National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-03-22
THE SHIP RAILWAY.
misrepresentation of the chicago "Tri-



lished a series of misstatcments under the ofcn-
sivo title Of Eads' Enormous Lobby" The state
ment that have q lobby here Is absolutely un.
true. No one except myselfand my private coun-
sell Hon. A. q. Cochran, who has attended to my
law business for the last three years is has ever
been, authorized to sneak to member of the
United States Senate or House Of Representatives
in behalf OF the ship. railway bill quote the fol-
lowing from your articles:
Captain Eods himself is the most audaoious un-
prlncplcd, and successful lobbyist the National Cnpi
tal has ever known. lie is now in receipt Of half
million dollar o ,ty snPnanE @ p@d nm for m1,n9ninS NJ
mouth Of the Mississippi, though it Is notorious that
than twenty Ave feet probably not more Than twenty.
three feet
He who is most ready
TO SUSPECT WRONG
in others Is generally least pure himself but In
your case this slandcr has the additional incen-
tive arising from an innate love of misrepresenta.
tion and abuse. For years your paper has been
the channel through which my private character
has been grossly nssRiled aud my professional
labors belitted and misrcpresented You well
know TOR you were one Of my most unscrnpulous
opposers ai the timc) that the House of Repre-
scnativos in 1874 passed II bill appropratng
eight million dollars 10 JCgin the construction Of
the For! ST. philip canal a1d that saved , nc
nj my own risk and cost, to deepen the south
Pass bar to 30 feet for five and quarter million
dollars reference TO the report of tue Secretary
of War for 1874 and 1875, vol. 2, part |, page S66
will show that the estimated cost of the canal was
thirteen million dollars 1t is safe to say
THAT THIS CANAL
would not have been completed in fifteen years,
and that II would not have cost less than 100000,
600. defeated the canal by agreeing to construct
the jetties, the largest national Improvement yet
authorized, ON the severcst terms the Government
ever imposed | offered TO secure twenty feet
through them before the Government was TO pay
anything whatever. The act of Congress accept.
ing this proposition was pissed In the House by
an overwhelming vote, and with but little oppo.
stion IN the Senate; yet you would make your
readers believe that COngrcsSmen are SO corrupt
unphncpCd lobbying" You know, and the in.
teligcnt public will remember, that asked no
relief from the great pecuniary burdens imposed
upon me by the terms of the act until the channel
had been deepened from eight feet to twenty-five
had been relieved from a thraldom which every
effort OF the Government, during thirty.soven
years, had
BEEN PowERLEss TO OVERCOME,
The next two acts of Congress land the only ones
| have ever had anything to do With were like.
wise passed by overwhelming maiorites in both
Houses One of these acts authorized the payment
to me of one million dollars aud the other three.
quarters Of million more both sums being in ad !.
vance Of the terms OF the original act, but the total
compensation being in no wise increased The
passage of these two ameudntory acts was most
conspicuous mark of the confidence which Con-
gress had In me aud a substantial acknowledgment
of my perfect good faith toward the Government.
Through the wisdom OF Congress and the conf
dcnce of capitalists, succeeded in saving to the
Government at least seven and three.q quarter
million dollars, being the difference between
THE COST OF THE JETTIE5
and the estimated cost of the canal. The COM
mercc of the valley was at the same time relieved
at least ten years sooner than would have been
possible by the canal. The success of the ettes
has resulted In reducing the rates of transporta-
tlon on all the products Of the vast region tribu-
ary othe river, whether they take the jetty route
to market or not. This saving TO the producers Is
not less than s25,0GO0 600 annually, and probably
much more. While | was devOting myself to tho
labor of accomplishing this great result. encour-
n M IN.
lightGned press, you were publishing every inde-
cent assault that few disappointed ana malicious
persons could devise. You busted yourself in pre-
dieting and frequently announcing the utter
failure Of the jctties, and filled your columns with
absurd theories in regard to the phenomena of the
river conceived In ignorance and advocated with
the sole purpose of preventing the successful
summation of the work at the iettiCs You sig
nally failed to accomplish your purpose, but have
ments concerning the jetty channel.
YOUR DECLARATION THAT AN RECEIVING
half n million dollars annually for maintaining
thirty feet depth of water through the jctics is .
gross miSstatCmont. ! receive only 100000 per
annum for it, and last year expended nearly that
entire amount upon the jctty works. You charnc-
teriZe this as "a shameful and indefensible bar
gain" The jetty act expressly provides that when
ever the United States shall elect to undertake the
maintenance Of the channel IL can do so, and ut
once stop the payment TO me of this annual
amount. Your statement therefore Is a " shameful
and indcicnsible" " untruth. Your declaration that
the depth of water at the head of the pass s less
l
jcttcs and at the head of tho pass the dcpth is
where less than thirty feet The limiting depth Is
in the pass itself, which am not required by law
to maintains II il, however at least twenty seven
or twenty. eight feet The mCt that vessels OF
greater draft than twenty-five and half feet
have not yet gone throught the ictties Is largely
due to
THE UNTRUE STATEMENTS
continually published about the channel in your
paper and In one or two Others equally unreliable
/ again quote from your article, MS follows:
The dinner ostensiby given by StillsOn Hutchlns
of the Washington Post, TO the entire newspaper
press represented at the Capital !, commonly under.
stood 10 have been paid for by Captain lads.
| knew nothing about Mr. Hutchins' dinner
assert that Ipaid any part of the cost of it, directly
or Indirectly, is untrue, II was an elegant atiair
and ag il was given in honor of the press, your at
tempt TO dsparage 1t makes the homey adHge Of
" the dirty bird y peculiarly applicable TO YOU.
AGAIN YOU SAY:
The dinner given to the retiring Minister rr0m
Mexico by ex-senator Hlpple Mitchell, of Oregon
characters but inds was conspicuous orator there
also and had SCI ern influential senators and Renre
scntatiycs ams1lg his auditors.
This statement Is also untrue. / was not at the
dinner given by the honorable ex-senator from
oregon, and hence could not have been n con.
ISLANDERS and abuse concerning me duringthe last
few years have marked you one devoid o
every sentiment Of truth and honor. Without
further comment leave you to enjoy, as best yOu
may, the public contempt which your eonduc
merits JAMES B EADS,
| WASHINGTON, March 10, 1882.
! Funeral of the late IL. w. bowman.
| Yesterday at three o'clock, in the presence of
| nF rap,o inc nr tln Iof,