Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1916-09-23
BORDER ROAD UP
TO STATE, SAYS
WAR SECRETARY
BELIEVES MILITARY HIGHWAY
WOULD COME WITHIN PROVISIONS
OF NEW FERERAL AID LAZY.
SENATOR MORRIS SHEPPARD SENDS
BORDER CITIZENS COPIES OF
LETTERS ON THE SUBJECT.

parl J. keeping alive the proposition Of the
military highway alon the border from the
Gull of Mexico M lca~. ID FL Paso and per
haps 10 the Pacific coast, j. indicated by
a recent exchange OF letters in Washington.
copies Of which have been sent to border
residents interested in the highway, and
which follow:
Senator Sheppard has sent The following
communication n 2 number of citizens
along the Rio Grande md to commercial
EXAMINATIONS throughout Texas regarding
the proposed border military highway:
"Soon after ny senatorial service he
ran 7 introduced q hill for a survey To de-
terrnine the ACCESSIBILITY of constructing a
military highway along the Rio Grande
from Brownsville 10 FL PaSo.
1.-THE hD was favorablv reported by the
senate military affairs committee in The
last congress. but did not pass. The bill
was re!ntroduced during the present con-
greSs and | directed the matter To the at
tention of the president. The president re-
ferred my letter 10 the secretary Of war
and wrote ne n follows August 3. 1916.
HsstA H. " tht 'tAi1AIlN VI wei
in reference 70 the highway:
my Dear Senator: ! took the liberty
Of scrdirg vour letter Of june 20 to the
secretary Of war with n request for his
advice. and I send Won herewith n copy Of
his answer for vour consideration. II
seems to me that there j. a great deal Of
if The hest ;rstr7mentalitv, aftertashrd
force in what he SAYS and ! am wondering
if the best in-trumentality. after all. i not
that which he suggests.
The letter from the secretary Of war TO
the r~eeidcr. ~as as follows:
"Mv Deer Nr. President: 7 return here
with the letter and enclosures from SEN
ator Shpnparl. forwarded "a me Iunc &c.
lo16. with the request for my advice as
~ > proposed highway along the Rio
Grandc.
''Thc senator states that during the last
CONGRESS- the war department took the po-
eit'on tlai u wos not necessary from .
mi'itnrv standno'nt. hut il II entirely pos
eitlo that = different view of the matter
win "a taken nov.
"Thc views of the war department were
cvproesed II y 'n''or - Hon. John VI Gar
nor ". C.. dated November -. 1915. n
follows:
~ think y very noSSihlc that the bus
moss of the '~oarsrv and enumeration de-
nnrtmont- a10r~ the Rio Grandc might he
Facilitated ~ hcttor commercial roads
than nov exist thore hui rngardin~ the
matter of construction Of erch 2 road fror'
the military WON'T alone II u not hplicveI
fh"' Inn ro""-s'tv for any probable mill
tow ore~"''ooS or that tho convenience
resulting from its construction for snch
operations would be sufficiently Great 10
warrant thn war department in asking for
il - a military measure
"Thc department has not changed it,
opinion - expressed above.
"lf"- "" Irlv ~ 1916. there wa
"rn~'el lv he Sivfv-forrth cor~resS r
"a extend fhn aid of the United States
IN The states in the construction of rural
post roads and fcr other purposes. IT,"
r0. 'r--''"n NJ ? highway along the nortr
hn-t - -ro - erode might come withir
The n-nvi-inr~ Yf i''- nr' Such \ rooT
world cvist along orr south border. II
would r-ntn oacin- Tho efficient natrolino
Of the border and the PROMPT reinforce
'Nert- NJ fh~oatrned nointS. A more zen
o~al ~-r MI MOTOR transformation with the
CONSEQUENT saving in number of troons en-
~'o~~' 0~d cro~'ar results IN cfiricncv
woula be possible.
9Th" i-i~-o-t~ NJ the United Sfaie~ II