New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-21

AN0THER RO0MER1NH.

The difficulty experienced by our Democratic
friends in raising a specific issue and making
fight upon it is well illustrated by the fate
which has overtaken their canvass in the list
Hartford Congressional District of COnnecti-
cut The distinct issue upon which they were
proposing TO contest the district was OppOsi-
ton to the present member, the Hon. John
r. Buck, on account of his vote for the River
and Harbor Bill. The fact that two Republic
can Senators and one Republican member of
Congress voted against the bill, while the
only Democrat in the Congressional delegation
Mr.. Phelps, of the New-Haven district
voted for it, complicated the situation in the
State somewhat, but the withdrawal of Mr..
Phelps rendered it little less embarrassing,
SO that it was thought safe to nominate ex-
Senator Eaton against Mr.. Buck and "whoop
up" the enormities of the River and
HarbOr bill as the campaign cry. Now
it so happens that the navigable
streams in Connecticut come in for liberal
appropriations in the bill. And they are ap-
preparations, too, of so meritorious IA character
that, unless the objection is sweeping one
against the principle of river and harbor i'm
provements by the General Government, they
this state of things to convince the thrifty
citizens of Connecticut that their representa-
tives committed an objectionable sin in voting
for appropriations of which they are in some
measure the benefciaries.
1t was necessary for our Democratic friends
in the Hartford district accordingly either to
find somewhere in the appropriations for Con-
necticut rivers one that was in itself objection
able and unnecessary, or to show that
in the distribution the Hartford district
had not been treated fairly. They hit
upon an appropriation of $4,000 for the i'm
provement Of Salmon River, a small stream
emptying into the Connecticut few
miles from its mouth. 1t was known, of
course, that this appropriation had been
made on the motion of the Democratic MEM
Der from the lid District. but he not being
in nomination for reelection the Democrats of
the LIST District felt at liberty to "pitch in,'
which they did, denOuncing the appropriation
as ga clean-cut job, without excuse and wholly
uniustiiiable." Because Mr.. Buck had voted
for this proposition of his Democratic colleague
it was urged that he should be defeated and
a Democrat put in his place. A reporter, sent
by The Hartford Times to view the locality
and interview the neighborng residents, con-
trbuted to that paper an amusing two-column
narrative of his adventures in a rOwbOat-in
which he several times ran ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
inc, as he supposed, the stream to be improved
Had the story been true 1t would have re-
Elected upon Mr.. Bucks credulity In trusting
his Democratic colleague it would have ex-
hibitcd the latter as both fool and knave. Ii
happened not to be true. The stream explored
by the reporter was not the one for which the
appropriation was made. The Hartford COuant
came 10 the rescue of Mr.. Phelpss reputation
by pointing out that the stream to be inn
proved was navigable that steamboats, and
f. ght propeers touched regularly at the
Moodus dock, the channel to which is to be
deepened that there are no less than thirteen
cotton mills along the stream dependent upon
water transportation for freight, and that if
there was ever a meritorious appropriation
this was one.
And this is not all. The original appropria-
ton for Salmon River was made in 1878 by
a Democratic Congress. Who does the reader
suppose proposed it Who but William W.
Eaton, then a Connecticut Senator now
candidate for Congress against John X. Buck,
and asking to be elected in place OF Buck be-
cause Buck voted for River and Harbor bill
containing an appropriation for improving
Salmon River. When the River and Harbor
bill came into the Senate in 1878 Mr.. Eaton
considered the improvement of Salmon River
SO necessary that he had 1900 taken for that
purpose from the $4,000 appropriated for i'm
proving the channel between Hartford and
Middletown. The present appropriation is
taken from tho amount intended Tor the work