The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-05-03
GOVERNORS AND
MAYORS TO MEET
AT CONFERENCE
Governors and Mayors Of the Valley
States and Cities to Gather
At New Orleans Next
Week,

st. Louis, Mo-, April %, - A special
conference of the governors and may
ors of the Mississippi Valley states
and municipalities has been called by
the Mississippi Valley Association as
part Of the program to be followed
during the associations third annual
convention, to be held at New Orleans,
May 2, 3, and 4, Fl. H. Merrick, presi-
dent fthe Valley Association an
nounced today. The purpose Of the
special conference, Merrlck states, is
to align these public officials in inter-
of correlated effort for valley CONNER
cial and economic development.
Invitations have been sent to all
governors and mayors of the twenty
seven valley states. and responses sig
nifying their intention of attending the
special conference have been received
from many of these officials, Merrick
says.
The general plan of the conference
will be to place before these governors
and mayors, the various individual eff
forts and aims of each community or
states, in order that the valley officials,
as a whole, may lend their support
and influence towards securing
realization of these efforts. BY this
method, Merrick states, rapid strides
can be made in bringing about the OBJ
jectives sought by individual commun-
tiles initially, through the Influence
and support Of the entire valley in in
terest Of these detectives. Merrick
points out that the bringing together
of the governors and mayors will
prove valuable asset to the Associa-
tons efforts for Valley development,
which is now being carried on largely
by the Chambers Of Commerce, agri-
cultural organizations, and individual
business and agricultural interests.
reterests, represented in the member
ship of the organization. He gives it
as his opinion, that the need of organ
ICED valley effort is imperative, If this
territory Is to develop to the fullest
extent, commercially, and cites the
special conference of the mayors and
governors as part Of gigantic plan
now being carried on by his associa-
ton to secure concerted valley-wide
effort in interest Of the needs Of this
territory,
Inevitably, the persistent voice of
organized groups is heard and needed,
while the fainter voices Of the unor-
ganized masses often passes unheeded
for long periods" Merrick says.
To-day, there are 54,OOO,0OO people
in the regiou we call the great valley.
Theer are great cities, factories, OF
every kind, and theer is the equipment
necessary to the carrying on Of prac-
tically every enterprise required.
think what remarkable power
these $4,000 900 people will eventually
be, banded together with the one
thought in mind of working to see that
the territory of which they are vital
part is assured of every possible OBJ
iective of benefit to the valley rs a
whole. That this power will be sufli-
cient to assure the valleys complete
development, is evidenced in the fact
that 54,O0O,00O population represents
in Excess of one-half the voting
strength Of the entire country"
The practicability Of organized ef-
fort to forestall sectional discrimina-
ton, is pointed out by Merrick in the
following statement:
There is now, and long has been,
distinct effort on the part of the trans
continental railroads to force valley
commerce, which seeks to use the
Panama Canal to reach the Pacific
Coast of the United States, to pay
domestic freight rate from point OF
origin to shipside in southern ports.
In this way these transcontinental
railroads hope to prevent the valley
from using the Panama Canal In
large way. The same freight moving
from tn esame point Of origin to the
same ports for export to foreign coun-
tries pays an export rate on the haul
from the interior to the port, and this
is on a parity with competitive North
Atlantic ports. 1t is the purpose OF
the valley citizenry to use every avail
able influence and power in prevent
ing such discrimination against the
valleys transportation lines OF low
natural resistance and the use OF the
Panama Canal"
The convention Of the Mississippi
Valley Association is expected to
bring together for concerted thought
and action, the industrial and agri-
cultural leaders Of the Valley terri
tory, Merrick states. Approximately