Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-19


SIgned-AtkiDs Solid for the New
Judgeship - missIssippI Improve
menr-z Strong Plea from she
Presidenr In Iss FaVOr-C0ngFess
Yesterday.
WASHINGTON, April 1S-Robeson is now
known in the House as the "Deputy
Speaker" He supports Keifer in all his
vscillaions and prompts him in all his de-
cisions. While the title of "Deputy
spesker' is only accorded Robson, it does
not fully convey his power. He is to all
practical purposes Speaker. Keifer does
what Robson tells him, and does not stop
TO inquire II such a course is the right one.
Keifer In this does the bidding of the Grant
Cameron influence, which made him
Speaker. He is only a puppet, and every
day shows him to be the more incapable
even as a puppet.
The bill to establish new Judicial dis-
trict for the State OF Georgia to day passed
the House as it came from the Senate, without
amendment. It is worded exactly as It was
recently printed in the News. The bill will
be engrossed tomorrow and sent to the
President for signature, OF which there is no
doubt.
Atkins will be made Judge of the new
district. No claims for other offices created
by the bill have been filed, but It is under
stood that the syndicate which has parcelled
out the old offices will also manage the fill
ing Of the new ones created ny the bill.
CHILIANs OPENING AMERICAN DISPATCHES.
The Secretary of State had his attention
called some time since to circumstances
which seemed To indicate that letters ad-
dressed by the Department 70 the United
States Legation at La Caz, Bolivia, had been
tsmpered with while passing through the
hands of the Chilian authorities. He
caused investigation to be made, and
upon becoming convinced that
there was good ground for complaint, ad-
dressed a remOustrauce to the Chilian Gov
ernment through its Minister here and
through the United States Legation at San
tisgo. The Government of Chilli disavowed
responsibility for the acts complained of,
expressed strong dislpprOVal of them and
promised a prompt Investigation. The
United States Consul at Valparaiso reports
by telegraph that the investigation has re-
suited in the arrest and punishment OF the
guilty officials.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
In the Senate, the Chair submitted mes
sage from the President transmitting the
recommendation of the Mississippi River
Commission for an appropriation of 81 ,0l0,
600 for closing existing gaps in the leVees,
in addition to a like sum already estimated
for. The President urges early and favora-
BILE consideration of the recommendation,
ocrT -,
auce Of the subject. Ordered tabled and
printed, bill on the subject being now be-
fore the Senate.
The Senate resumed consideration OF the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers improve
ment bill.
Mr.. Harrison, who was entitled 70 the
floor. yielded temporarily to Mr.. Frye, a
member of the committee from which the
bill was reported, who said that Northern
and Eastern members, while approaching
the importance OF improving navigation,
were opposed to allowing any part OF the
appropriation to be used Tor the reclama-
| tlO7 of lands in the river States. They re-
gardad the existing sentiment caused by the
recent overflow as a dangerous ore upon
which 10 base l gisatiOn. The unanimous fs-
vorstle report upon the measure was due to
the proviso which prevents the use of
money for rebuildiOg Of the levees, and this
had been inserted without objection. He
said be made this statement in view OF the
intimatiou thrown out Yesterday by Mr..
Kellogg. that an amendment removing this
restriction upon the exoendI'ure OF the
money would not be objected TO hv the
committee, and also in view Of Mr.. Jonas
amendment, applying part OF the appro-
priatiOu 10 she levees.
Mr.. Harrison, q member Of the Committee
on the Mississippi River improvements.
then addressed the Senate at some length.
After asserting the admiralty control OF the
United States over the entire nsvigahle
length OF the Mississippi, and lis jurisdic
tion over Improvements Of navigation and
works necessary to make the river safer
and a constant outlet for commerce,
he said nearly $4,000 navigsble miles
OF the main river and IT'S tributaries
were distributed along eighteen States
and three Territories region produc-
ing the larger part of the entire grain
crop and a larger part OF the cotton crop OF
the country and that the work Of providing
a cheap and free highway for these products
in their conveyance 70 the consumers Of the
Atlantic States and of EurOpe wa obviously
not a sectional but 9 national one Speak
ing of the facilities OF cheap TRANSFORMATION
and free compe rition pert aiming to river nav
igatiOn SIS compared with oppressive railroad
rates, Mr. Harrison remarked that upon The
| Obs'ructing bars being cleared away and
uniform low water depth Of ten feet below
St Louis being attained the shores OF the
| Mississippi would practically be at tide
water, that grain will go west and south
as we'll as east by the river whenever rail-
road charges are oppressive. No set of
| Congress or of the States. In his opinion,
| could prove so efficient in regulating trans
| portatiGn charges as the law of cOmDeti-
| ton between the improved natural water
ways OF the country snd the railroads. This
law had f faxibility and sanction that no
statutory tariff Of rates could have. Re-
| ferring TO the expenditures for the opening
Of the mouth OF the Mississippi as
| having devOlved upon Congress an obliga-
tiOn to improve the body of the
river, he added that the country
would demand that the plan OF impr We
ment shall be shown to be practicable,
and that the expenditures shall be limited
to such works as are essential TO better
navigation He believed chat II Congress
was assured that the sums voted would be
applied directly and by the best methods to
that end, the necessary appropriations
would not be withheld
The Commission ia its report of Novem-
Der, 1881, declared that the levee system
was rot a necessary auxiliary to their plan
of channel imrrovement. Mr. Harrison
maintained that this system is not closely,
il at all, connected with good low-water
| navigation, bus is one of land reclamation
| aud land defense, over which the govern
ment had no power. He was unwilling to
load down the plans for removing the river
bars with a costly work, which, In the
| judgment OF the engineers, was not a
| necessary adjunct, but he desired
TO keep two distinct projects separated.
He went on to oppose the levee project,
cOntendiug that the money appropriated for
levees was practically donation to the
owners of alluvial lands, that the levee sys-
tenn was heretofore maintained as one Of
local benefit, the States concerned having
| made special assessment on protected lands
for the support OF the system, 1t having
been treated as too local a matter TO be paid
for out of the general funds of the States
The system could now be claimed to be one
of national character.
Replying to the arguments OF Messrs.
Jonas and Garland, he said that the annual
cost of maintaining the levees had been
stated by those Senators at 5000 900. He
showed that this would require an annual
tax on the lands of only cents per acre,
and added that Mr.. Garland was not
a safe prophet when he predicted
that the plantations would be
abandoned by reason of such tax burdens.
The real difficulty was not as represented,
| that the owners of the lands are unable to
pag for a good levee system, but rather
| that the provision for the collection of the
necessary taxes has not been adequate, and
the money has not been intelligently ex-
| pended.
Replying to Mr.. Vests appeal that the
| government should tie the country together
with the bonds of love by rebuilding the
| leyeas, Mr. Harrison said he was sure that
| there was no disposition in the North to