The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-09
Vagabond
from
Indiana
ERNIE PYLE

CANFORD. Fla, March Swell,
~ should the Florida Canal be built
or shouldn't it?
You've got me there, brother; I
don't know. And the worst Of it is.
l don't know how to find out. When
informed men on one side say yes,
and informed men on the other say
no, see no possible way for lay
man to judge what is the truth. 50
But here are the two sides
summed up. You can take your
choice.
OPPOSITION to the canal comes
~ from four sources-the rail-
roads, the shipowners of South Flor
ida, the farmers of Seminole County,
and the cities of Miami and Tampa.
The railroads are accused of be-
ing the real big money and big noise
behind the fight. They control many
Florida newspapers, and are reach
ing the public that way. The rail-
roads always fight any new trans
portation route.
The shipowners are fighting it be-
cause they say the canal will run
one line out Of business. Also, it will
cut down the mileage of other lines.
which carry mail, and since their
mail subsidies are based on mileage,
it will cut down their subsidies.
The cities of Tampa and Miami
think they'll be ruined by diversion
of traffic from South Florida. That
seems to me an entirely groundless
fear Tampa isn't very far from
the west end of the canal and it
appears the canal should help Tam
pa. AS for Miami, ships that want
to go there will go anyhow. Ship
captains don't put in to Miami for
a swim, just because it happens to
be on their route. la
THE fight of the Sanford farm
l. erS seems to me more legiti-
mate one, and does raise debatable
question. They say that if the
Ocala limestone formation Is cut,
as it will have to be for this canal,
Florida's underground water supply
will turn salt, and run the farmers
to the poorhouse.
The $50 truck farmers around
Sanford raise fifth of all the cell
cry in the United States. They do.
it by irrigation. Their land is
worth $1,000 an acre now. If the
water turns salt, their land won't
be worth a nickel.
I talked with Fred Dorner, a.
tanned, middle-aged farmer who is
chairman of the anti-canal commit
tee down here. He said:
We've taken too much. We were
hit by the Florida boom. We were
hit by the depression. We were hit.
by the Mediterranean fruit fly.
We're not going to be hit again. I'm
telling you that. Not if we can help
it.
"They say the railroads are back
ing us. That isn't true. Some, Of
our members wanted to ask the rail-
roads and steamship companies for
money, but we voted it down.
We've never been approached by
any railroad men. We're standing
alone, and we're sincere and we're
scared"
Farmer Dorner convinced me of
his sincerity.
TINE pro- canalers have headquar-
i tiers at Jacksonville. They have
money, and they have political pow
er. They also have most of the
biologists on their side. -.
The pro-canalers say 1000 ships.
year will go through the canal.
1t will take about Is hours to make
the trip. The saving ranges from
35 hours, from Norfolk to New Or
leans. They say the cost of oper-.
ating an average Gulf vessel is $50
an hour. They figure an annual
saving. to ship owners OF $6,5O0,000.
No tolls will be charged.
The canal, they say, will bring
reduction in freight rates for Flor
idas fruit shippers. -
But the main argument, and even
the anti-canalers don't turn up their
noses at this, is the spending Of
$143 100000 in Florida in the next
six years. That's just like Old Man
Prosperity himself sticking his head
around the corner.
n
ONCE there is such q bitter fight,
~ it seems to me that before the
canal goes any further Senator VAN
denberg should go through with his
inquiry in Washington.
He'll hear one side say the canal
is the greatest blessing to the Ameri-
can people in a century. He'll hear
the other side say the canal is a
curse, and will ruin Florida's farm
ers and fruit growers.
After that, Senator yandenberg
can go out behind the Senate Office
Building and toss coin TO decide
whether they should go ahead with
the canal or not.