The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-07
THE ROE PLANTER as KICK,

A Protest by some OF Them Against
the Savannah River Improvement.
The Charleston Nel0s anG Courier Of day
before yesterday contained the following
paragraph In Its Washington correspond
suce:
Senator Butler arrived here last night from
Charleston. He signal1zed his return to the
Senate by presenting a memorial against the
improvement OF certain portions of the Savan-
ma river. The memorial is signed by Messrs.
Huger, King, Msnigault and Others setting
forth that the proposed Improvement will serI-
ously inJure their rice plantations.
An investigation Of the meaning OF this
paragraph yesterday revealed an unpleas-
ant state Of affairs, that DOESN'T look well,
TO say the least, for the Carolina rice plant
ers who have made their homes in Savan-
nah and this vicinity on one side of the
river or the other. Because they think
there is q prospect OF injury re-
sulting 20 their rice plantations by
the river and harbor Improvement and the
deepening Of the channel, which it is now
proposed to complete, they are willing TO
obstruct to the whole work of river aud
harbor improvement without any regard
for the city's interest. 1t seems that the
rice planters on the Carolina side believe
that the work OK deepening the channel
from Savannah to the ocean or the work
made necessary to accomplish that result,
has injured their plantations by in
oreasing the flow OF water
and making 1t more difficult
TO drain the rice lands. 1t ia claimed that
the building Of the cross tides dam above
the city four years ago has already had this
effect to certain extent, and they fear, or
they 80 declare, that their rice lands will be
greatly injured by the continued improve
ment of the channel.
Some of the rice planters, especially Caro-
lima planters. and perhaps some of the Geor-
gia owners OF rice lands on the Carolina side
have always been unfriendly to the i'm
provement Of the Savannah river for the
foregoing unfriendly resons.
In 1873 an injunction was gotten out
against the work then being carried on by
the government to improve the channel,
and complete stop put to the work. The
Injunction was fought to the supreme court
OF the United States where it was dissolved,
and the work was allowed to proceed
Some time ago the Carolina rice planters on
tine other side of the river requested
Congressman Lester OF this district to
present a memorial to congress relative to
the damage which the improvement would
do their plantations, the effect of which
would have been, probably, to prevent the
granting OF the appropriation OF IS, 800 900
allowed in the river and harbor bill for the
completion OF the work from Savannah to
the ocean. This Col. Lester refused to do.
The memorial was then placed in the hands
of Senator Butler OF South Carolina, who
presented it in the Senate.
What else can be meant by the action of
the planters on the Carolina side than that
they ars willing to put stop 60 the inn
provement OF the channel entirely for the
sake of the preservation OF a few hundred
acres OF rice land it is difficult to un-
derstand. Such interference at a time
when the appropriation, almost secured,
still hangs in the balance, and with House
of Representatives inclined to make every
warranted reduction in the appropriations
ia dangerous
One of the rice planters is reported TO
have said that if they had known the full
intention OF the bill they would have secured
enough strength from Louisiana aud South
Carolina to defeat It in the beginning.
Capt o. NJ. Carter, United States en-
gineer in charge OF the river aud harbor
work here, was seen with regard to the
matter but declined to discuss the subject.
He said that If the rice planters had good
grounds to believe that their lands
were injured by the river and harbor i'm
provement they could easily secure an or
der from the war department to have a
survey made and an estimate OF the dam
age, If any, and il the lands were injured
they could easily secure damages from the
government.
Capt Carter said the government is not
disposed to run rough shod over private
interests in making improvements. II or
dered to make the survey he will do so very
readily.