Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-06-26
SENATOR RANSOM.


the people of the Cape Fear to be de-
rived from the improvement of our
river and harbor should be our need
of thanks to Senator RANSOM.
It was simply impossible to get
the House of Representatives in
the first instance to appropriate
mare than one hundred thousand dol
lars for the improvement of the Cape
Fear, and small as that sum was for
the purpose, all the influence that
could be brought to our aid could not
secure anything beyond that amount,
for Just then the Radical party was
seized with pretended fit OF economy,
and of course appropriations, for the
South especially, would fare badly.
The House Committee named one hun
dred thousand dollars as the proper
amount and the House would not vote
a dollar beyond it.
From that body the bill went to the
Senate and was duly referred to the
proper committee. The prospect for
al increase seemed gloomy enough to
an outsider, especially when the COM
mittee reported the bill back without
recommending any increase in our APP
| propriation. General RANSOM had
never despaired, however, but had
gone to work with such will and
with such success that as he told us
in Washington. some weeks ago, he
had personal pledges from more than q
majority of the Senator'S, i'll case any
amendments We're made to the bill
thereby necessitating it's return to the
House of Representative for. concur
renee, that they would vote for his
amendment doubling the Cape Feal
Appropriation. Other amendments
were made and Senator RANSOM hav
ing moved to increase our apprOpria
ton from one hundred thousand t(
two hundred thousand dollars, the
motion prevailed, so far as it appear
from the record. without dissenting
voice. The House of Representative
when the bill was sent back to then
for concurrence in the amendment re
fused to concur therein. A committe,
of Conference on the part of the two
Houses was then appointed to recon
Gle the differences, but the very hes
that could be done was to get TIN
House to agree to compromise Oh
half the amount of increase voted b,
the Senate, and i'll that shape the bill
became a law.
We feel that We do injustice to n
one in attributing this action of tin
Senate mainly to the zeal and persona
influence of Senator RANSOM. Indeed
it was impossible for one to be il
Washington during the session of Con
greEs and not to be surprised at tn
influence he welded. No man from
the South could compare Eith him il
the Senate, unless it was General Con
poN, of Georgia. RANSOM and Con
DON stand together, and are spoken @
together, their political relations bein
cemented by strong personal ariend
ship. 1T was certainly not unpleasan
to see those two IN peace as " ell as il
war fighting under the same banne
, G.-~> 1irIO. rJvI uUcc IL ie
tract anything from their reputation a
Washington that they were such dis
tinguished and such devoted soldier
of the South during the war; nor fr:or
their influence in Congress, for :
universally admitted in Washington
We believe, that are there not two mel
in the country who can do more 70
the South than RANSOM and GsoRnoS
We may we'll be proud of them.
What Senator RANSOM can accomp
fish the people of the Cape Fear hav'
just now proof SO tangible that the.
will not soon forget it.