The daily gazette., 1882-08-30
on TIFF THE RIVER Vi AND BAY. BAY.
SENATOR 4AYARD MAKES AN
@ INTERESTING SPEECH.
HIS VoTB. on. THE HARBoR BILL.
The Bill Not o Big Steal But an Unwfse
appropriation and Hence His vote-A
New Plan Wished For. Fgieif =

ISoW flAn WtsneU EOr. M F fI4 -tt r
A party of prominent merchants, repre-
senting the commercial and maratime inter-
ests of Philadelphia, went by rail to New
Castle yesterday and made trip down the
Delaware on the United States revenue cut
tier Hamilton. The object was that they
might, at the same time, bid farewell to
CO.. Ludlow, heretofore in charge of the
river and harbor improvements and welcome
General Weitzcl, his successor. Col. Lud-
low goes TO Washington as Engineer Secre-
tary of the Lighthouse Board. Gen. Welt
eel was distinguished engineer and soldier
during the war, having been chief engineer
under General Butler, and the planner of
the attack on New 0rleens. He also served
as Chief Engineer of the Army of the
James during Grants operations against
Richmond, and in command of various
divisions and corps of that army, ultimately
taking command Of all the troops northvof
the Appomatox river during the final opera-
tions of the war, and of the troops that first
entered Richmond,
Among those present were Senator
Bayard, Hon. William Ward and others.
The trip WAS full of interest. Approach
ing the mouth of the Christiana creek the
cutter was run close in shore at the request
OF Senator Bayard, that d view might be OBJ
tained Of the jetty that is being built there
for the purpose of removing the bar at the
mouth of the creek. The jetty is to be ex
tended 700 feet iEto the river and the bar
dredged away, after which it is expected
that the mouth will be kept clear by the
movement of the water. All along this part
of the river there are indications that it will
some day become the site of great manufac-
turing industries, and, private enterprise
being united with that of the Government,
the river will be greatly improved. The
river front, 1t was stated, is being bought up
by large capitalists, and much waste land re-
claimed by the deposit of sand and mud
taken from the river bed in deepening the
channel. The pext point of interest was
Cherry Island fats, where there is a new
channel, greatly improved recently by
Colonel Ludlow. Nealry all the other works
OF interest were viewed. a.
Dinner was served on the boat and Sena-
tor Bayard made speech. He expressed
the hope that some day we might have the
civil Service of the lGoYe1nment established
on basis like that which gave us such men
as Colonel Ludlow aud General Weitzel to
take charge of our river and harbof improve
ments-men selected because of their educa4
tion and fitness for the work, TO be succeeded
BY others equally competent These men
when they leave as do not pass out of the
service of the Government, but go into new
fields where their skill may be employed.
There is no question in the public mind of
the ability or the honesty of officers of the
army They are American soldiers, which
Is a synonym for American gentlemen, and
we can safely entrust to them these great
engineering works.
Concerning the River and Harhor bill,
Senator Bayard said that he had voted
against its passage and to sustain the veto
Of the President. He had felt compelled to
vote against every River and Harbor bill for
the last ten or twelve years, not because he
considered them the iniqutious measures
that they had been represented to be by the
public press, but because he objected to
being compelled to vote for one item which
be did not approve, by reason of its being
saddled on to another item which he was
willing TO support. He heartily approved of
the improvement of the Delaware river and
bay he had voted for the largest item of
appropriation in the River and HarbOr bill,
that for the improvement of the Mississippi
river, but he could not conscientiously vote
for the bill as awhole because of the methods
employed to coerce the Judgment of Sena-
tors and Representatives, by coupling good
and bad items together. At the same time
he was tree to say that much of the criticism
upon the bill and upon the members who
voted for it was unjust, q 1t was not a
E big steal" Some small part of the
money appropriated would doubtless be
dsed upon works which would return no
value for the money expended upon them
but the appropriation would be disbursed
under the direction of officers of the Army
In whom he had full confidence. The worst
that can be said OF the bill is that some of
the money it appropriates may be unwisely
or injudiciously expended. He hoped that
some day means would be found to frame
river and harbor bill which he could heartily
support bill which should not be SO made
up as to coerce the judgment of Senators
and Representatives and compel them to
vote for items of which they disapproved, to
secure the adoption of other items which
they recognized as being for the public good.
At the same time he desired to deprecate the
assaults made upon the Senators and Repre-
sentatiyes who had voted for the bill. While
he did not agree with them, he was willing
to accord to them that liberty of judgment
which he himself claimed.