Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-07-28

The chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
Since our last reference to the affairs of this
important public work, the president of the
canal company has presented q further report
TO the directors, in which he speaks in tone of
exultation Of the present and prospective pros
p'rity OF the canal so strong that it looks as if
this very prosperity had taken him by surprise
At all events, beyond loud announcement of
the fact, he ventures no effort to account fer it.
Doubtless this is a judicous abstinence, for he
would be a bold reasoner who should attempt
to show that any prosperity of which the canal
may have now TO boast, is to be credited to the
policy of the existing directory.
What the prospects of the canal were along
the earlier months of the season may be fairly
enough judged from the comments of the indie
pendent press not only on the periodical returns
of the coal trade at Cumberland, but the exhibits
of President German himself. They were re-
garded, in so many words, as "not fiatterIng to
the condition OF the canal" And his annual
report, that drew 30 many spontaneous plaudits
from his Baltimore friends in and out of the
stockholders' meeting, was construed as but a
bad for sale Of the canal to the federal gov
eminent, because the report more or less di-
rectly inferred that the canal had become a
CLOSING concern "a bad investment" "a
financial failure, &C., sc.
N Cuabse therefore IN the prosperity OF the
canal so sudden and favorable. as it had no
source In any policy or change Of policy on the
part OF the president and directors (who caya-
lerly maintain the POSITION they assumed early
in the spring. could be accounted for only in
some other way. What that was besides the
inherent vitality of the canal itself, and the
bold front for its protection shown by its I'M
doubted friends, We have heretofore indicated
and need not repeat. Happily for the canal, these
sanative agencies continue in full operation
and are likely to exercise yet larger efficiency
hereafter.
In the presidents annual report some mat
tiers appeared which as they are right neither
IN spirit nor letter, may As well be remarked
upon and dismissed. As the subject of chesp
freightage is the ticklish one around which
alone dinerences Of purpose and opinion have
arisen, or are ever likely to arise, President
Gorman was betrayed thereupon into an exhi-
bition Of unfriendliness and even acerbity,
which little surprised Us. Resoute to m ain
tam MS policy Of increased tolls with their in
disPutabie advantage to the railroad and preju-
dice to the canal, he sharply insists that every
reduction of cost in transportation must be
made by boatmen, shippers, and ANYBODY and
everybody else connected with the canal, save
the canal company itself! In the very face of
his declaration that il is s'all important to the
transportation" upon it be reduced to a mini
num-" he confines reduction of charge 10 the
wharfage and freighting- elements alone.
continuing the ''toll" branch in the indulgence
OF the opposite measure of augmentation. Ii
Is hardly to be wondered at that a policy of re-
duetion so Hibernisn, should have led a New
York paper to designate its author as Mr..
O'Gorman
Coming down to specific figures, President
German demands a reduction of "wharfage,, AT
Cumberland and Georgetown, unitedly, of "hf-
teen cents" and roundly pronounces the pres
ent fees as "exOrbitant." But one in his posi-
ton should know that the Georgetown wharyes
are, with one exception, owned or leased BY coal
companies, who ship their own coal, and will
not be likely to abandon their present yards
(more than sufficient for all the demands of the
trade) in order to embrace the visionary adyan
tages expected from the outlet-iock scheme.
And If, as regards Georgetown, the presidents
attacks fall short Of their aim, he can squelch
any excess at Cumberland that may exist out of
his own Imagination, and render his name i'm
mortal by procuring an extension of the present
canal TO its natural terminus at the mouth of
Georges Creek. Such an extension, with moth
ing "Buncombe' or sensational about it, would
have an immense practical value and render
the canal as complete as the nature OF the case
anu tne keogr4pny Oh the country will admit or.
We should read, or listen, with high interest to
anything President German might have to re-
mark on 30 really desirable, and, we hestats
not to say, easily practical enterprise to be ac-
complished at no excessive outlay, either by an
extension OF the present "prism, - or slackwater-
ing the Potomac river from Cumberland Nd
But we have been led away somewhat from the
first purpose OF this article, which we conclude
by observing that in putting down his "aver-
age wharfage" G-cluding both ends of the
canai) at 10 cents, .'r. German exceeds the true
figures by 10 centsI sr ton. BY correctly inform
ing himself on this and other points before
writing, he might have avoided serious mist axes.
The "freightage" item which Mr.. German
6ould so summarily reduce constitutes the
wages on which the boatmen live. The rule
and measure to which he would subject the
wages Of these people If applied to his own
salary, would make the Office of canal presi-
dent thankless one, and hard to fill, or keep
filed He greatly mistakes. The boatmen on
the canal are now receiving the least they can
live by, and whilst many Of them are showing
their willingness to save the canal Nv spirit of
true selfsacrifee, it hardly becomes the presi-
dent OF the company so openly TO display a
feeling OF depreciation and unfriendliness to a
hard-worked and meritorious class Of men, by
whose labor it is that the canal derives any sig
nifcant value.