The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-08-08
Cauni ippoinIlrrnts.


tured to throw out, that the "Doston committee
had finger in these appointments, and that they
were guagcd by the political measure, is furious.
ly pounced upon by three or four Of these prints
denounced as "mcon," false" "sneahing," &c,
and finally fatty contradcled by the Chicago
Journal in these Words
The whole charge is eratutuus aud is the
oozng Of disappointed ambition. The appoints
ments were selected from large number Of ap-
pcants without regard to party, aud no refer
ence whatever was made To the political opin-
ions of either the successful or the unsuccessful
candidates. Experience aud capability were the
requisite qualifications, and with these the choice
was made
Now, we are not in the habit Of making char
gcs without having some grounds TO base them
upon. Least of all should we ever have thought
Of charging men in Boston, who have no inter
est here, and whose intermeddling in our aiaifs
can be regarded only as indecen, o!Iicous-
ness, with attempting TO control these appoint
mcnis, unless we had irreiragible proof Of the
fact. We therefore state uncqCiyocalIy, that we
have it by only second person, whose yeracity
we have unlimited confidence in, from Mr.. Good
ing's own lips, that the only reason why Mr..
Ryan was not appointed resident engineer on
this end the line, was, that the appointment was
strongly opposed from Boston--ihat Gov. Davis
personally and earnestly urged that Mr.. K. should
have no appointment whatever. Is this not sui-
icicn, TO show that the charge we made was not
entirely "gratuitous J" Bot if pressed we ore
prepared to give still further proof.
And now we wish to draw the readers atton-
ton one moment to this fact, and to the treatment
generally Mr.. Ryan has received. II is needless
to remind our readers Of his services in behalf of
the canal. 1t is enough to say that the plan un-
der which the work has been resumed was of his
own projecting; that il he had not gone to New
York in the fall of 1912 aud sot.fsJ hi.s .,
=, -..siy the legislature, mat
obtained the Is FEASIBLE i, never would have been
adoptcd and that, after its adoption by the esis-
aturc, life was given to it only by his unwearicd
exertion, in conjunction with Col Oakley, to OBJ.
tain the loan under It, for which neither obtained
sufficient pay to bear his expenses. And yet, in
spite of all his servces-in spite Of the fact, which
no one has ever pretended to dispute, that he is
as competent as any engineer on the canal, from
the least to the greatest-in the teeth of The fact
that he had been an engineer before, and was
thoroughly acquainted with every inch of the
work-and in the face Of the fact, that the only
excuse given for rc-appointng all the old engi-
neers Is, that they are acquainted with the work
MIR. Ryan has been refused nm appointment,
has been treated with indignity, has been abused
aud viIliGed by servile and hreling prints, and
all 10 gratyy he petty malice Of Cor. DAVIS and
The Boston committee; and this too, in the face
of the fact that, while Gov Davis was at SPRING
field last winter, at the instance Of his own friends
If not himself, an interview was brought about be-
tween him and Mr.. Ryan, the result Of which
was full restoration of friendly relations be-
tween them, an agreement that there should be
an oblivion of past differences and that Mr.. Ryan
should not reply to Gov. DAVIS famous pamphlet
of al pages, except to state certain facts without
casting the least reproach on Gov. Davis, which
Of course was equivalent TO leaving Mr.. Ryan no
reply whatever And now, what must men OF
honor think Of Gov. Davis conduct in venting
MS contemplate spileby his oflicious interference
against Mr., r., after solemnly pledging himsolfto
maintain friendly relations, and exucting pledges
n return, which have been sacredly kept
We hasten to the next charge-that the np-
continents of canal officers wero guagcd by the
political measure--which the Journal also pro-
lounces "gratuitous.' For evidence of the truth |
If this charge, we refer TO the appointments them
selves. The Journal says they were made from
many applicants, and it is true. We are told
here were as high as twenty applicants for every !
place, and as many Of them were democrats as
wings. And yet is it not most remarkable, if po-
Of some 30 officers there are t,Uo solitary demo-
Gratis, and these were IN the line before, seldom !
neddled with politics, and one of them has been
degraded. Aye from Peru TO Chicago, on the |
whole line, there are but t,co democratic officers.
Is there n man TO be found besides the editor of
he Chicago Journal, that will have impudcncc
enough to say this was purely accidental
We do not accuse a majority Of the trustees
with design to convert the canal into political
machine. They are doubtless sincerely DESTROYS
o promote the bes,s interests of the state, which |
heir own interest would dictate, and have no |
wish or motive to become involved in the party
rolls Of the day. But they did not make these
ppoiniments, and those who did make them may |
AVE entirely dilleren, objects in view. AT best,
{ they have no immediate political ends to pro-
note, they have the material under them that
nay at any time be bent to aid in any political
n,orpriso they may project; and judging from
ast experience, such enterprises will no, be
wanting.
The democrats have reason to complain of the
manner Of the disposal of this patronage from an.
,her consideration. The canal has always been
n the hands of the wings. The great body of
he officers have always been wings, who made
n Tho estimnics md lot MI tho work There |