Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-05
WATERFATAL TO DEMOCRACY, /,
The Floods Wash Away an Im-
portant Jacksonian Machine.
A HIT AT MARYLAND souRsoNs.
The Great Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Destroyed by the Ancient
Enemy OF the Great
Unwnshed.
WASHINGTON BUREAU, TUE OMAHA BHR, /
bl3 FouRTRENTH STREET

WASHINGTON BUREAU, TUE OMAHA B.B, 4
b13 FOURTEENTH STREET,
WASHINGTON, D. c., June 4.
A more direct ana lasting blow could NOT
well have been delivered at the democracy
Of Maryland than in the abandonment Of the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal. The floods have
swept away great portions Of the tow path
and destroyed most of the locks in this artery
of navigation, and it is to be sold to any rail-
road or other corporation that would like to
utilize 1t either for the construction Of rail-
road or for the purpose of rebuilding and
operating it as canal. good many years
ago the canal used to be profitable and was
about to be abandoned by the stockholders,
when the state of Maryland came TO the res.
cue and has each year appropriated
Keep Sas'en' in sum Repair II money Controls 70
very large number of votes, and "a its
management has been within the grasp Of
Senator German and other bourbon bosses,
II has been used as powerful machine and
undoubtedly held the balance of power In
the state, and whenever it goes out of the
grasp of German there will be very por-
ceptible weakening OF the party In Mary
land German was the first to announce
that the floods had so destroyed the canal as
10 make it impracticable for the state to con-
tinue backing it, and advised that 1t be dis
posed of for any price that was offered.
German is prominently connected with the
West Virginia Central railroad, which COM,
pauy had its eye ON the Chesapeake a. Ohio
canal for some time, desiring to secure ID
with view Of building railroad line into
Washington and Baltimore, and 1t is be-
lieved that his principal object is now to put
his railroad company on the iuside for
securing the canal property. Railroad men
say the Pennsylvania company, which wants
line directly TO the west from this city, Is
likely to secure it. The Chesapeake &
Ohm canal w ~ a Honrichipp pafi Inn n
before railroads were popular hereabouts.
1t made direct connection into Central
Ohio, and at one time the entire length was
owned by single corporation. The state OF
Maryland only controls this waterway within
her own territory. The abandonment of this
canal means terrible blow at Georgetown,
which is the western limit of Washington.
This old city has been gradually retrograd-
ing for fifteen or twenty years, and the -four
ing and other mills which have been kept up
by this canal. were the only institutions Civ.
ing 1t any commercial Importance whatever.
These will undoubtedly go down with the
abandonment of the canal, as the canal fur
nshes all of the water power and the only
means Of transportation Of value. Millions
of dollars are invested in the Georgetown
water franchise, and they all depend upon
the existence of the canal
LOVER OF RED TAPE.
Commissionary General MacFeely, who
has been acting as acting secretary OF war,
created a most unpleasant sensation this
afternoon by arbitrarily refusing to obey
Secretary Proctor's orders TO send bread TO:
the Johnstown sufferers General Mac
F'eely said there was no authority In law.
for the issuance of rations to civilians and
that, therefore, he would not comply with
the order. The secretary of war went to
the secretary of the navy and related the un-
pleasant position in which he was placed by
the conduct of his subordinate, and asked
for advice. After conference, Secretary
Tracy concluded to relieve the sit.
uation from his own larders, and
Immediately issued orders that all
the ship biscuit at the various navy store
houses along the Atlantic coast should be
forwarded to Johnstown. General Mac
Feely's objection is purely technical one
and has never been raised before. When
Chicago was destroyed by fire in 1871, it will
be remembered that General Sheridan, in
command at that point, ordered whole
train load of provisions distributed to tha
sufferers, 10 the name of Secretary Belknap,
and afterwards advised the secretary Of war
of what he had done. His action was in
dorsed. Similar conduct involving the loan
of a large number of tents, which have never
been returned to the war department was
shown during the Charleston earthquakes
and subsequently during the yellow fever
scourge in Florida, and there has never
been any criticism of it in Official circles.
NEW NEBRASKA PosTMAsTERs.
The postmaster-genera to-day appointed
poslmasters in Nebraska as follews f.. M.
Mattoon, Blue Springs, Gage county, vice
William Young, removed; Charles ii. Irion,
Iown, Box Butte county, vice j. p. Pasard,
resigned.
IOWA PosTMAsTERs.
Eli Nichols, Cleveland, Lucas county,
vice ID. a. Telfor, removed; Erastur Bur
rows, Forestville, Delaware county, vice
William Wall, resigned; William OFT,
Riverside, Washington county, vice George
l.. Smiley removed.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Upon his return from Vermont, to day,
Secretary Proctor took up the papers in the
vacant adjutant-generalship After care-
full examination of them he went to the
white house and consulted President Harri-
son. IT is believed that the vacancy will be
filled within week and that Colonel Kel,on
will secure IL. The secretary is confronted
with the difficulty of filling the assistant adj
iutant-generalship, for which there are over
fifty applicants.
The civil service commission held a depart
mental examination AT the city hall, to-day,
which was attended by 22h candidates., the
largest number ever examined at one time.
There were l39 men and go wome !.
Washington has almost euu.r.iy recovered
from the floods, and tonight mails are mov-
ing in every direction. The greatest dam
age was TO the Potomac fats, the long bridge
and the Chesapeake and Ohio canal prop
erty.
1t is believed that President Harrison will
not call an extra session of congress in Oc-
tober, but will permit the members 10 come
together In December, as provided by the
constitution.
r. O. Phillips, OF Lincoln Is here.