Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-05
House and Senate Commit
tee. Vote> FavorabIy on
Measure to Build $751;
100000 Terminals There

OOOyOUO terminals Ihere
A decided victory for the proposed
state-owned and operated port
terminal as Savannah was won
Wednesday afternoon when the con-
stitutional amendments committees
of the house and senate took favor
able action on the house and senate
bills, which were introduced stimuli
taneously in the two branches, and
which were given a public hearing
by the two committees in joint seS-
sion.
The senate committee voted seven
to four to recommend to the senate
the passage of the bill, and the house
committee voted sixteen to five to
recommend to the house the pas
sage of the bill.
The bill submits to the people a
constitutional amendment author
ling a state bond issue of 100000
for the purpose of erecting state
owned and operated port terminals
at Savannah.
The hearing on the bill was held
by the constitutional amendments
committees of the house and senate
in joint session in the senate cham
Der at 2:30 Wednesday afternoon.
S. G. McLendon, secretary Of
state and chairman of the port COM
mission created by the legislature
| last year, presented to the commit
tees a general argument in favor
! of state-owned and operated termi-
oil Nd tn no
where the same should be located.
Both Cities Represented
A delegation of Savannah citizens
| presented arguments in favor of
locating the terminals at Savannah,
as recommended by F. w. Cowie, the
port engineer employed by the legis-
lative commission, and as recon-
mended also by the commission, and
as provided in the bill.
A delegation of Brunswick citizens
| presented arguments in favor of
! locating the terminals at Brunswick,
| because of the advantages claimed
for that city as deep water harbor.
The hearing was one of the most
spirited and interesting of the entire
session of the legislature, and
brought to light a keen competition
| between the two rival cities.
| Secretary McLendon's argument
was along general lines. He opened
with a description of Great Britain's
control of the basic facilities of the
| commerce of the world.
| England" said he, controls the
cable lines, the banking resources
| of the world, the shipping resources,
! the oil, the copper and other re-
sources. England is using the billions
loaned to her by the United States
during the war to make her posi-
ton more dominant than ever before.
| My judgment is that England within
three years will be buying our cot
| ton at 8 cents pound, unless we
| take steps to control the price"
He then read extracts from con-
| fidential documents which showed
| that Premier Lloyd George had di-
| rected the elimination of the names
! of General Pershing and General
| March from the British peerage con-
| tanned in Whitaker's almanac. lie
read from documents showing that
| England arranged the visits to this
country of Marshal Joffre, Marshal
@Foch, Cardinal MERCER, the King
| of Belgium and other plenipotentl-
aries of European governments for
| the purpose of diverting public at
| tention from English diplomatic
| aims, such as obtained the entrance
| of the United States into the war,
| and into the League of Nations after
! the war.
1--WE cannot restore the buying
mower of our farmers or the value
of our farm lands with cotton alone,
said he.
Edwards Speaks
| eve have got to do it with other
CROPS, and to make those crops prot
liable We have got to provide the
facilities for concentrating, storing
| and marketing them. The question
! of where to locate the state-oWned
| terminal is of secondary Importance,
but the question Of the terminal IT.
| self is of transcendent importance.
| No question before you approaches
it in importance. We have got to
place our farmers in position
where they can market their crops
| in an orderly manner, instead or
being Obliged to dump them on the
market in a limited time. at the
| mercy of the buyers. Unless you
perform this browning constructive
work for the agricultural interests
of your state, some other legislature
is going to do it and get the credit
| for it."
Charles G. Edwards, former con-
gresham, now a lawyer Of SaVan-
nah, opened the argument for Sa-
vannah. He stressed the point that
| there was no outspoken opposition
to the proposal of a state-owned port
terminal, and that the only question
raised was one of location. Assum-
! ing that such a terminal is needed
and should be built. to place the
state of Georgia in her rightful posi-
ton, the question next to be consld-
cred, he said, is the one of location.
| On this point he cited many facts
| in support of Savannah. To argue
| her distance from the sea is Of no
consequence, he declared, since New
Orleans is 10 miles from the sea,
Philadelphia is $50 miles, Bremen is
| so miles, London is 60 miles, and
other great ports are not on the
sea but removed from the sea a
greater distance than Savannah,
which is only IS miles removed.
| There is a vast difference, he de-
clared, between a harbor and port.
| Some Of the best natural harbors on
! the Atlantic seaboard have develop
ed no commerce, while other har-
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