New-York tribune., 1908-12-12
TO BOOM THE SOUTH
MILLION DOLLAR PLAN.
Permanent Exhibition IN Wash'ng-
ton, to ErpLOit Resources.

Prominent Southerners have just started Hiiiioh
dollar plan put into early practical operation 'ne
sentiments and hopes expressed by Presldeh-eieC'
William H Taft when he said few nights ago IN
this city that nothing would give him greater prde
than to be the means OF bringing men rom 'ne
South and their Northern fellow citizens closer ana
closer In sympathy and point OF view Promoters
OF the plan were at the Waldorf yesterday.
The plan was announced to $40 men Of the South
ern Commercial League. from all parts OF the
South representing hfty-four different Southern
commercial organizations. assembled at washington
on Thursday night, by John NJ Parker OF Ne"
Orleans who has taken President Roosevelt on TWO
bear hunts and Is president of the Southern Com
n1erciaI League besides being one Of the best
known cotton planters in the country Within less
than one hour after Mr. Parker had outlined his
suggestion for the prompt and complete recrudes-
cence of the South. and had named So0o,oo az the
amount of the endowment required by the league
to carry the project through s227 900 had been en-
Enthusiastically pledged by members Of the organiza-
ton. OF this amount, W. J. Oliver, OF Knoxville.
Tenn, who lost the Panama contract and Is one Of
the biggest railroad contractors IN the South pledged
himself to 0O0. Mr.. Parker said yester-
day at the Waldorf that he expected trouble in
obtaining the remaining 900 from Southern bust
men. and he then told Of the way in which he
believed the biggest industrial upheavaI the South
has ever received" could be most easily and quickly
begun.
The South knows its own possibilities and re
sources, and wants others TO know them too" said
Mr. Parker. The plan is to bring the South right
up to the doors OF the North. What is the best
way to do this? Erect 81. 10000 office building IN
the city OF Washington. make II the finest Office
building in that city. sufficient floor space
in it TO permit all the Southern states TO main
tain permanent exhibitions Of their resources with
a corps Of men for each state always on hand to
answer any and all questions concerning Southern
conditions. renting the remainder OF the build
ing to make the proposition not only selfsupport-
ing, but profitable"
The plan Is to build a sixteen story structure.
"If the North is seeking Investments" said Mr..
Parker, the South has everything in the way
of resources except money. We VIII be able to
prove this quickly and with all required accuracy
when the plan intend to follow is in operation.
We have coal. lead, marble and more hardwood
timber than can be found anywhere else. louisiana
produces 9S per cent Of the sulphur OF America,
"a per cent OF the petroleum comes from the South.
"a per cent of the sugar and rice cotton corn
alfalfa and wheat in immense quantities.
The solid South Is coming North-not IN the
political sense necessarily. but in the commercial
sense; and this IS the psychological moment,
think, to take the purposed action
NJ. B. Trezevant secretary Of the New Orleans
Progressive Union, said This Idea IS going 70
be the biggest thing that has struck the South
and TO MIR. Parker belongs the credit OF conceivng
IT. When all the great canal schemes and water
way schemes to which President Roosevelt and hts
successor are committed perfected. New Or
leans will be the Liverpool OF the western world"