The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-03
WILLIAMS FAVORS
 CANAL PROJECT
Senator-EIect May Come to
 Birmingham Convention
WRITES LETTER TO BABE
Wood Names Committees and Letters of Acceptance To Attend Con- vention Are Being Re-
 ceiVed Daily

celVed Daily.
 John Sharp Williams has written his 1 approval of the waterways convention to l be held here on the 18th and gives the assurance that he will exert every ef- 1 forts toward the improvement of southern
 streams and harbors In his letter Mr.
 Williams writes. Tn a way | am very
 much in favor of the devotion of the sur l plus revenue of the government to ma ] terial and intellectual development rather l than to mere show and big chippiness.
 Mir Williams position as leader Of the
 minority in Congress makes his approval i of the convention doubly interesting.
 It is also very possible that Mr Will
 jams will be in attendance on the con
 vention. The invitation sent him stated
 that the date of the convention would be | November 12, but the date has since been
 changed to November 10. In his reply he states that it will be impossible for
 him to attend as he has a previous date.
 Notice of the postponement has been
 mailed him and it is very probable that | he will attend.
 MT. Williams letter is dated October 31, | and reads as follows:
 MT. Joseph B. Babb, Secretary Conner
 eial Club, Birmingham, Ala.
 My Dear Sir-I have just opened and
 read yours of the 18th. I am very much ] devoted to the improvement of waterways 1 throughout the south--the connection of | the Warrior with the Tennesse, the con- l nectlOn of the Tennesse with the Missis- l sippi through the upper waters of the | Hatchee or the Wolf running into the lat 1 ter stream just above Memphis the con ] nection of the Cumberland with the Ten ! iessee Stlll higher, l5-foor channel in | the Mississippi river. the opening of the 1 Red and the lazoo St. Francis, the l White and the Arkansas as far lip as i possible-in way, I am very much in favor of the devotion of the surplus reye- i nue of the government to material and l intellectual development rather than to l mere show and big chippiness. 1 'l would like to be with you on No- l vember F, but it Is absolutely impossible 1 l am to be at Saginaw, Mich, at that | time to fill a date made prior to the receipt of your letter.
 "1 am, with every expression of re- l gard, very truly yours.
 JOHN SHARP WILLIAMS" Wood Names Committee. Sterling A. Wood, president of the Com hioiSial ciup, idS dppolnleu the IOllOW- ing committees to handle the convention: Committee on Arrangements-J A. Van Hoose, George B. Ward, T. H. Mol
 ton, F. H. Crockard, J. c. Maben Guy R. Johnston, M. c. Joseph, John w. l Sibley, Frank Nelson. Jr; F. Wilkinson | John D. Shelby. Wilson Brown, John L. Kaul, F. ". Barrett. F. M. Jackson,
 John w. o'Neill, Robert Jemison. Jr.,
 Otto Marx. T. II. Johnston, Walker Per. l ey Trskine Ramsay, Walter Moore
 Ross c. Smith, J. D. Collins, w. D. Tynes. | Fred Dimmick, R. H. Pearson and P. l Burn.
 Committee on publicity-E. w. Bar
 rett, J. J. Smith, Eli P. Smith, J. NJ. Dewberry, William Ryan, R. r. John ston, John Sparrow, J. A. Rountree. Max Karpeles, L. P. Hill, Frank V. l Evans.
 committee on invitation--R. D. John- ston, Jr., C. C. Heidt, John l.. Kaul l. Rivers Carter, F. $. White. Jr. The arrangements committee wil meet in the Commercial club rooms next Tuesday afternoon at o'clock. The publicity committee will meet in l the club rooms next Monday afternoon ! at 3:30 o'clock.
 The invitation committee will meet
 in the club rooms next Monday after
 noon at o'clock
 The committee on reception will be
 named later.
 Invitations Are Accepted. Invitations are still being sent out and a number of acceptances are also being received daily. The matter is meeting with approval everywhere and November 19 will witness large as- semblage of men of influence determ- ined that the south's waterways shall receive their share of appropriations for improvement.
 Mobile and Brmin gham are very much interested in the connection be- tween the Tennessee and the Warrior, and demand will be made upon Con- gress for the S6.O00, 900 necessary for the building of canal between these two rivers. The distance will be about 93 miles, but there are Il number of very large creeks wh ich it is believed could be used for large number of miles. This would. of course, do away with large amount of digging.
 It is hardly expected that the ap- propriation will be secured at the first Congress. but no let up will be made in the matter and the hammers will be kept working overtime until it is landed. The first request will be for an amount sufficient to cover the cost of a survey, which will be in the neigh borhood of $30,000.
 Government engineers have estimated that the work could be done easily within three years and very probably in less time than that with the im- proved machinery they now have to work with. The Commercial clubs of Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham have decided that tn canal must be dug. and wit. three such strong or ganizations behind the movement it is believed that definite results Will be achieved.
 EMMETT DALTON PARDONED.