The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-05-15
OPEN TO MoReANTowN.
Lock No. . VIII be Built and the River
Probable Made Free.


thAeAtschSct-
WASHINGTON, May9-The River and
Harbor Bill, which has finally been
passed by the House of Representa-
tives,puts the Monongahela river i'm
provement matter in shape exceed
ingly favorable to West Virginia, as
no effort was made to undo the
amendment which Mr.. Wilson Sc
cured to the bill in its consideration
in the Committee of the Whole. 1t
may not be amiss TO state the exact
nature of that amendment and how
it was obtained. When the section
making the appropriation for the
Monongahela was reached "A very bit
ter attack sprung up on the PROPOSE
ton that the Government make
the river free by acquiring control of
the works of the Monongahela I'm
provement Company. These CON
sist of seven locks and dams, extend
ing from Pittsburg to the West yir-
ginia line. The United States has
built one lock and dam just below
Morgantown, and the sum appro-
priated in the bill will complete the
second lock and dam between that
point and the Pennsylvania line,
thus giving continuous slackwater
navigation from. Pittsburg up to
Morgantown.
sLACKwATER NAVIGATION.
Among those who most fiercely at
tackled this provision, and Mr.. Will
son as it's advocate, were Messrs
Reagan, of Texas, Hewitt, of New
York, Kelley, of Pennsylvania, and
Negley, of Pittsburg, and it appear
ed at one time as if this attack
would carry with it the striking out
of the appropriation for the river.
The first amendment adopted was
one offered by Mr.. Reagan, of Texas,
which provided that the appropria-
ton of $12l,200 should not be ex-
pended until the navigation of the
river was made free. As the works
of the Monongahela River Improve
ment Company are valued at several
million dollars, this was equivalent
to striking out the appropriation.
The second amendment adopted, on
the motion of Mr.. Hewitt, of New
York, was to strike out all parts of
the bill that looked to the acquisi-
ton of the company's works, and
the third amendment, adopted on
motion Of Mr. Breckenridge, of Ken
lucky, provided that the navigation
of the river should be made free by
the State of Pennsylvania under the
charter granted by it to the Nayiga
ton Company.
WILSON'S sHREwD MOVE.
In this shape the committee was
about to leave the matter when Mr..
Wilson, by what is generally con-
coded to be one of the shrewdest ex-
hibitions Of generalship of this Con
gress, succeeded in getting an
amendment adopted, striking out
the amendments of Judge Reagan
and Mr.. Breckenridge, and simply,
adding after the appropriation, the
words, But no charges or tolls shall
be collected on any other part Of the
river on commerce on the said river,
which originates above the works
herein appropriated for The eff
feet of this is to continue the appro-
priation, to complete the navigation
of the river and to forbid the Navi-
cation Company charging any tolls
on the commerce which comes down
from West Virginia through the
Government works-thus giving the
shippers of West Virginia an i'm
mense advantage over those of Penn
sylvania, who must still pay toll for
the use of the river. This amend
ment was opposed by Judge Reagan
and Messrs. Hewitt and Brecken-
ridge who laughingly admitted that
Mr.. Wilson had knocked the feet
from under them before they had
time to understand the scope of his
amendment.
BAYNE'S AMENDMENT.
In the later consideration of the
bill Mr.. Bayne succeeded in getting
clause introduced in Connection
with the Green and Barren rivers
Ky, (which authorizes the Secetary
Of War to negotiate for the purchase
of the Monongahela improvement
Company's work. This, it will be
observed, however. is a. matter no
longer of any interest to the people
of West Virginia as under the bill
as passed the navigation of the river
is made free to their traffic.
Considering the fact that the an
nual appropriation for the Monon-
gahela river heretofore was but $780,
600 or $4,000, it will be seen that
Mr.. Wilson has done well by that
section of his district, as well in the
amount secured as in the provisions
relating to the free navigation of the
river.
1t has excited some remark here
in contest in which he was opposed
by several of the ablest members of
the House sthe quite member was
able not only to hold his own, but,
unaided, to wrest from the opposition
much more than he at first expected
to ask for.
Miss Fannie Lillian Madison, a
direct descendent of President Mad
ison, was murdered in Richmond
nearly a year ago, and her cousin,
Thomas Jefferson Cluverius, a collat-
eral descendant of President Tyler,
was convicted of the crime and SEN
fenced to death The case was APP
pealed to the Supreme Court, and
after elaborate argument and months
of deliberation, the court decided
that the conviction was just and the
judgment was affirmed. The case has
excited the widest and deepest inter
est in Virginia and the South; but