The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-04-19
.aKMAN AND THE WiTHLA-
cocHEE RIVER


our editorial in the Weekly Ban
|l0F NJ April 18th, 1912, is filled with
many subjunctive errors as to
,s and the law applicable to the
~ Z - 40 that it MAKES said editorial al.
Sta. !, unintelligible, and misleading
great many of your readers.
rhe facts are that the Withlacoo-
~ cu<s. IL river was a navigable stream
I'M Pemberton's Ferry, now Groom,
~DN4% its mouth for many years. That
aiming ps Of various So. capacity an. and ton
II points on said river, loading fruit
- IA other freight at various landings
t@E1 ,ng said river and that it has not
fesf:,,. en- very long since boats have gone
om Tampa up TO the Panasoffkee
-Fon tet.
- Your editorial as TO the power and
sties of the engineers is also mis-
Ie infs> 81 aiding. and is a mere subterfuge to
hvone who knows the powers of
80 u engress over navigable waters. In
Fln..4 IL main the reports resultant from
IL examination of the so-called engi-
PIofft <eers are founded upon very per-
|r,:-.. Xunctory work and surveys, and often
open contradiction to physical
cis known to every Florida crack
r. living along and near said river
q The Now, the writer of this is a Spark
han man, and will vote for Spark
Il c.. han. but your editorial is not calcu-
lated to be of any service in securing
r~A rotes for Sparkman, but on the con-
IL trary only discovers want of proper
Information, and if it is not this, then
niece of premeditated humbuggery,
With a dynamic intensity of the lam
'ssssA suage on the syllable Hum"
The editorial in question was far
nm from being a subterfuge, nor was it
III| intended as a piece of premeditated
VVl1 humbuggery, but was intended to give
III the facts as they exist, or are sup
posed to exist, along the Withlacoo-
chez river and this paper stands
squarely upon the merits of it's edi-
torial.
AS some of our readers may not
call it to mind we reprint it:
Nh. I'VE understand that some of the
xsnst settlers on the upper Withlacoochee
'IN| river are opposed to Congressman
Sparkman because he has secured
appropriations for the lower and not
the upper, portion of this river
1T ougth to be, if it is not general
" understood, that the appropria-
lent tons for our rivers and harbors are
made only as the reports of the Unit
.e- ed States engineers are made If the
s6ac. engineers report against a PROPOSE
Is oil ton 1t is almost impossible to secure
fnyM an appropriation in opposition to
' ~ their report for the reason that they
are supposed to be experts, and are
ers Ii supposed to have made careful sur
es VI vey and an examination, and what
Ann they say generally goes with the COM
- mittee who have not the time nor the
necessary preparation to give to in
vestigatiOns of this nature-so they
rely upon the reports of the eng
neers. Rarely is an appropriation
made over their heads.
rI.sI Then, too, in the improvement of
~" rivers, work is begun at the mouth
and not at it's source
However much the source may be
improved, if the mouth or entrance
to the same is unnavigable, the deep
- ening of the source of the river, so
Oil far as gulf or ocean navigation is
concerned, is money uselessly expend-
I ed, and outgoing traffic is the bust
0 - ness of the government.
psrX This, at least is the view the engi-
neers take of it, and the committee
In Is controlled by their reports.
nse When however, the entrance to
lIN river is improved the work gradually
OF extends upwards until the source OF
the river is finally reached and deep
~ ened if its navigation is such as to
vrI warrant it. and this in time will be
the history of the Withlacoochee.
IF any man in the world is in a po-
sition to secure an appropriation for
II that man is Congressman Spark
man. He is chairman of the rivers
and harbors committee, and is entire
= ~ friendly to this proposition and
= some of the very best friends he has
" on earth are living up and down this
romantic and historic stream.
I We must learn patience. Rome
II was not built in a day. Congressman
Sparkman is giving much considera-
ton to all the rivers and .harbors in
this state, and will secure just as