The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-05
Number ~.
Capt. Jas. B. Eads
Replies Effectively to Attacks Upon
Him,

| -
Him.
FLORENCE, ITALY, July Ia, 1882.
Tothe Editor of the Missouri Republican:
Dear Sir-I solicit the favor of a
place in your columns to reply to recent
attack made .upon me by Capt. John
| Cowden. This individual has for years
been making all sorts of charges against
me. .have regarded him simply as a
'Crank," without the least reputation for
veracity and have therefore suffered his
assaults for the past three years to pass
unnoticed. l should persue the same
course now were it not for the fact that he
introduces as copartner in his last libel
upon me his friend. Gen. Weitzel of the
| U. S. Engineer corps.
| Gen. Weitzel, it seems, has been for
long time struggling with terrible Sc
cret which he has hesitated giving to the
| light until at length persuaded to do so by
Cowden. This secret is, in few words,
as follows: The South Pass lefty COM
pany was a corporation organized un-
der the laws of the state of Missouri, its
purpose being to furnish the money ne
cessary to enable me to construct the jet
| ties and to receive In return therefor a
| handsome advance upon the moneys thus
| furnished. This company numbered
among its members some of the most prom
inent business men of New Orleans, st.
Louis, New York and otheEGities. After
the organization of the company printed
prospectus was circulated by it in which
the stock of the company, not then wholly
taken, was offered for sale, and the reason
given why the investment was thought to
be good one 1t seems that the secre-
of kha these
printed ciaculars to Gen. Comstock,
United States Engineers, who was then
acting as the inspecting officer of the jet
ties. had no knowledge at the time that
the circular was sent. 1t wasinot my Cir
cular but that Of the company, and had
nothing in the world to do with either its
preparation or circulation. And now,
seue., Fanrs afterwards. comes Gen: Welt
eel and tells, in his letter to Cowden OF
April Ia, how Gen. Comstock was morti-
fled at the thought that the printed circu-
lar was a direct assault upon his vertue,
an attempt to bribe him. 1t seems that
Gen. Weitzel was possessed OF as tender
and sensitive nature as Gen. Comstock.
He might well have said, "Why, Com
stock, there is nothing in that circular to
cause YOU to believe that the company
desires to improperly influence you. 1t is
a printed paper, evidently for general
circulation, and calls upon the reader to
6uy stock in the Jetty company for so
much money per share" But, no; Gen.
Weitzcl was outraged at SO base an at
tempt at corruption, and advised him to
report the matter to the chief of engineers
and secretary of war"
The insinuation that there was even
the remotest idea on the part of the South
Pass lefty company to improperly influ-
ence Gen. Comstock is shown to be alb
surd by the mere statement OF the facts.
But Gen. Weitzel not only intimates that
there was an attempt to hribe, but has
the effrontery also to make me appear
personally responsible therefore. In his
letter to Cowden, he says: 81 have said
nothing about it, because Capt. Eads has
been charging us with being obstruction
lists in the way of his plans" capt.
Eads has been charging us, he says-who
does he means by "us" He cannot al
lude to the engineer corps of the army,
for II is not true that ever made such
charge against the corps, but on the con-
trary' have often spoken of some of its
members as men of great ability. Proba-
bly by Gus" he means himself and his CO.
partner in this attack upon me. The in
timacy between them may seem singular,
in view of the fact that for years Cowden
has been recognized as .one OF the most
bitter and malignant enemies of the Uni
ted States engineer corps. 1t is slgnlh-
Mt fact, however, that Cowden in his
abuse of the corps, has never included
Gen. Weitzel.
In the last part ofhis letter, Gen. Welt
eel shows the cloven foot beneath the
rsb. of the saint. In speaking of me, he
saws: 81 want him to have full swing,
His so-called plan for ship railway was
patented in 1868, by civil engineer in
New York city. The photographs are
all on record in the eng gineer's office.
renorted on the feasibility of its applica-
tion 10 the falls of the Ohio some time in
1858. | believe. These are all matters of
official record"
The spirit manifested in every line Of
the above indicates that Capt Cowden
and Gen, Weitzel are "birds of a feather"
The motive which lies back of this attack
upon me is the same in the case OF both
Cowden is furious because, during the
mast session of congress, exposed an abb
surd scheme of his known as the Lake
Borgne Canal outlet project" Gen. Welt
eel is chagrined, first, because | defeated
his net project, the Fort ST Philip canal,'
and second, because, when was building
the St. Louis bridge, ridiculed the recon-
mendation of Gen. Weitzel to build ca
nal around the Illinois end of the bridge.
so that few steamboats, with very high
chimneys might pass through it instead
of under the arches of the Bridge.
If Gen. weitzel had been as well in
formed as he ought to have been, he would
have known that never claimed that the
design or suggestion of a ship railway was
original with me- On the contrary, have
always spoken of it as of very ancient
origin. If Gen. Weitzei had devoted
more time to reading, and less to Capt.
Cowden, he would have learned that
ship-railway was used by the ancient
Greeks, and that Swesenborg trahspor.
ted several vessels by this means about
100 years ago; he would also have learned
that twenty years ago Brunlees &
Webb, civil Engineers, proposed ship
railway for Suez instead of the canal.
In conclusion l distinctly pronounce all
assertions that have ever sought to i'm
properly influence any member of con-
gress or any public officer to support
measurers in which ] was or am interes-
ted false and malicious.
J Jas. B. EADs.