Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-07-23
OTHER SPEACHES
AT CANAL RALLY
SEC'Y O'BRIEN DECLARES
BROWNSVILLE HEARTILY IN FAN-
OR OF WATERWAY IMPROVE
MEN TFOR THE VALLEY.
POINTS OUT GREAT ADVANTAGES
HERE WITH WATER TRANSPOR-
TATION-FUND STARTED FOR
ORGANIZATIONS.

Below is given a resume Of further
proceedings at the lntercoaStal Canal
rally held at Harlingen Monday, a syn
opsis Of other speeches that were deliv
cred being given.
The speaker succeeding Mr.. Sprague
Of San Benito. was Secretary O'Brien of
the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce.
Mr.. O'Brien stated that he had been
delegated by the Brownsville Chamber
of Commerce to attend the meeting and
to assure those present that the Organi
zatiOn of which he had the honor to be
secretary stood ready to do everything
in its power to further the movement
for the extension of the lntercoastai
Canal and the improvement of the Ar
rOyO to H%arlingen. He stated that while
Brownsville did not hope for any direct
benefit from the CONSTRUCTION of the In
tercoastal Canal he realized that the
destinies of Brownsville and the Rio
Grande Valley were so closely and in
separately interviewer that whatever
would benefit the Valley o. any town
therein must of necessity prove beneti-
cial to Brownsville. and that on the
other hand. any advancement made by
Brownsville was certain to prove bene
fetal to the Valley. He reminded his
hearers that the Valley was a long dis
tance from the markets of the country
that il costs money to build railroads
that money is required to maintain them
and that money is needed to operate them
that. the only commodity they have fOI
sale is transportation and it must be
sold at a profit. He declared that those
who Invested their money i'll railroads
were entitled to some returns and in
many eases the results were d%iSappoint
ing, considering all Of which it was OBJ
vious that we would continue to pay
high freight rates so long as we depend
ed exclusively upon the railroads To
furnish transportation.
After having referred to the many adj
vantagcs with which God had blessed
this favored section. Mr.. O'Brien stated
he was convinced that the day was not
far distant when the Arroyo would be
navigable to the very spot on which he
stood, when he would see the products
of the Valley loaded in barecs and ear
ried down stream to Il connection with
the Intercoastal Canal via which it would
move to shipside at Brazos Santiago
where the establishment of a deep water
point is certain and which by reason of
its close proximity. would place the Val.
ley in a position to realize the maximum
Of benefit TO be derived from the open
ing of a waterway to Harlingen. He
stated that with the improvement of
it's waterways the Valley would become
a great manufacturing center; that the
oil fields of Mexico would furnish an
abundant supply of cheap fuel which
would be transported by water at a low
rate; that we would have cotton factor
les. canning factories and packing hous-
es and instead Of importing the neces-
sites of life by the carload we would
export them by the ship load.
Col. Alba Haywood of San Benito
stated he had not come prepared to
make a speech on so important a matter
for the reason that he had not been no
titled he would be called upon to do so.
but that he had been in hearty sympathy
with the movement from its incipiency
and stood ready to do everything i'm his
power to further this or any other I'M
dertaking calculated to give this favored
section additional transportation facil
tiles and cheaper freight rates. That