Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-03-23
GARNER URGES
VALLEY UNITY
WATERWAY
Location of Valley
Port Dope ends On
Engineers Report,
Congressman Says

HARLINGEN, March 23.-De-
claring he is confident President
Hoover will advocate a Si00000,000
waterway program, Congressman
John N. Garner, speaking at the
Harlingen auditorium Friday night,
urged the people of the Lower Rio
Grande Valley to eliminate sec
tional differences and get together
on the intracoaStal anal program.
There is no division on this
subject; you merely miSunderStand
each other" Garner said. Il am
confident the Valley is going to
have both the intracoastal canal
and deep water. IL will be five
years before the canal can be COM
pleted, and it is destined to handle
an immense tonnage between the
Lower Rio Grande country and the
inland markets which line that
greatest of all waterway projects,
the Mississippi system"
Garner stated that he introduced
the original bill for an intracOaStal
canal on the Texas coast s)me 25
years ago. II am married TO thai
project" he said.
Relative to deep water he said:
81 am going to put an appropria-
ton for deep water in the next riv-
ers and harbors bill. 1 don't know
where the harbor will be located.
That will be governed by the re-
port Of the army engineers, but you
can rest assured that harbOr will
serve the entire Valley"
Garner Given Ovation
The meeting, which had been
called for the purpose of discussing
the status of the coast canal pro-
ject and which had been preceded
by barbecue at the fair grounds,
was called to order by R. T. Stuart
of Harlingen.
Speakers preceding Congressman
Garner were John H. Shary, chair
man Of the Valley section Of the
Intracoastal Canal association; Al
Parker, member of the board of di-
rectors; B. M. Holland, Harlingen
banker, and County Judge o. G.
Dancy
Congressman Garner received an
ovation when called to address the
meeting. When the applause was
Stilied, the democratic house leader
to the policies announced by PreSi-
dent Hoover, stating that the pres
ldent had announced a conStruc-
tive program with which he is III
: full accord.
President Hoover has started off
right-he is assuming the response
bilities of his position, and I am
confident he will prove one Of the
most independent presidents in the
history of the nation" Garner said.
'AS democratic leader I am goin5
to assume responsibility or every
democrat in the house 1t may
cost me my political life, but it is a
duty I owe the nation, Texas and
the people of the Lower Rio
Grande Valley"
Urges United Support
After discussing the intracoastal
canal project and urging united
support of the Valley on this as
we'll as deep water, the democratic
leader spoke briefly on political
conditions in Washington. He
stated he had been honored by his
party. and that history revealed
that no man who attained the pow
er that had been conferred upon
him had escaped the enmity of GER
tain interests, and that they could
be relied upon to attempt his de-
feat in 1880.
With deep feeling he spoke Of the
many years he has served the Fiji
teenth district, declaring he be-
lieved he had reached a position
where he can serve his constituents
nffiniax,tlry Iafnrn
Roy Miller. active vice president
of the Intracoastal Canal aSsocia-
ton, followed Mr.. Garner, and paid
a high tribute to the congressman,
summing up with the statement:
Garner is Texas greatest asset,
the most influential man in either
the house or senate today
Miller reviewed the efforts Of the
Canal association, spoke Of its ac-
compliShmentS. and expressed the
opinion that favorable report Oh
the proposed extension of the canal
from Corpus Christi to the Valley
would be returned by the board Of
army engineers. He stated that
the association had employed all
engineer to make a supplemental
survey of Valley tonnage, adding
that the canal could not be COM
pleted within five years and that
by that time the Valley will be
shipping $4,000 cars of citrus fruit
annually in addition to other heavy
tonnage.
"Peace Officer From Hidalgo"
John H. Shary, president Of the
Valley association, was introduced
as 1.-The peace officer from Hidalgo.'
He urged unity in the Valley oa the
waterway project. stating it was
not in conflict with deep water, but
supplemental thereto.
The Valley must seek and de-
velop export trade; we must secure
low water rates to the inland mar
ketS," Shary said in discussing the
future citrus fruit and winter veg
table production of this section.
with the high quality OF our
citrus fruit and water tranSporta-
ton we can meet competition. The
intracoastal canal is essential as a
link to American industrial and
market centerS."
Al Parker of La Feria asserted
L.