New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-03

to impute to any official or representative
who may have stood between him and
his object, any motive however sordld.
The especial charge that two Representa-
tives from Louisiana employed a party
argument is scarcely borne out by the
facts. On the passage of the canal bill
will be found, we believe, the names OF
thirty Democrats for and fifty Republic
ans against the bill, with thirty-two
Democrats against the bill, and twen-
ty-six Democrats absent or not voting.
From this it would seem that the party
argument could have had but little effect
in rallying the Republicans for the canal
bill or in concentrating the Democratic
vote against it. AS an even more conclusive
proof that such an argument if used
could have had no effect on the the vote,
we may note the opposition to the
canal bill by the Senator from Lou
isiana itself This Republican Senator
elected by Republican Legislature and
requested by the Legislature to support
the canal bill advocated the jetty. In
deed, it is not clearly plain how an APP
preparation or expenditure for canal
would have aided the Republican party
more than the liberal expenditure pro-
posed for the jetty.
The friends of the jetty bill in the Sen
ate "adopted the suggestion Ct Captain
Eads. and referred the whole subject to a
mixed board of engineers. With the
same singular intimacy of the lobby with
proceedings in committee, Mr.. Eads says
that when the House bill came to the Sem
ate 'it could not get single vote, and was
killed dead" Why this dead bill was not
reported back from this committee ad-
versely, and even with recommendation
that it do not pass, we are not informed.
Apparently, this chief Of the lobby was
unwilling to risk another Legislative body,
and SO, at his suggestion, this Sen
ate committee reported an appropria-
ton for q comparative survey as
substitute for the canal bill which the
peoples representatives had passed by
majority of all its members. This report
of the leading lobbyist repeats again
the charge of combination between the
chief of engineers and the ''canal ring to
defeat his personal contract:
1t is evident from these facts that
General Humphreys and the canal ring
have succeeded in delaying the opening OF
the mouth of the Mississippi for at least
eight or ten months longer, although the
open mouth is sure to come at last.
This delay of eight or ten months will be
something to the bridge and railroad stock
holders, but it is nothing to the obstruc-
ton of outlet which the great Jetlander
would have accomplished had he been
permitted to sink ten miles of logs,
plank or concrete, lat a depth of from
fifty to sixty feet, in the best outlet
channel of our river. The bridge
and railroad stockholders could then
have afforded to erect colossal statue of
the great INSTRUCTOR at the terminal station
of every great freight line leading from
st. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee to
Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Balti-
more, Norfolk and Savannah. AS this ex-
preston of personal vanity and cupidity
and reckless imputation upon the honor
of merchants, public officers and repre-
sentatives carries its own comment, We
shall rest satisfied with having called
the attention of those gentlemen to
the libel upon them. Their de-
tense is no affair of ours. We
expose this insidious attempt of an in
terested contractor to impair the effect
of public act by defaming the motives
of those who have adopted or supported
it. As for the monument, we must hope
that the committee will be careful lest on
some future day the satire of Mr.. Pope
may be quoted upon them
When London's column, pointing at the skies
Like some tall bully, lifts its head and lies.