Delaware State journal and statesman., 1863-09-25
A BATCH OF LIES NAILED.

We copy the following from the ddsette
Of Friday last:
The WAY THE PEoPLEs MONEY GoEs.-
We presume most Of our readers who have
gone to Philadelphia within the past three
months, have seen, from the cars, the small
hreast-works thrown up near Grey's Ferry
the one on this side of the bridge and
another near the arsenal, within fifty feet Of
the railroad. The works were paid for by
the City of Philadelphia, but no doubt the
bills therefore will be presented to the gov
ernment to be refunded to that city. In
order to show the people how their sub
stance is being wasted we copy the follow
ing remarks from the Ledger, OF Wednesday.
The smallest work alluded to could readily
be built by one hundred men in one day:
TRE BILLS FOR THE CRY FoRrIncAriONs-
We hope that Councils will institute a rigid
scrutiny into the bills which are being presen- =
ed for the work done upon the city detences, if
the location of these Notifications may enlitle
them to the name of defences for Philadelphia.
Vheee earthwOrks are of various characters and
Sizes the smallest of them being a two-gun bat
terry. The smallest, on the Gray's Ferry road,
near the Arsenal, is said to have cost $4,000,
though five hundred would be considered a very
extrayagant price for it. One Mt the Gray
Ferry bridge covering not over forty feet
square, we hear, cost over S20,0 900 Que en-
irenchment at Fairmount Park, fifty feet square,
has cost Sl4 600 and it is quite possible when
oil the bills are in that the whole amount of the
appropriation, $500,000 will be entirely ex-
pended. As an explanation of the enormous
cost of these so-called "defences," ii is said
that the system Of labor adopted was that used
in the army, where men have double duties to per
form, those of building Notifications aud camp
duties Hence, among soldiers, details are sci
, to work for two hours at time and then re-
lieved Among aborers working for 81 40 pei
DAY, the contract is for ten or twelve hours
work, and anything less than this is frau
upon the city. The system adopted was no
more Injurious to the city than the practice, 70
I at some of the works, where nearly one hund,e
- men were paid TOR daily labor, only a half doze
of them were found ut work on two dlferen
visitations TO it, The defences themselves ough
D to be preserved as monuments of the engineer
ing skill of those who planned aud located them
We hope, for the safety OF our city, that tn
State has done something better for the defence
on the Susquehanna."
v The article from the Ledger was publishe
/ in that paper on Wednesday; and on Thur
o day the reply of one of the officials connec
is ed with the business oferecting fortifcatiol
1t about the city of Philadelphia was pull
= lished in the same paper, in ample time I
IS afford the editor of the Gazette an opport
0, nifty to correct the ialsehoods of the Ledge
/ but he preferred to add his own to the a
s ready numerous perversions of facts an
81 then spread them before a Delaware cor
le munty. In justice, therefore, to the trut
y we give the reply which nails the lalsehoo,
u to the counter. Here it is, from the Lcdg
10 of Thursday 18th inst:
Editors Of the Ledger :-Gentlemen 1t wou
y be difficult to find in the same number of wor
Ut as many mistakes of TACT as appears in Il
nd Ledger of this morning, under the head of " II
I'M Philadelphia forts"
1t is not true that the fort in the Park is o.
ne of the smallest of the fortifcatons on the CO
ed trary, it is one Of the largest. II is not tri
at that its area does not exceed fifty feet squar
m 1t is not true that bills already presented for
amount to Sl4, 600 1t is not true that lahore
ne have been employed at the rate Of Sf40 p
les day and one ration nor is it true that i
laborers were worked by details, as represente
IL The Ledger has heretofore been the vehicle
H., attack on the laboTers employed on the forts d
~ ing the hottest season, when, owing to the
tense heat, some were carried off the work
sensible. correspondent of the Ledger, q
trot, doubt, was drawing attention to I
manner in which which the work was being pt
,s- foymed. There was then fine opportunity
the employment of three hundred voluntee
whose faith and work would, no doubt, ha
saved the city large amount of money .; b
alas none presented themselves
am respectfully, II. MCINTYRE.
September l6, 1868.