The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-08-18

Americas; the greatest manufacture
ing center of fine Havana cigars in
this country and the natural Gibralta
of this republic in our southern. seas.
Key West, now that she is bound to
the mainland by steel rails, over
which must go the commerce of lis
continent, will in the near future as
sumo an Importance In our national
life second to only a few of our great
cities. (AppIause.)
Time will not permit me- Mr.
Speaker, to indulge in an extended
review of the facts which detrmine
the Importance of Key West in all
it's varied aspects, but there are al
few things to which l desire to call
attention briefly.
Key West is the nearest United
States port to the Panama canal, the
distance being only 1,075 miles; she
is the gateway from the United
States to Cuba, Central and South
America; she is the American Gil
bralta," defending the Gulf of Mex
leo, the Caribbean Sea, and all the
approaches to the Panama canal; and
this position makes her the logical
point for this country's greatest naval
base; she has one of the most power
full wireless telegraph plants in the
world, which is capable of communi- |
eating with the Panama canal direct;
she is an important coast artillery
post, strongly fortified; she has large !
fleets of vessels engaged both in the |
general fishing industry and in gath
ering sponges for commercial purpos-
es; she has immense shipping in
terests, local, coastwise and foreign; |
and she has the most magnificent
natural harbor on the Gulf of Mex
leo, being, as it is, Is miles, with a |
channel from IL to miles wide,
with not less than 80 feet of water
and large areas over 40 feet deep.
This harbor would accommodate al
feet of the largest battleships in the
world, and would form a harbor of
refuge for the enormous commerce of
the Gulf of Mexico, and some idea
of the immensely of this commerce
may be cleaned from the statement
that at present there is an average of |
much more than 1000 vessels annual |
ly going through the Florida Straits. |
Possessed of all these and many other
advantages, among which is it's de-
lightful climate, the thermometer sell
dom registering above 80 in summer
and below SO in winter, Key West is
destined to become in the march of
progress one of the really great
cities of this continent and one of
the most important military posts in
all the world (Applause.)
Such is the city, Mr. Speaker,
which proposes to celebrate the COM
pletion of this great oversee railway
enterprise which links her with bands
of steel to the mainland of our com
mon country. She is peopled by 25,-
900 of as brave, loyal, hospitable,
.God-fearing, and patriotic American
citizens as can be found anywherel
within the broad domain of our!
great republic. (Applause) Prob
ably the first person to call the at
tention of the country to the fessi-
bility and desirability of a railroad to
|
! Mallory, ST., who was United States
senator from Florida and afterwards
Secretary of the Navy of the confed-
crate states. AS early as 1856, in the |
senate of the United States, Mr.. Nal
| Tory strongly advocated the construc-
ton of line of railroad from the
mainland of Florida across the keysl
to Key West as an urgent military
necessity. Nothing came of this,
however, until some So or 40 years.
Ater, when Henry M. Flagler came
upon the scene. 1 fear, Mr.. Speakersl
that we are usually too prone to wal
until the cold hand of death has beei
laid upon public benefactor befor1.
rendering him the need of praise
which is his just due. (Applause.) |
If Mr.. Flagler had not engaged in his |
Florida enterprises, but had continued |
to develop his untiring energies and !
| his great mind to accumulation of
money along the lines of business in |
which he had amassed his great for
tune, he might have become the rich
est man in all the world. That he
was content with the wealth he had
| acquired and seemed to be inspired !
with the high resolve to use it for the
benefit of humanity was greatly to
his credit and to the lasting benefit of |
Florida and the country at large. He
has by his investments added millions |
| of dollars to the taxable wealth of
Florida; he has given employment to |