New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-21
TO the sou! You must know that such is not

I
Washington, June ", 1874. )
SKNAroR-Knowing the very great interest taken
by the people OF New Orleans the various pr O.
iects for opening the mouths Of the Mississippi
river, we believe that it would be desirabe for you
to have assurance from the Committee on
Transportation, that in their judgment you have
lab0red earnestly and zeaously for the success OF
some practical measure which will best serve that
Indispensable improvement. The xc;ion OF the com.
mittee that subject has been controlled entirely
BY their own Judgment, and We may add with
desire to secure the adoption OF such measures as
will most speedily and effectually meet the great
Representing that locality. apparently greater
responsibility attached TO- you than to any other
member, but we do not tesitate to say that We
with you for the result
When the committee was considering the Fort
st. Philip canal bill and the Eads' bill. you pro-
posed thAt sub COMMITTEES should be appointed to
| examine the subject; but the committee directed
| the committee, which was complied with, and the
| bill subsequently, reported TO the Senate.
Sincerely yours, ,,no.
JOHN SHERMAN
JOHN Il. MITCHELL,
I'm NORWOOD,
| H. q. DAVIS.
General J. r West, Wash ington, District Of Co.
lumbia.
And the following memorandum appears
| at the bottom:
Senators Conkling and johnson are both absent
dV" tuC City'
This is signed by the chairman of the
committee, Mr.. Window. Now, it Will
| strike YOU at once, gentlemen, that there is
a committee of Congress to accomplish tie
object which you all hold so dear, and you
| st understand that in passing hasty
| Judgment upon either my action or theirs 1t
| is not nv policy to run counter to that OF
the body of men who really, under the
direction Of the Senate, hold this matter IN
their hands. That committee is SO organ
lied that, without the voluntary with
drawai OF some member, it can not be dis
placed for the next three years. So that
| the opening of the mouth of the Mississippi
| now is in the hands of men who, if you
| condemn me. you condemn them also. Now,
| don't understand me as pleading anything
in bar of judgment. What wish you to
| understand is what has actuatea that COM
mittee-what has Influenced them.
can briefly state it in Just these words:
1t was welded to no plan; it was welded to
surrender it's prejudices, and it never formed
any opinion as to the best method of open
| ing the mouth of the river. Those here to-
night who expect me ID advocate the jetties
| will be disappointed. l was for water; it
made no difference to me how we got 1t.
And when found that by the very report
of the board Of engineers-which report has
never been allowed TO see the light in this
city-when found that the very authority
| TO whom we had to look for recommends
| ton, had absolutely condemned that plan
as | will show you presently-l was tor
water then by soine other means
| Under date OF Washington, the fourth of
February, the chief engineer transmitted
to the House of Representatives informal
ton called for by certain resolution.
Now, ask your attention to follow me
distinctly as l make this statement, because
on that hinges the whole matter. On the
fourth of February, lS74-that is the date,
but unfortunately documents often don't
find their way into the journal until two,
three or four, and sometimes ten days after
their submission to the House or the SEN
ate-the chief engineer reports. in compli-
teenth of March, 1871, requesting the
Secretary of War Ito cause an examination
and survey, with plans and estimates OF
cost to be made by an officer of engineers
for a ship canal to connect the Mississippi
river with the gulf of Mexico, or the navi-
gable waters thereof, of suitable location
and dimensions for military, naval and
commercial purposes, and that he report
upon the feasibility of the same to the
House of Representatives"
If you mark the language. gentlemen,
you will find that there is no reference
whatever made there to the Fort St. Philip
canal, There is an instruction passed on
the fourteenth of March, 1871, directing the
engineer corps Of the army to look for an
outlet of the Mississippi river. mention
that matter incidentally-it is not mate
rial one. but in the light in which will
disclose it to you subsequently it has its
bearing.
Captain Howell prefaces his report by
this statement. Where that gentleman gets
his information l don't know. Possibly he
may have got it from the chief engineer OF
the army. He commences his report by re-
ferring to the location of the Fort st. Philip
canal. Whether it was the general repu-
tation of that locality or whether 1t was IN
consequence of preceding Investigations
made here, and in which the board had
also been engaged, or whether it was under
Instructions from the chief engineer him
self that this officers attention was directed
to that particular locality, am not pre-
pared to say. But the fact is patent that the
Congress of the United States hed instruct
ed the engineers to seek tor an outlet from
the Mississippi river, and that the officer
charged with looking for that object does
not seem to have given his attention to any
other method of getting into the waters OF
the gulf, except this particular one. There
may be some significance in that. Perhaps
subsequent investigation may develope it.
Now. what had you g. right as citizens OF
Louisiana to expect! AND what had l as
your representative right to expect to
see being done by this officer!
Don't you suppose that he subo rdinated
that duty to Othersl Don't you suppose
that the officer charged with that duty
found some thing of greater consequence to
do here! Or did not the magnitude of the
suiect and the interest you took in 1t de-
mand of him, and demand of the engineer
corps, that they should leave him free and
unembarrassed from other duties, and thai
they should supplement- him, if necessary.
with assistance to accomplish this oblectf
He has to apologize for the defect OF his
work, aud the apology comes in this shape.
In regard to the plan, he says it was pre-
pared when he was pressed with other inn
portant duties.
The officer charged with this duty is I'M
able to make definite report, and the
revisOry board appointed TO examine the
matter says that his investigation is so in
complete that they can not form any idea
as to the precise locality of this canal or its
cost. And the conclusion that the board
comes so, after giving some general vague
Acknowledgements that such thing was
practicable rs to make such canal,
says the fact that the board had
found 1t necessary to relegate the
whole matter to the officer in charge
for additional investigations before the
location even of the chnal could be salts
factorily settled, is sufficient justification
for their brief report (if brevity in such
matters is ever to be excused) and for omit
ting to discuss further details, most of which
will probably be solved by the examination
recommended.
Now. do YOU wonder that the chief engi-
neer, in submitting that report, comes to
this couclusions There is the action of the
officer charged with the duty such as that;
be SAYS that other duties have prevented
him from giving proper attention to it.