Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-28
LETTER FROM CAPT. EADs.
The True Inwardness of the Opposition
OF Joseph Brown, Chairman, to
COckreII's Amendment.
70 the Editor of the St. Louis Times:

To the Editor of the st. Louis Times:
WASHINGTON, June 20.-As there seems
to be an impression that the passage OF the
river and harbor bill In the senate recently
was endangered by an amendment called by
the president of the Merchants exchange
"the Eads commission" it is proper for me
to state that the amendment OF Senator Cock
rell, to which reference is made, and which
authorized the creation of COMMISSION OF
engineers to make surveys and to decide upon
a plan for the improvement OF the mississippi
river, was not prepared by me, nor In my In
terest, nor have | spoken to single member
of the senate or house In favor OF 1T. The
only interest l have manifested with refer
ence to any commission of the kind was to
have an able and unprecedented one, and to
secure this | desired to have the President
absolutely untrammeled In the selection OF Its
members. The exchange some months ago
passed resolutions designed to secure such
a commission, but have never expressed to
any one a desire to be either the president
or a member of such commission, nor have
authorized anyone to do anything whatever to
secure place on it for me, nor to aid In the
passage of a bill to create such commission;
therefore the trick by which the president and
directors of the exchange were put before
the senate in the position of opposing meas
ure they had recommended, and of leading
the senate into the belief that the exchange
really looked upon it as a measure for my
benefit, and the coupling Of my name with 1t
for the purpose of making it appear to be
personal legislation, was an lnexcusable de-
ception.
Che telegram from the exchange was ac-
companied with a note from the party who
had planned this discreditable business, stat
ing to the senator to whom it was sent that
this ought to settle the thing" showing
thereby that he was not really fearing the
fate of the river and harbor bill, but was
striving to defeat the commission.
| To secure the influence of the exchange an
assurance was sent to II that the river and
| harbor bill was in great danger of being lost
| by 1.-The Eads commission" amendment, but
| after the amendment is defeated we are told
| by the same party that "the senate vote
| against it was almost unanimous" That
| those who practice to deceive should have
| good memories Is so true that it has assumed
| the form of a well-known proverb. These
| two statements illustrate the truth OF it, for
| if the vote was almost unanimous against the
| commission, it could not have endangered
the bill. The vote by which it was lost was
10 to 80, so that this statement Is untrue,
| and | have no doubt that Its failure was
| wholly owing to Just such mlsrepresenta-
| tons as | am exposing. One deception In.
| wolves another. and another, and so we are
told that the st. Paul convention and mer-
chants exchange sent a committee to Wash
| ington to secure an appropriation Ito be eX
pended through the engineer corps of the
war department Hence it was necessary
to defeat Senator Cockrell's bill. Now, it 81
happens that his bill did not interfere at al
with the selection of the entire five commits
sioners from the engineer corps of the army
if the President saw fit to select them. Thl
fact shows that the 'slur" on the enginee
corps referred to in the following is also 70
nance 1t is from the Times of the seven
tenth:
"Let any man examine the Cockrel
amendment and he will see, if he has an
perception at all, that it was hitherto un
r heard of commission, placing in the hands G
one man over one thousand eight hundre
, miles of the Mississippi river, and virtual
ignoring-nay more, casting slur-in tn
!, face of the entire engineer corps OF tn
: United States"
In view of the fact that no plan of I'm
provement to- day is adopted on any part {
any river in the United States Except at tn
| mouth of the Mississippi, unless 1t Is ar
f proved by General Humphreys, it seems lik
2 casting a slur'' On the intelligence OF To
five thousand six hundred members of tn
exchange to plead to them as an excuse to