The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-27
MORGAN LAUDS
ALABAMA TO SKY
Outlines Numerous Sources of
the States Wealth
THINGS YET TO BE DONE
Venerable Senator Is Greeted BY an
Immense Audience at eadsden and
believers One of His Most
Notable Speeches.
THINGS YET TO BE DONE
Continued from First Paae)

Continued from First Page)
the people win always protect. l feel that
we can afford to regard, with some de-
gree of composure, any effort to break
down that universal law of Christendom.
Three States Should Work Together.
Eat all events, the law is on the statue
book and there is no reason why this
great precedent should not be invoked by
Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama for the
long sought purpose of admitting the
waters Of the Tennessee river TO unite
with those of the affluents of the Ala
bama river through such canal as Is
provided by act of Congress for connect
ing the waters of the Ohio with Lake
Erie.
Entering the valley of the Coosa river,
and poured into the Alabama through a
canal, or through slack water navigation,
my boyhood dream would become fact;
and steamboat built at Rome or Gads-
den could make voyages to and from
Mobile, or out across the Gulf of Mexico.
And another stem of such a canal could
enter Jones valley above Birmingham
and float its marvellous tonnage through
the Warrior to Mobile.
"All | claim is that capital in the south
shall have the same assistance and pro-
lection that is given by the act of Con-
gress to which l refer, in canal enter
prlses. If capitalists fail to see the profits
that are in such works, 1t is no fault
of mine. The capitalists of Pittsburg
and other rich cities already seize upon
their opportunity, and have it foreor
dained.
IF | were a-young enthusiast. l would
devote the remainder of my time, today,
to clarifying another great step that Is
ready to be taken in the march of Ala
bama to the head of the column Of in
dustrial progress. But had rather boast
as one who putteth off his armor, than
as one who putteth it on. The facts are
great enough to excite my admiration,
but l must leave to others the happiness
of assisting in their full development; so
I will try to be quiet I refer to the
united strength of the cotton states In
the assertion of their commercial and
financial powers.
What ] know is. that no greater field
was ever open to capital and enterprise,
and my faith in the future of Alabama
establishes my hope of an early and
abundant harvest of wealth and honor
for our people
Assured Basis of Success.
zone feature of our physical geography
l must refer to as the assured basis OF
success to a canal to connect the water
of the Tennessee and Alabama rivers 1t
is the great fact that the valley of Viz
ginia extends to the lower border of Tai
ladega county, where 1t terminates in
beds and lodges of beautiful marbles, as
fine as the marbles of Carrara. This
great limestone valley reached northward
through the state of New York and sep
arates the granite region of New Eng
land from the coal deposits of Pennsyl-
vania and the sand region of New Jer-
sey by hundreds of miles. These geologi-
cal systems in all their varied wealth,
at
and the line of union is demarked by the
thread OF the Coosa river. Only the
width OF the river divides these grand
geological systems from each other.
AT the south they rest against the
shores of an ancient sea along which
the river-the Alabama-fows for hun
dred miles or fifty miles as the bird flies
beneath bluffs of chalk that are com
posed of the best and cheapest material
for hydraulic cement to be found any
where in the world. These are the treas
ures of wealth that are concentrated in
exhaustless masses on either side of the
Coosa river and dts prolongation-the
Alabama river-between Gadsden and
Selma
"If time permitted. | would not here
omit the mention of two other great
and monopolistic sources of wealth, cot
ton and the yellow pine and ! would
trace the coal and iron fields westward
from Gadsden to the borders of Missis-
sippi, across the Coosa and Warrior
fields, and the cement rocks. in unbrollen
masses. ten miles wide and 1000 feet deep
to Columbus Miss. and a parallel de-
post through Southwest Georgia and
through the line of the lower Bigbee, at
St stephens, across Alabama and into
Mississippi.
Greater Than Coal Beds.
THESE northera and southern shores of
this ancient sea that has been drained
off, leaving the great eretaceous or shell
basin that we call the black belt, are
of a greater permanent value than all
the coal beds in Alabama. But. as COM
PARSONS may be odious, | will leave these
fields of our southern riches to the con-
temptation of our people, not doubling
tho verdict that time will record, which
is and must be that the $1,000 square
miles Of Alabama has more mineral
wealth to the square mile and in greater
variety of usefulness than any equal area
on the globe. If there was an element
of boastng or exaggeration in this state
ment. l would be ashamed to address 1t
to this audience.
Yellow Pine and Cotton.
1.-THE other bounties of providence. as
to the value Of which we all agree, are
yellow pine forests and the cotton plant.
AS to these. Alabama has no exclusive
monopoly. but shares them with other
states as far west rs the Tooth merrill
ian of longitude and reaching from the
s0th to the Both degree of north lati-
tude l am giving outside limits to the
yellow pine and cotton belt. which are
very small when they are compared with
the demands of civilization for these pc
GUITAR productions. both of which de-
pend upon climate for their successful
growth and not upon the characteristics
of the soil that produces them.
IF | could breathe a sigh of sorrow
as profound, and in tones as pleading
as the winds utter among the pines,
would utter 1t before our law give.s as
prayer for the preservation of our pine
forests. They are the natural protectors
of the cotton plant and refuse to live
where cotton is not found. They are
passing like the cedars of Lebanon. their
cousins german, and when they disap-