The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-26
Southern Delegates Petition
Roosevelt for Gulf Port
EXCLUSIVE NEW YORK FAVOR
Resolutions of Southern States and
Gulf Coast Conference Ask for
at Least TWO of the Gov
ernment's Steamships.

New Orleans March 25.-Delegates from
large section of the south assembled
at the Southern States and Gulf Coast
Panama conference here today and adopt
ed the following resolutions:
1. The natural economical route for a
large part OF the United States fer pas
sengers and materials intended for Pana.
ma is via the ports on the Gulf of Mex.
leo.
= The isthinian canal commission mas
been operating what is practically a gov
ernment-owned steamship service from
New York TO Panama, and this exclusive
service via New York places the indus
tries of the south, the gulf states. the
Mississippi. Ohio. Missouri, Alabama and
Georgia valleys and contiguous territory
at prohibitive disadvantage.
8. The Southern States and Gulf Coast
Panama conference represents to Presi-
dent Roosevelt that at least two of tho
governments steamships should be oper-
ated out of a gulf port. because of it's
closer proximity by some 600 miles to
Colon than New York
4. We strongly protest against the dis
ordinations of the purchasing depart
ment of the Panama railroad-steamsbin
line, whereby the large majority of Or
ders are confined to the eastern states.
we seein this virtual monopoly of present
canal trade, the gravest danger to future
prosperity of sections of the United
States, particularly the southern and gulf
coast states, as tile persistent diversion
or trade to eastern ports will have the
certain tendency to establish and maintain
a channel OF commerce in that direction
from and through the Panama canal
srIaIrI IIhyn ucsII ,esrfli,,ssg,.,
by cutting off the natural ports from sue
| cessful competition.
The resolutions conclude by pettionng
! President Roosevelt for a division OF
Panama railroad steamships between New
/ York and gulf port, and also to investi-
gate the reason why the preponderance
of purchases for account of the Panama
! steamship line are made in the eastern
| states"
Former Senator Joseph Blackburn of
| Kentucky, member of the canal commits
sion, and representative of Secretary of
| War Taft at the meeting. said that II the
government did not maintain its own line
of steamers as at present the United
/ States would be at the mercy of two for
| eign owned lines in transporting supplies
to the isthmus. He said also that the
steamers could not be divided between
New York and a gulf port without impair
! Ing the service to the detriment OF the
workers on the canal. He said there Is no
discrimination against the south.
At tonight's session. w. j. Oliver, a
contractor, made the following criticism
/ of the canal work:
1T is greatly to be regretted that the
! administration has decided to place the
| construction of the Panama canal In the
hands of army engineers instead of COM
mitting its fate to contractors.
| mo matter how capable the army en-
gineers may be, their training has not
been along the lines of construction on a
| large scale Of this character, and they are
| totally without sufficient organization to
4 draw from, and will always be wound up
! in costly red tape. Army methods will
not avail, for a civilian always has one
more right than a soldier-he can quit
and the high spirited American citizen
will certainly exercise that right when
he comes to face the arbitrary, dictor.al
methods of army officers"