The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-10-30

| SouthernerS Insist This Section Has
Been Neglected Long Enough. 1t
Would Bring Their Waste Land In
to Productive Use.
The Washington correspondent of
the New York Herald writes that pa
per that the south and the west are
going to the mat over reclamation
when congress meets. These two
growing sections of the union are
jealous, each fearing that the other
will get more to develop her resour-
ces. Continuing, the Herald writer
says:
Southern states have just come to a
full realization OF the Importance of
bringing their waste lands into good
use, Last season more than $1,000,000
worth OF peaches were harvested and
sold from sand hills that could have
been purchased for less than ST an
acre twenty years ago, when the Pine
hurst and Southern Pines regions of
North Carolina commenced to devel-
op into winter resorts and fruit or
chards. Members of congress from the
South Atlantic states assert that they
have stood by the west for decades in
their irrigation and other similar prof.
ects and now they will demand some
thing in return or cause a row.
The reclamation policy is sectional,
according to southerners, who say it,
has been made so by selfish interests
in the west. Vast sums of money have
been appropriated from the United
States treasury for irrigation schemes
that have not been successful. The
irrigation project representatives from
the south charge, is the pork barrel''
of the western members of the senate
and house.
South Long Dormant.
1t has been pointed out here that
in the past the sentiment of the south
on this subject had been dormant,
whereas now it was active and crystal
izing. Any proposition for money for
such one-sided programs as those OF
the past will be aggressively resisted.
Mild protests against special favors
for settling the arid and semi-arid
lands of western states in the way of
funds from the public account have
been made, but now the opposition is
to be stout and determined.
The slogan of the southern advocate
of reclamation is: you shall not have
the funds for your projects unless you
help US to develop our section of the
country
Twenty years ago some sort OF an
agreement was reached between west
I'D Of
on reclamation projects, but one end
of the bargain was never carried out,
Southern congressman claim that af-
ter the westerners got what they
sought by their support in congress
they left them to dig out of the house
and senate anything they might find
for swamp land drainage,
1t is stated now that approx
mately $140000,000 has been expend-
ed by the government in reclamation
and settlement work in the west and'l
the citizens of the south, as well as
those OF other sections, are paying
AZ per cent interest annually on the
portion OF that sum which has not
been repaid by western settlers who
have benefited by the federal aid and
works.
To further the plans of southerners
to get 4 Square DEAL" or their share
of the so-ca1led pork a conference
has been called for November 70 to
p, inclusive, at New Orleans, under
the auspices of the Southern Settle
ment and Development Organizations,
Florida and Mississippi Boards. the
Southern Pine Association and New
Orleans commercial bodies to con
slider all phases and problems concern
ed in land reclamation, utilization and
settlement in the country"
Will Seek New Compromise.
Special attention will be given to
the utilization and settlement of cut
over lands of the south, as well as the
arid and semi-arid lands of the west
The west has been invited to part1cl-
pate. One more effort to bring about
a real working agreement between the
south and west will be made. IT this
fails then the threatened fight in con-
gress will go forward.
The south has succeeded in attract
ing western farmers to some OF its
cheap lands. In statement issued, A.
B. Genung, economist of the depart
ment of agriculture, said: There is
some revival of the movement OF
western farmers to eastern farms, pre-
sumab1y because of the attraction OF
lower land prices"
This movement has added to the
jealousy existing between the two
farming sections.