Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1882-06-09
Meeting of the Canal Board.

meeting OF the canal Board.
The annual meeting for the election of
President and Board of Directors of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was held at
Annapolis on Monday last Gen. Bradley
Il. johnson and Gov. Hamilton attacked
the present management of the canal, which
provoked controversy full of elimination
and recrimination upon the part of the
Governor, Messrs. Compton, Heating and
German. Mr.. German replied as follows:
81 confess was not at all prepared for q
discussion of this sort, for statements such
as have fallen from the lips of the Governor
of the State. | cannot say / am SO much
surprised by the statements of Gen. John
son, because he has been pursuing that gen.
eral line in which he has been very con
sistent for the last four or five years, al
though my opinion is that his course is only
calculated to embarrass the work But for
you, sir, referring to Governor Hamlton,)
occupying the position you do, and at time
when you knew my resignation was i'm
pending, TO cast imputation upon the bust
ness management of the canal, / say | was
not prepared for it, Now, sir, in regard to
your statement that the canal is not in
thorough condition for all of its trade and
that economy has not been used in its re-
pairs, have only TO say that place in OPP
position to your bare assertion the sworn
statements Of business men whose interests
are involved in this work, and who had
that practical knowledge Of the canal and
its affairs which you could not have. | in
tend to make public q statement which
never intended to make public, and which
was known but to one or two friends.
I'm your official communication as Gov
ernor to the Legislature you denied our
authority to dispose of these repair bonds
OF 1878, the effect Of which was to render
capitalists timid, and we could not dispose
of them, thereby leaving us without the
means to pay our laborers on the canal.
Since | have been president of the canal
and you Governor of the State no encour-
agement have ever received from you in
helping the work out of its financial diff
cuties. When its new feeders from the
coal fields were completed l found an OBJ
struction in the shape of q railroad, and |
labored day and night to get the Governor
to give the necessary relief, and found the
same disposition, and then stated to one
or two friends only-and which then sup
posed | would never be compelled to make
public-that, in my Judgment, looking to
the interest of the State and being proud of
what L, with the other directors, had ac-
complshed, SO long as Maryland was pre-
sided over by a gentleman entertaining such
views nothing could induce me to hold
position which well knew would turn to
ashes on the lips of any man.
81 have waited and labored, and until the
past eighteen months given my whole time
to this work, more time than you have ever
given to any public position in your life,
and there has been nothing done, no detail
with which was not familiar | did not
give to the canal one day in the week and
devote the balance to other business. gave
every day my whole time and attention,
and defy any one to put their finger upon
the slightest detail with which | am not per-
fectly familiar. The testimony taken in the
United States Court will show this, and in
leaving it | can only look you in the eye and
say that | have done my duty as well as
knew how, and give you frankly my rea.
sons for not continuing us president"
Mr. Hamilton replied to Mr. German in
the following language:
81 never intimated that the bonds were
not good, but | protested against their use
for new work assure the gentleman that
with successive management the canal
will live and flourish long after you and
are gone. assure him that on his leaving the
canal, it will be managed by men who will
give credit To il, and not use and pervert the
mortgage in way that is giving discredit
TO it, He may have thought different of the
uses of the bonds, and he had right to,
but to-day they are perishing in the market"
Gen. Bradley 7. Johnson moved for re-
ducton of the salaries OF the officers Of the
canal, beginning with the PRESIDENTS from
$4,000 to $500, and the others several hun
'dred dollars each.
He was informed that reductions had been
made previously greater than he desired,
which are AS follows Treasurer from 81
100 TO $1,000 per annum; superintendent
and paymaster, from $4,000 to $500; &C.
countant, from 81 800 to 81 800; messenger,
from 5000 to S120; one collector, from 81
800 to 81 200; one collector from 81 800 to
5000; one clerk, from $1,000 to 5000; two
superintendent, from 81 500 to 81 200 each,
and one 81 200 clerk, two 5000 clerks, and
two $500 inspectors relieved. Total saved,
81 $50.
1t was explained that the President had at
the March meeting been instructed to in
quire into the subject OF reduction of saa-
ries and force, and that the Directors at the
morning meeting had adopted the above, TO
be in force from the LIST of May ultimo.
On motion of Mr.. Heating, an election
for President and six Directors to serve one
year from July 1, 1882, was gone into and a
recess was taken TO allow the board of pub
lie works 10 decide how the States stock
should be voted.
The Governor, Comptroller and Treasurer
retired TO the Governors private room and
ballots We're taken for the officers Messrs.
Heating and Compton supported, and being
majority, selected the following: For pre-
sident, Henry ID. Fernandis; for directors,
Patrick Hamill, John Humblrd, James G.
Berret and Thomas p. Morgan, present d.
rectors, and James A. l.. Mcclure, vice j.
Bayard ii. Smith, declined TO serve, and
Lewis Cass Smith, vice Henry d. Fernan.
dis, nominated for president.
The Governor proposed the following
ticket, which was voted down by the adop.
ton of the Others For president, Robert
Bridges, of Washington county; for direc.
tors, Richard Il. johnson, of Allegany coun-
ty; Robert Bridges; Joshua Biggs, OF Fred
erick county; Thomas p. Morgan, of the
District of Columbia DIR. Edw. Wootton,
of Montgomery county; Gen. John Gill, of
Baltimore. The board were unanimous ON
Mr.. Morgan. They also decided TO reduce
the presidents salary TO $4,000, leaving the
directors to settle whether or not to take
away the travelling expenses.
The stockholders reassembed and Mr.
Compton, for the board of public works,
moved to reduce the salary of the president
from $4,000 TO $4,000 unanimously carried.
Mr., Compton, for a majority of the board,
nominated Henry ID. Fernandis for pres-
dent, and the Governor nominated Robert
Bridges. Mr.. Fernandis was elected, get
ting the vote Of the State, that of AleNan-
dria and that of A. Bowie Davis, and Mr.