The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-06-18
PENsAcoLA's RioHTs.

PENSANOt-SNO uS0uJ -
There are two hundred ships a
day plying in the gulf. How many Of
them are using your port?" This was
one of the questions put to the bust
ness men OF Pensacola by Henry n.
Reed, Of the Meridinol Publishing
Company, at the city hall on Tuesday
evening.
This question gets at the very crux
of the port business: How many Of
the ships which are plying the gulf
use this port, and why is it that more
of that two hundred do not use this,
acknowledged to be the best port in
the South on the gulf.
The report Of the meeting at the city
hall said that "the speaker was
cheered and a vote of thanks extend
ed him" A good many other speakers
who have come to Pensacola have been
cheered and votes OF thanks have been
extended them. Then they have gone
their way and we have gone ours-and
the marine trade has gone in the op-
posite direction.
what we need today Is action. We
Ihaye talked too much about what
Pensacola has and what 1t needs. We
know that 1t has: The best port in
the South. We know what 1t needs for
that development: Municipal docks.
Then what is the use Of having public
meetings to call attention to what
we have and what we need. unless we
intend to go out after them and get
them?
We have been talking municipal
docks for Pensacola for the past ten
years. Had we put our beautiful the
cries into practice ten years ago our
growth during the past decade would
probably have been fifty per cent in
stead of thirty-five per cent.
The tremendous increase in the pop
ulation of New Orleans and it's grow
ing commercial Importance. which
ranks it as the second port in the Unit
ed States. is due more than anything
| else to public docks.
Mr.. Reed declared that Pensacola is
known as 'Mr. Smiths port" and that
lit is said that 1t is "sewed up" by the
railroads. He declared that the
building of municipal docks and ex-
tensive advertising OF these docks
would show to the world that Pensa-
cola had set out to be free port. Mr..
Reed declared that Houston would
give $5,00o,ooo for such a port as PEN
sacola.
All of these things are true.
Houston has made her port against
great handicaps. Jacksonville and Mo-
bile, both situated on rivers, with adj
vantages which do not compare to
those of PENSACOLA, are forging ahead
of US.
Pensacola is the third city of the
state. BY every right of natural adj
vantage. she ought to be the first city
| in Florida in population and COM
merce.
Lately there has been much talk of
the proximity of this port to the steel
and coal of Alabama and Tennessee.
But unless we utilize these advantages.
of what value are they?
While we are holding meetings and
passing resolutions and telling one
another and the world about our won
derful natural advantages. and max
ing speeches about the crying need of
a municipal dock. Mobile and jack
sonville and Tampa are laying their
plans to take away from us the trade
that we have. as well as going out
after the trade that we are constantly
assuring ourselves is "rightfully ours"
No trade is rightfully ours unless we
go out and take it by main force.
That is what the other fellows are
doing. That is what Mr.. Reed meant
when he recommended that men
should be sent into the sphere OF trade
to solicit business to be handled
through the port Of Pensacola"
But it is useless to send these men
out until we can tell the world that
we have public docks which cannot be
juggled by any private individual or
any corporate interests. When we can
go out to the trade centres and tell
business men that we can meet them
here in Pensacola on an equal footing
with other ports, then and then only
shall we come into our own mad have
those rights" of which we so FREE
quently boast.