Key West History: Dec. 24, 1923 - Key West Declared a Port of Real Consequence - a podcast by 43 Keys Media

On December the 24th, 1923, this quote appeared in the Tampa Tribune. "Tampa is the nearest port of any real consequence in the United States to the Panama Canal." Soon after, there was a rebuttal printed in the Key West Citizen. "Either the tribune is ignorant of the fact that Key West is nearer to the Panama Canal than Tampa or is deliberately misrepresenting the fact or does not consider Key West a part of any real consequence. Let us consider those suppositions in order. If the tribune is ignorant of the fact then let it enjoy its bliss without molestation. If it made the statement deliberately, it should be ashamed of itself from misleading its readers, loyal Tampans included, if it does not consider the port of Key West to have any real consequence. It's easy enough to prove that it is a far more consequence than Tampa by quoting the last report of the customs district of Florida, the headquarters of which is in Tampa, though it should be in Key West. Covering the exports for the month of August, as it concerns Tampa and Key West. Here's how it is:

Tampa $414,206

Key West $3,334,635

Now, a pupil in the lower grades of the public schools can easily figure out that the exports from Key West during August were more than eight times as large as those from Tamp. In view of that fact issued by the customs inspector in Tampa itself, and then view of the further fact that the greatness of a country depends in a large measurement on the volume of its exports, the port of Key West is at least eight times of greater consequence than the port of Tampa. True the Tampa Tribune may say that the goods that are shipped from this port come from all over the country. But isn't the same thing just as true of any other part of the United States? Have any real consequence that the port of Key West was chosen as the most logical one through which to ship the goods goes to prove how great is its importance in the estimation of the shippers who use it as the port of exportation that the port of Key West was chosen as the most logical one through which to ship goods goes to prove how great is its importance, in the estimation of the shippers who use it as a port of exportation. Were Tampa considered as good a port from which to ship the goods, it would not be so far down in the scale as a port of exportation, but indeed would be running neck and neck with Key West, instead of being less than one eighth of importance.

The last few years, there has seemed to be an unexpected understanding among the newspapers of Florida to give every city in the state its rightful due, which was a decided step forward in the ernstwhile practice of claiming the world with the proverbial fence around it in an attempt to boost a town. The editor of the tribune known and has known for years that Key West is nearer to the Panama Canal than Tampa, so what was his motive and casting the surreptitious slur at Key West?

Did he think that it would help Tampa the expense of Key West? Or did he really think that the port of Key West was not of any real consequence? Of course, we don't pretend to answer those questions for him. But had he read the reports issued by the collector of customs in Tampa, month after month during year after year, he would not have failed to know the exports from the port of Key West have always been greater than the exports from all of the other ports of Florida combined. The distance from Key West to the Panama Canal is 1083 miles while the distance from Tampa is 1290 miles in other words, Key West a real port of consequence is 207 miles nearer the Panama Canal than Tampa.

So, it was today December the 24th, 1923, the Key West was declared a port of real consequence.

And that's what happened today in Key West history. Today in Key West History is brought to you by 43 Keys Media. To find out all about our glorious past and what's going on right now in the beautiful Florida Keys visit...

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