The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-06-15
LETTER FROM SEN
ATOR SIMMONS.

Senator Simmons has sent the
following statement to Editor
Harris of the Charlotte Chronicls
tt will be of interest to readers of
The Hustler:
May 20. 1911
Mr.. Wade FL. Harris,
Charlotte, N. G.
My Dear Mr.. Harris-In an edi-
:orial in your issue Of Friday,
May 10Th, which was called to my
attention today, you say that re
lcrts are beng cire lated that |
I'm into ,~,.sd wi u Senator Lori
mer in some big land deals in
Eastern North Carolina. Fur
Their that he % is interested with
Lorimer in some western land
deals" You very kindly add
that ''The Chronicle takes rs
stock in such talk, but it wants
Senator Simmons to speak for
himself and it believes he will &c
So"
] am glad you have given pub
hcity through the columns OF
your paper to these unfounded
statements, because it gives me az
opportunity to answer them.
| wish to say to you and through
You to the people of North Caro-
lima that it is not true that 1 an
interested with Senator Lorime1
in any land deal in Eastern NortI
Carolina, nor am | interested
with him In any western lanG
deals. | have never had a business
transaction with him in my life. !
own no interest with him in any
property of any kind and ncyei
have.
l presume these rumors or re
ports have grown out of the fact
that Senator Lormier and Mr..
Lowden, a son-in-law of Georg
E. Pullman, together with Ger
tain other western gentlemen, a
a result of conversation with n
and Investigations made by theF
through the agricultural depart
ment as to swamp and overflow
ed lands in Eastern North Care
lima at different times during t.
past winter, either in pers
or through their representative
visited and caused to be exam
med quite a number of tracts O
swamp and pocosin lands lvine
in the eastern part of the state,
including. several large tracts
owned by the John Z. Rooper Com
pany and the lands of M1ikinso.
brothers near Belhaven, about
which so much has been written
In the North Carolina papers.
also a tract of pocosin swamp land
lying near New Bern in which
Mr.. Thomas d. Warren and Mr..
A. d. Ward own an interest.
But these gentlemen as a re-
suit of their investigation did
not find any land which was suff-
GENTLY attractive to them as an
investment, and there the whole
matter ially ended.
Mr.. Lorimer and MI. Lowden
were led to investigate these
lands largely as the result of my
statements to them as to their
fertility. cheapness and the feast
bility of their reclamation to adj
vantage. Mr.. Lowden is a man
of large fortune as / understand
and Mr.. Lorimer is at the head
Of one of the largest construction
and drainage corporations in the
west.
This matter first became a sub
iect of conversation and discus
sion between Mr.. Lorimer arr
myself in connection with ouv
| duties as members of the National
Waterways Commission, which
has to do with drainage as well
as navigation, and the fact that
/ knew of his large interest in the
subject Of drainage.
For some time / have been
deeply interested in the drainage
of our Eastern North Carolina
swamp lands, having attended
and addressed conventions called
for the purpose of considering
that subject, which I believe to be,
outside of good roads, the most
important question now before
the people of my section of the
state. L have not only done
everything / could to promote
this drainage movement both by
agitation and endeavoring to in
duce capital to invest in these
swamp lands and reclaim them.