The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1909-03-06
The SOLID SOUTH.
A Prominent Louisfanian Discusses the In.
tercoastal Canal and Southern
Prospects Generally.


cember 4, 1908, and does so now on
the principle of 6 better late than
never" assured that the optimistic
and sensible views of Mr.. Sholars
will meet with the concurrence and
appreciation of large element Of the
southern people, and that what he
says is as interesting and true at this
time as it was when first published:
Zone of the most ardent and enthu
siastic advocates of the proposed in
terco astal canal and the improvement
OF inland waterways is D. NJ. Sholars,
delegate from Vernon parish, repre-
senting directly the Leesville Pro
gressive League.
sMr. Sholars said the movement for
the improvement of the country's in
land waterways, now national in it's
scope, and supported by the strongest
men of the country, is in its Importance
the greatest undertaking to which the
government has ever been asked 30
lend its aid; that the Inauguration OF
this movement is to mark a distinct
epoch in the commercial and indus
trial development of the nation; that
great as are to be the benefits to flow
from the digging of the Panama Canal,
history is to record these benefits sur
passed by such works as a fourteen
foot channel from the lakes to the gulf
and an intercoastal canal from Bos-
ton to the Rio Grande; that the south,
with its genial climate and millions OF
acres of cheap, fertile and unoccupied
lands, is to reap benefit from these
Improvements unequaled by any other
section of the Union; while Louisiana,
with it's almost limitless forests Of
virgin pine and hard wood timber,
its productive capacity for cotton,
sugar and rice, with its oil fields, salt
and sulphur mines, and a perfect net
work OF inland waterways, is to profit
by the undertaking as is no other state
of the Union.
Looking more Immediately into the
future, Mr.. Sholars said, the adoption
Of the constitutional amendment, ex-
empting mortgage securities from tax
alton, is going to prove measure
far reaching in its influence for good;
that nothing else, perhaps, except had
Louisiana cast its electoral vote for
Taft, could have accomplished SO much
in directing the attention of the capt.
talists and investors to the state.
''In this connection, MIR. Sholars
said, although the election seemed to
show the south as solid as ever, the
candid admission might as we'll be
made that the south is yet, with al,
perfectly satisfied and well pleased
with the election of Mr. Taft: that OF
the thousands who, in the south at the
recent election, stayed away from the
polls, and other thousands who voted
for Mr.. Bryan, comprised vast army
of voters who, if they could have
freed themselves from the influence of
their immediate environment and es-
capped the mand ates of tradition yet
holding them in bondage, would, inthis
year of 1908, not only have refused TO
have followed as did many to third
defeat, Mr.. Bryan, but who would have
cast their votes for Taft.
Having. eliminated the negro from
the electorate, he said, and having
wrung from the north the concession
of the right of the south, in its own
way, to manage its own affairs, the
south, as never before in it's history,
escbewing politics, is now entering
upon great movement for the de
velopment of its Industrial resources.
Politically, he said, the solid south
having we'll served its purpose, has
had les day, and now to longer remain
a section set apart in its old time
solidarity, is foolishly to hold on to
and retain a barrier which now serve
no other purpose than to stay a long
and much-needed tide OF immigration
and an inflow of capital.
FINALLY, with eonddents optimism,
Mr.. Sholars said, in any event the
country is safe, and with the election
over, the incoming administratio
thoroughly committed to continue
ton of the Rooseveltian policy of
civil righteousness and square
deal, and the panic now thing of
the past, the south enters upon a new
era of industrial development and |
prosperity surprising anything its |
people have yet conceived.
"The opening OF canals aud the i'm
proving of the inland waterways,
he said, along the lines projected, pr,
yiding free, easy and cheap transpor
tation and cheap fuel, is to make of
the south the seat of great and |
mighty manufacturing industry, and |
this, with the south's other unrivaled
resources of forest, fields and mines, is
to make of it the richest and most
powerful section of the Union"
The Chief has received from 8. G.
Hatch, general passenger agent Of the
Valley Railroad, a copy
of the address delivered by j. F.
Merry, general immigration agent of |
that line. before the Two States Farm
ors, TnSt;tnte held at Natnbez Mics |