Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-09-17
INTERCOASTAL
ENTHUSIASM
PEOPLE ALL UP VALLEY ENTER
EARNESTLY INTO PROJECT TO
EXTEND INTERCOAST CANAL
TO BRAZOS SANTIAGO.
SERIES OF MEETINGS THIS WEEK
SUCCEED IN RAISING FUNDS
PROMOTING PLANS TO PUSH
PROJECT TO SUCCESS.

4
The first meetings held in the Lower
Rio rande Valley towns in connection
with the proposition that is now up be-
fore the United States government to
extend the Intercoastal canal from Cor
pus Christi to Brazos Santiago and Har-
tlingen, indicate the enthusiasm that is
felt all along the valley over the project
4 series of meetings were held beginning
Monday night at San Benito. and ending
argest crowd attended.
William Doherty of Kingsville, by in
yitation, spoke at all the meetings. Ac-
companying him were Col. Alba Hey
wood. president of the new Booster Club.
stanley Watson. j. A. Graham. j. L.
Valentine and G.. s. Meadows of San
Benito and Lindsay Waters, l.. :. Ross
md NJ. v. Pendleton of Harlingen. all
prominent promoters of Valley develop
nent. After the first meeting was held
at San BenitO Monday night, the party
early Yesterday went to Harlingen and
he other Valley towns. including La
Feria. Mercedes, Donna, San Juan.
Pharr McAllen and Mission. making the
trip in four automobiles.
Referring to the purposes of these
meetings, Mr. Doherty. who is in Browns
ille today. said:
These meetings were held for the pur
roSe of financing that portion of the
vork of building the ntercoastal canal
p the VALLEY outside of the actual con
rtruction. The citizens will have to pro
note the proposition and to keep it alive
il the work progresses and a certain eX-
pense may be involved in this. There
ill he no salaries to he paid but it will
Ne necessary now and then to send men
70 the meetings of the Interc9astal Wat
nrways league. to send engineers to
Washington. or to buy stamps. letter
heads envelopes, etc.
1T was decided that the best method
70 handle this matter is to assess a GER
tain amount against each Of the Valley
owns. and | may say that we we're en-
'irely successful in the object of our
meetings The amounts were not great :.
for instance. we made an assessment of
80 against the town of La Feria. and
within five minutes after we had stated
our case the citizens there pledged $50
for the purposes we outlined.
I'VE needed certain amount of money
to carry on this work. but we may not
have to spend any money. and whatever
is left over we will return to each town
n a pro rata basis.
THE people of the Valley are very
much pleased with the proposition to
huld a canal down to their very doors,
md there is no doubt that when con-
strncted it will be Of more value to this
section than would the construction OF
\ new railroad I was very much sur
priSed at the interest manifested IN the
meetings. and it seemed that as the day
progressed the crowd became larger.
The cost of the extension of the In
trrcoastal canal firm its present ter
minus at Corpus Christi to BraZfs Sant
ago pass will cost in the neighbOrhoOd
of 81. $50 900. That amount is nothing
to what This state has paid to the sup
port of northern projects in the way OF
taxes in the past quarter OF century
We of this country have been digging
long enough: now let those fellows up
there dig while.
THE appropriation for the first twen-
tysix miles of the extension. from Cor
nus Christi TO Baffin Bay. will be put
thrcugh in January. and the extension
Will be well under way bv next June L
fully believe the canal will be completed
~ the Lower Rio Grande Valley in a
little more than two years.