Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-10-03
SOUTHERN Bue :
men y; e.: :ss. ssis,.S;;'iSit
issGtfTING
Secretary Of the Association
Writes That South Is
Interested In
Conservation.
BIG ATTENDANCE
CAN Be EXPECTED
Throughout the Southern States
Association Is Gathering Data
and Preparing to Take Part
In the Washington
Session.

Washington. Oct. 3.-The national
conservation commission has received
word that at least thousand of the
leading business men of the south
will be present in Washington when
the commission holds its first full
meeting here early in December. This
information comes in letter from @.
Grosvenor Dawes. secretary of the
Montgomery, Ala, Commercial club.
VINO tells OF a meeting of the repre-
sentatives of numerous business assJ-
Citations in the southern states, held
in Atlanta. These men formed a
working organization, and, after re-
ceiving assurances of support from
commercial bodies all through ths
south, issued a call for a Southern
Commercial congress. The time ami
place were set SO that the members
can be In Washington during the first
meeting of the conservation commits
sion on December l, the conference
between the commission and the gov
ernors OF the states or their repre-
sentatives which follows. on Decem-
Der 8, and the meeting Of the National
Rivers and Harbors congress which
will be held here during that time, In
the proceedings of all OF which the
men who Will compose the Southern
Commercial congress are intensely in
terested from a business standpoint.
The chief purpose OF the southerners
In holding their big meeting Is. in tne
words of one of the originators. "the
provoking OF fuller understa uding
by the people of the south of ths
gifts that nature has placed under
their control" But, without discounts
ing the vital importance of promoting
the business interests of tneir Sec
ton OF the country. the promoters
OF this congress in Washington say
they hope that 1t will have an even
deeper significance and bring about a
closer union between the north and
south. ''Of course, the congress has
practical and commercial aspects
says one of these men, "but there lies
In the minds of the originators an
ethical purpose looking towards a
fuller understanding and union ne
tween those who have for genera
ton suffered from Misunderstanding
and a seeming separation of inter-
ests."
Mr.. Dawes in his letter suggests
that the attainment of fuller under
standing between the south and other
parts of the country would have its
effect in betteriug business conditions
la the south also. He writes:
THE Southern CONNIE rcial con-
gress is also intended as a means of
combating hlndering prejudices that
exist against the south in both north
ern and eastern states. We have felt
that such preJudices are most easily
removed by personal contact, and We
shall therefore work TO have present
on December Z and a thousand or
1900 leading business men of the
south who viii later stay to partici-
pate in the deliberations of the Ma --
tlonal Rivers and Harbors congress,
and also be present in Wa shington
to receive inspiration from the re-
ports made to the National ConseIva-
ton commission.
Beyond all this we feel that tho
presence of our solid business men an
meetings made up largely Of solid
business men OF the north and east
will act as a guarantee and pledge of
business mems participation in further
political affairs of the south and thus
uil dhNtt SdiEAg " luNtolpl1-
Many of the men VINO are most
active in organizing this Southern
Commercial congress have for a long
time been preaching that the south
should not only develop its agrIcui-
ture tota higher degree of Efficiency
but that it is time for the men Il
that part Of the country to take more
energetic measures to expand their
manufacturing and business interes,s.
They believe that the attendance of
large number of the most enterprisiug
men OF the southern states at the con-
ference between the national cOnser-
yatiou commiss on and the state gov
ernors or their represent tatives viii
lead to a fuller realization of the i'm
mense natural resources of the soutn,
In this connection they cite a recent
report by the geological survey which
stated that there is a minimum ot
about 100000 indicated horse power
developed by the rivers rising In the
Southern Appalachian mountains, half
OF which. at the very least. could 70
utilized for power. SO far hardly
enough has been developed TO make
an appreciable showing compared
with the enormous possibilities.