The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-08-11
WATERWAY IS
PRESSING
en- Mullen Gives Data of Much
Pertinent Interest
Of MANIFOLD BENEFIT
!, -, vsmeot viii Relieve Congestion Of
-" p,;l,osd Traffic Government Must
Aid in important Project
Towson, Md, Aug. |, 1911

% %Sa Improvement of the internal
! inr of the United States for
s .ammsrcia purposes along the entire
s ssa~th If the Atlantic Seaboard from
p Uns; snd. Maine, to Key West, Florida,
i .a from the sea-shore of the Atlantic
!, .at The ,sV sea. shore of the Pacific. And
, % natural waters are legal public
s the artificial waters should
K pntirely under the control OF our
National Government. because our
National Navigation Laws should APP
nIv TO all the waters within our Jurls-
Estioo All the States of our Ameri-
~" Union should surrender their water
vahts TO the United States, in order
NAT we NAV have a uniform system of
hws Asour Interstate commerce laws
sovsrn the movement of freights over
,s'ilroads traversing our country from
md to end, 50 our navigation laws
.houM in like manner govern our inter
,tste waters, and the Improvement of
these waters for commercial purposes
,of such Importance to the people that
mr. National Congress should enact
hvs authorizing our government co
squire entire control OF our inland
waters and improve them wherever
,here Is great need of such improve
msnt because commercial waterway
pntroled by the Government acts as a
governor does on a steam engine-it
regulates the speed and power of the
mUiue. In like manner the commercial
wtsrwavs regulate the power of rail
roads to overload the people with ex-
tortonate rates. And as the writer
views it, there is no State in the Union
which stands more in need Of safe
and sure line of internal water trans
prtation than the State of Florida
And this is particularly true of the east
coast of Florida. The Gulf Coast has
many fine, deep water harbOrs, where
vessels Of heavy draft may enter and
engage in transportation, besides the
West Coast has competing lines OF
nikoads, while the East Coast has no
competing line, or no deep water har-
Dor from Jacksonville, Florida, to Mi
imi, distance Of four hundred miles.
The passenger, freight and express
business is entirely in the grasp of the
Florida East Coast railroad and the
Southern Express Company. and these
sorpOrations are taking undue advan-
age Of the people by charging eX-
brilliant rates on freight, passenger
tnd express service. the past winter
nd spring the road proved entirely in
adequate to care for the traffic over its
hne. The whole service seemed to be
oemoralzed and not competent to
handle the business of the East Coast
With any degree of certainty. The
silter had to wait five hours at the
aderent stations along the route wait
ng for trains, and this delay was of
hly occurrence, and furthermore We
Wv three freight trains said to be
Saded with perishable goods laying on
zoe sldetracks I've were told) five days.
We also learned from people in those
eetlons that the railroad company
Would lose million dollars this past
INTER and spring because of it's failure
@deilver the goods in good order at
we northern markets. We also learn
from merchants and business men
mat the railroad officials refused to
scelVe any order for goods or ship
n:nls until they could dispose of the
STIMULATED freights.
AZ the present time we have no
Seans OF knowing the loss sustained by
'sIMers and truck growers, who we
xs5e told let their produce rot in their
~ because they could not find a way
Eng them to m lrket, and the re-
swas that those poor people, who
~ least afford it, lost their years
amg, but yet We know that those
suner by extortionate rates and
0sqaate service cannot help them.
H, out must submit to condition
=" tends to beggar the people of
East Coast of Florida. Indeed
Two corporations-the Florida
TOAST railroad and the Southern
~ Se Nompany-are hanging like a
VI death over the entire eastern
sol Florida. The question arises,
ss'e no remedy for this condition.
Is only one legal. permanent
nat we can see, and that is let
s,, enact law authorizing and
ssns our Government to acq lire,
tuct and maintain a free inland
N route from Fernandina to Key
eu.lrely independent of any State
r,~!atlon control. But friends OF
;sca East Coast railroad and the
s OF the company will say, at
;es s1 this East Coast waterway
%hssllere with their line and take
business away from them, besides
T"i say that Mr. FIagler, who
sva t1e East Coast Railway, by
Psnolture of vast sums of money,
~ me East Coast of Florida and