The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-04-27
THE NATIONS CAPITAL.
AN NAREUMENT FOR THE IMPROV-
EN- lent OF WILMINGTON.
The Prospects OF the Tariff Bill Good.
Discussion on Tariff Has at Last e Com-
menced, &c, &c.


WASHINGTON. d. c., April 21, 1855
The fine effort of Mr. Mills in opening he
tariff debate last Tuesday seems to have
put the House in a working humor. The
speech was roundly and deservedly ap-
plauded and its effect was marked The
probable success of the tariff bill is gener-
ally admitted. 1t is said that 1862 votes
can confidently be relied on. The discus
sion will be resumed Tuesday cath.
The Indian and Pension appropriation
bills were passed last week and the con
sideration Of the River and Harbor Appro-
pration bill was brgnn. Col. Tom John
>ton's emendment to the Indian ApprO-
pration bill, which was intended to give
the local teachers chance to compete
with imported Quaker teachers in the
cherokee schools, was, | regret to say, lost.
The Pension Appropriation bill AS it pass
ed the House includes clause relating to
the widows and minor children of the sol
diers of the war of 1912 and of the Mexi-
can War. 1t is probable that some of your
readers may have personal interest in
this bill. The River and Harbor bill, now
under discussion, will be largely added to
when 1t reaches the Senate. Senator Ran
som Will, as usual no doubt, cause the
House appropriations for the Cape F, ar,
streams to be increased. | have reason to
believe that it is his intention to pay es-
lecial attention TO this matter and to use
his utmost efforts for the Port of Whining
ton, now rapidly becoming the principal
outlet for the splendid resources of the
Western part Of the State, and for the
outlying counties of South Carolina. Work
and money spent on that port will un
doubtedly ay in every particular. The
money will be returned with compound
interest to our people, living On the routes
AS far as the Carolina Central, the Cape
Fear and ladkin Valley and other rail
roads, entering Wilmington, extend. That
Harbor ought to be deepened every year.
It is undoubtedly the port of the State,
AID no effort ought to be spared to build
her up. The one great drawback to our
national and commercial importance is that
we have no great city, The history of
Wilmington for the past one hundred
years, proves what she might become if a
united, patriotic effrrt were made by the
whole State to advance her commercial in
terests | have no motive in what | am
writing. | own nothing in the city by the
sea. AS a North CarOlinian only, say it,
Senator Ransom ought to be urged to con
centrate on the lower Cape Fear when this
River and Harbor bill is before the Com
merce committee of which, he is IA mem
ber- AS a member of this important com
mittee and he is one of the strongest
men on it-he can get good deal of
money If he will make strong pull for it.
And the whole State, irrespective of the
local interests of separate Congressional
districts. ought to sustain HIM in making
the pull. AS usual, when the bill comes
up before the Senate, the members of our
House delegation will present to him the
claims of the various rivers, creeks, lnlets,
&c, backed up with names OF influential
constituents and all that, Ny friend, Hon.
John S Henderson will no doubt come
forward with plea for the Catawba, Cod
die Greek and sundry other creeks whose
names are unfamiliar to me. Your friend
hon. John Nichols, will, ex officio. extol
the Neuse, the classic Emo, &c. Col Tom
Johnston can be relied on to spin tremen-
dous yarns about some OF the mill
streams in the Land of the SKY. Messrs
Simmons and Latham will doubtless grow
eloquent over all the bays on the Atlanta
Seaboard. and the streams that flow into
them. Messrs McClammy, Rowland,
Brewer and Simmons will also do their
duty. But all these minor matters ought
to be made subservient to the juster claim
of our one considerable port of Whining
ton | have letter on my desk from
prominent North Carolinian this moment,
criticising Senator Ransom for alleged
completely in agreeing to ''jobs' engineer
ed through the River and Harbor bill.
The writer of the letter Is a fairminded
gentleman and is not unfriendly to our
senior Senator. He asks lis it true that
Northern rivers and harbors are allowed
immense sums by the Commerce Commit
tee that our State may geta little2" When
the bill is approved by the Commerce
Committee | will give him and you the
actual figures These will speak more
eloquently and more forcibly than any as
sertion OF mine. But ask you is it good
policy to scatter the River and Harbor ap-
preparations all over the State in divided
sums rather than concentrate on one or
two or several strong points where the
money is really needed. Did the money
formerly appropriated to COntentnea Greek
for instance ever do any goods | notice
this stream mentioned among others in
the last appropriations to North CarOlinai
| ask for information. You know the To-
cality, and you are courageous enough to
tell the truth. 1t looks to me as if we
wont have to go North to look for Jobs
in the River and Harbor appropriations of
the past, and the people living on these
streams are partly responsible for the
s'jobs' s'-not entirely the Congressman.
The Congressman comes here expecting to
carry out the will of his constituents.
And Senator Ransom naturally is inclined
to favor the Congressman who comes to
him for few thousand dollars appropria-
tion for a particular creek! Suppose all
Eastern, Western and Central North Caro-
lima instructed Senator Ransom to use his
own intimate knowledge of the State and
place the money just where he conscient-
| iously thought it would do the most good,
| from purely commercial standpoint!
| will ager all the salary your paper pays
me for year, that he would do it, and
that the NUMBER of appropriations sent to
the State would be greatly decreased. The
amount might be INCREASED, for the need
would be apparent. And | would wager
double the amount mentioned above that
the lower Cape Fear, | mean from little
above Wilmington to Southport, would
| get the lions share! Such a policy would
soon make Wilmington to North Carolina
what New York is to the Empire State
As it is, Norfolk with her peerless harbol
and Charleston with her deep water, draw
trade from both sides of Wilmington!
am not one of those who regard NORTH
Carolina as "a strip of land between two
States" | resent the existence of the
phrase. / am willing-even glad for Vir
ginia to build up Norfolk and shaky a!
Charleston is, like to think of her wharve'
as laden with South Carolina produce, bu
l want the cotton, the turpentine, th'
| VT L.