The Pensacola journal., 1909-12-19
sacOLas WatchWOrd Boost Boom and BuiLd-T1af' All
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- III AAA5 me AcSL sC0l AAC AA1dul " a
teTways Commission adopted IN its
plan the proposed inland waterway OF
! the Mississippi to Atlantic Waterway
Association. The last Congress or
| dered surveys of the route which is
now being made. Seven routes are
/ being investigated across the peninsula
! of Florida. The facilities for the work
/ Of the next year have been greatly in
| creased by adding to the executive
/ committee of three members from
! each state one additional member
| from each county in the states of
I Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana,
| Mississippi, South Carolina, Colorado,
Oregon, and Ohio.
! The Future Work.
| Arrangements are being made to en-
! ploy a field secretary. The executive
! committee is now considering the
! feasibility of publishing a monthly
| magazine devoted to the waterway in
| teTeStS of the Southern states in which
! will be published the proceedings of
| the Columbus, Ga, convention, and
/ the Jacksonville. Fla, convention.
The Governors Assistance.
Much of the success of the Jackson
vile convention was due TO the per
! sonal influence Of Governor Gilchrist,
/ who has promised valuable aid for
| the next convention which will be held
/ in Pensacola, during the fall of 1910
Growing Interest
General interest in the project is
unquestiOnably spreading throughout
( the South, but the interest must be
] focused in order to secure federal ap-
propTiations to accomplish the results
/ desired to construct the waterway.
| This can be best secured by a large
membership III the association advOcat-
/ ing the project. During the next ten
months citizens of Georgia, Florida,
| Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas
and other states should have member
! ship in the association to the number
of fifty thousand or more. From this
means and private subscriptions is
the only way the association has to
pay for the literature, clerical labor
and incidental expenses necessary in
getting up the convention and foster
ing the sentinel favoring the project
and the collection of data, making OF
maps, and other matter incident to
the successful elimination of the ef
forts of the organization.
But few OF the farmers and business
men of the South or Of the coast states
are not members of this association.
nize his own responsibility in the mat
ter; he seems to think that his men,
beTShip counts for little, failing to re-
member that the total of any large or
small number is made up OF units OF
single persons and that the sovereign
ty in this country lies with individual
persons. Also that members of Con-
greSS desire to receive the individual
opinions OF their constituents. This is
aptIy illustrated in the reply of Sen
atOr TaIiaferro, OF Florida, to the
question, why should constituents
write to their representatives in Wash
ington urging the Improvement" to
which he replied, "One of the princi-
pal means through which representa-
tives in Congress ascertain the i'm
portanCe of a projected improvement
is through the representations OF their
constituents and it is wisdom on the
part of these constituents to urge
liberal appropriations to bring about
conditions which will benefit the pub
lie generally" And the reason that
this representation to members in
Congress should be made through an
association or organization is because
in union there is strength Another is
that the individual cannot devote the
time nor furnish the money necessary
to do the things required in securing
large federal appropriation.
A Permanent Organization.
The Mississippi to Atlantic Inland
Waterway Association is not a thing
of a day 1t is headed by a United
States senator and composed Of intel
Iigent thinking men from various To-
caIitfas Of the South impressed with
the Importance of the undertaking
They are making a sacrifice Of their
time to attend conventions at their
own expense. and here it is well to call
attention TO the fact that the nUmer-
Gus speakers who have devoted their
time to this subject and attended con-
ventinns have done so at their own
expense, some of them coming thou
sands Of miles because they were in /
terested in this great project, and the
desire to see its COnsumatiOn for the
benefit Of the people as 4 rate regu- /
lator and as an essential connecting I
link in the greatest standardizing OF /
the greatest transportation medium |
the world has ever seen. With the /
manifestation of such sacrifice and in /
crest as this, il seems passingly .
TRANCE if the people of the South Will .
rot contribute their mite in the way
f memberships and influence, by con- /
Getting themselves with the assoCia-
IN and helping to consummate not
. dream Of the future but a solid.
sound business proposition. which has
been considered and discussed and
recommended for nearly one hundred
years
Results Rest With People.
If the people (meaning the indi-
yiduals. Jack Jones and John SMITH
OF the sovereign states OF the Gulf
coast manifest the interest of only be
coming members of this association
and writing TO their congressman be
tween now and the next annual con-
ventiCn 70 he he'd in Pensacola. it will
require no prophet to fOreteH that the
demand created will compel the gov
7Tnmeut TO at once provide the means
for the construction of this waterway.
Il is a matter in the hands of the
people The reasons exist the TaCiII-