
TIRED OF DELAY
Thinks Alabama Rivers Do Not
Get Desserts
THINKS BURTON BLUFFlNG
Has No Right to Say He VIII Recon-
mend Appropriation Only on Con-
dition That We Do Not
Ask for Another.
THINKS BURTON BLUFFlNG

Montgomery, December 16.-(Special)-
Speaking of the lack of interest shown
by congress in Alabama waterways and
, public improvements generally. President
+. H. Lathrop of the Lathrop-Hatten
Lumber company at Riverside, and a big
lumber merchant of Birmingham, said
yesterday: II tell you we are getting tired
of being joekeyed. The south has too
much of northern capital invested here
to stand this kind of thing much longer.
Iron and coal so close to the coast by
river must be unlocked by river locks"
This remark was drawn out by the re-
eeipt of a letter from Congressman John
L. Burnett of the Seventh district that
Chairman Burton of the rivers and har-
bors committee of congress would not en-
dorse certain improvements on the Coosa
river unless the friends of the stream
would agree to abandon work on the
stream further. In this letter from Mr..
Burnett, he says, among other things: II
would be very glad If Burton would agree
to build the close dam and No. o and COM
plete lock and dam l. But he always
couples this with the demand that the
Their statement that the government
thereby abandon further work on the
Coosa. had a talk with him the other
day, and he would not agree to any other
proposition"
Mr.. Burnett also said that he had met
and interested Congressman ]. w. Ford
ney of Michigan. personal friend of
Mr.. Lathrop who would help in the
work for the Coosa, and advises that
Congressman j. H. Bankhead of Ala
bama, democratic member of the rivers
and harbors committee, be asked to use
his best efforts along the same line.
Writes Bankhead.
After the receipt of Congressman Bur-
nett's letter Mr.. Lathrop wrote to Cap
tain Bankhead, calling his attention to
the reported position of Chairman Bur-
ton. He said
For the past two years | have been
advised from time to time that Chair
man Burton of the rivers and harbors
committee makes a proposition to our
members of congress that he will rec
ommend an appropriation to complete the
lock at dam 4, and the dam at 5, but al
ways couples this with the demand that
the committee include in the bill the
further statement that the government
thereupon abandon all further work on
the Coosa.
1--WE are constantly told that the whole
thing hinges ON Chairman Burton who
seems to dictate what the government
shall do in the matter of completing
river improvements already begun, on
which the government has spent a large
sum of money and his position of coup
ling with this the demand that the gov
eminent shall abandon the project, seems
at least, ridiculous, as / do not see how
Chairman Burton OF the committee could
assume all this to themselves for future
generation, and to a fellow up a tree IL
looks like we were being jockeyed 1t
Is an open secret that southern congress-
men are continually voting for work
to be done north of the Ohio river and
in return we get a very small slice of
work south of it.
Mr. Burton has had considerable to
| say about four foot channel all the year
around on the Coosa, being too low to do
| business on; how about the channel in the
| Ohio river today? 1t is too low to float
! coal to New Orleans and the barges
have been hung up for the past six
months. l doubt il there was ever any
such reasons given for holding up the
Improvements on the Ohio river years
ago when it was put in shape to carry
| Goals to New Orleans.
Much Northern Capital.
We have several hundred millions OF
dollars of northern capital invested in
southern enterprises. The opening of the
Coosa river from Gadsden to Mobile with
six foot channel would mean from one
to five million dollars year to the people
of Alabama in the matter of freight
charges. Three millions of Cleveland
capital invested in Gadsden the past
year; 81 900 600 in Pell CITY of Roston