The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1920-08-25

ship at the request Of the Presi-
lent that the railroads, telegraph
telephone and cable lines were
turned over to the government
during the war.
While serving as Chairman of
this Committee l discovered that
the lack of growth of the COM
merce of the Southern ports in
comparison with the Eastern and
Northern ports was not due to
natural causes but to the dis
elimination of the railroads in
their rates to the various ports
and the discrimination of the
government in the matter Of ap-
preparations for dry docks and
harbor improvements since the
Civil War. The country does not
realize that the government in
the last so years has expended
for naval stations and harbor
improvements north Of Hatteras,
a distance of roughly $50 miles,
nearly $700,000,000, while south
of Hatteras, distance of over
1000 miles, only $7O,O0O,O0O.
The North Atlantic has 9 dry
docks; the South Atlant, and
Gulf has one, a small e, at
Charleston. During the past
session Of Congress two bills
were introduced by Republican
eSnators which would discon-
tinuc the appropriation for the
deepening of the channel at
Charleston, and the construction
of a tremendous dry dock at
that place. 1t was by my efforts
in the Senate that. these bills
, were not pressed and the work
in Charleston is now going on.
While | was Chairman of the
Interstate Commerce Committee
and the railroads were under the
control of the government, | in
stituted and led the fight with
other Southern Senators for an
equalization Of import, export
and domestic rates with other
sections of the country. I was
successful in this fight.
Since the roads have been re-
turned to private ownership they
have sought to re-cstablish the
old discriminatory rates against
Southern ports. intend to keep
on with the fight to prevent this
and at the Democratic National
Convention | wrote and had in
corporated in the platform that
plank which pledges the party to
stand for equality Of rates, both
import and export, for the ports
OF the country, to the end that
there might be adequate and fair
facilities and rates for the mob
ilization of the products of the
country offered for shipment.
The equalization of freight rates,
import, export and domestic, and
equal harbor facilities mean
more than anything else in the
reJuvenation and expansion of
the direct foreign trade of
Southern manufactures and
southern products through
Southern ports. I have taken
leading part in securing the al
location of ships by the Shipping
nave had considerable success.
With the increase in our for
algn trade, the South will be able
to take advantage of the oppor-
tunltles offered, with it's consc-
quent prosperity. It is not gen
orally knwon that most of the
larger cities of the Middle West
are closer to the port of Charles
ton and other Southern ports
than to the port of New York.
In this connection, while dis
cussing transportation. I might
say that while ranking member
of the Postofficc and Post Roads
Committee, l coilaboratcd and
fought through with Senator
Bankhcad and t'Ho,'3 the Good
Roads Act which ar3ropriatcd
$500, 900, 900 for the government
to cooperate with the States in
the construction of good roads.
The construction Of good roads is
one of the greatest needs which
confront the people Of this State
as we'll as the country at large,
ana l pledge myself for the fu-
ture as in the past, to fight for
any proper measure which will
lead to the construction Of better
roads.
One Of the very many evils
that resulted from the Civil War
was our financial condition under
the Banking and Currency Act
of 1868. This system was in eff
feet up to the time Of the
present Democratic Administra-
ton. Panics were frequent and
the victims Of these panics were
the weak and unbcfricndcd. In
1913 was passed the Federal Re-
serve Act, the greatest construc-
tive piece Of legislation enacted
since the Civil War. This Act,
together with the Farm Loan
Act, was passed by virtue of
direct personal appeal Of Prcsi-
dent Wilson to representative
and senator's who we're friendly
tO him With fhic ,,o,,,,,.o ~.