Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-04-14
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
MORE ABOUT THE SHIP CHAN
MEL RESOLUTION.
Editor Herald:

and space again. In your issue of
March Il you published a communication
from Mr.. Stegman that reflects upon my
veracity which / can not suffer to pass
unchallenged. But before, replying, /
have taken the time to get such facts in
the case as will settle. this controversy,
which has never been of my seeking.
AS to the origin of the ship channel
project, it is so well known to the read
ers Of your paper that it seems folly to
discuss it further. But, Mr.. Stegman
quotes a resolution passed by the board
of directors of the Chamber of Commerce,
to the effect that they authorized the APP
preparation of funds, to secure maps,
etc, so as to show the feasibility of the
channel from the Pass to Brownsville.
No one has ever questioned the fact. or,
so far as l know, the ACCESSIBILITY of this
action. If this was quoted to show the
origin of the project, it will be rcmcm-
bered by all our citizens that this pur-
pose was incorporated in the Organiza-
ton of the Waterways Association a
year before this action of the Chamber Of
Commerce and had been advocated by
myself for nearly two years before that
time. The action of the Chamber of
Commerce in turning this project over
to a private corporation was criticised at
the time, and it was to this, that excep-
ton was taken in my previous cOmmuni
cation, when / said that Mr.. Stegman
was prominently connected with this
private enterprise. This he admits in
these words, Later it was decided by
the Chamber of Commerce to place the
project in the hands of private parties
to push it, which was done and ended
in the formation of the Brownsville
Ship Channel Association" On this
point, the, he cOnfesses judgment, as
he is admittedly one of the prime movers
of this private enterprise.
His next statement raises a question
of fact. He says: In regard to Mr..
Hallam's resolution, asking the govern
ment to extend the intercOastal canal to
Brownsville: This resolution was killed
in the resolution committee, and so re
ported before the convention" / can not
afford in justice to myself, the Browns
Vile Waterways Association, which sent
me to PalaciOs to secure the adoption of
that resolution, or the people of Browns
vile, to let that statement pass unchal-
lenged.
If his statement is true that my resO-
luton was killed in the committee, | have
been informed by a number of reliable
gentlemen that he has boosted that he
helped to kill it. Are the people tc I'M
derstand from this, that he is opposed to
the government building this channel and
making it a part of the great intercOast-
al system? Does he not want this chan
mel, or is he simply opposed to the gov
eminent building it? Beaumont and
Houston have burdened themselves with
a heavy bonded Indebtedness to get the
help of the government to build their
channels, but in opposing, or rather
helping to kill my resolution, he places
himself in the attitude Of OppOsinga free
gift by the government to obtain what
other sections are striving for, and will
ing to pay for. Is that something for a
citizen of Brownsville to boast of? Is
it possible that he and his associates are
so wrapped in their private enterprise
asrtO oppose that which would be of such
i~ncalculable benefit to Brownsville, as
he has shown in other communications
OH the subject. If this be true, to para
phrase the language of Brutus, he
might well say, Not that l love Browns
Vile less-but'-I leave the reader to fill
tho post Of thp Sontpnco
But is his statement correct? Let me
submit the facts, as given by members of
the resolution committee, and one other
that as a delegate was present.
Lindsay Waters, of Harlingen, secre-
tary of the Rio Grandc and Coast Asso-
citation, who was a member of that com
mittee from Harlingen, under date of
March "A, writes me as follows:
Mr.. S. X. Hallam,
Brownsville, Texas.
Dear Sir:
Replying to yours of March -,
l have not seen the correspondence
i'm the Brownsville Herald to which
you referred, so that l can state
from memory what happened at Pa
%laciOs, without prejudice.
/ served, as you will remember, on
the resolution committee, and we had
before us two resolutions from
Brownsville, one introduced by your
self and one by Mr.. Stegman. My
particular attention was called to
your resolution on account of Mr..
Stegman proposing a change in its
wording while in committee. TO this