The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1899-03-18

bury. He made a pleasant impress
sion upon all. In his manner to
strangers Mr.. German is the soul of
suavity and courtesy, and is regarded
as one of the Chesterfields of the Sem
ate. To his friends he is cordial and
informal. There are few observing
public men who regard Mr.. Germans
career as ended with his retirement
from the Senate He is still full of
mental and physical vigor. and it is
hardly likely that talents such as he
possesses will permit him to rest on
the laurels of his past achievements,
although that would probably be
more agreeable to him.
THE VALUE OF HIS SERVICES TO MARY
LAND.
The value of Mr.. Germans services
TO his own State during the eighteen
wears of his service in the Senate
would be difficult TO estimate in dol
lars and cents. 1t goes without say
ing that any State whose representa-
tive acquires in the national councils
the commanding influence of Senator
German necessarily reaps a large
benefit in the advancement of its ma
teriaI interests. Besides his large in
tiuence, Mr.. German has been re-
markably punctual in his attendance,
thereby always keeping fully advised
of the status of pending public and
private business. AS Benton said of
himself he has been during his entire
term of service an attending and
attentive member" IL is questionable
If any other Senator during the same
period put in as many days of actual
attendance.
Some idea of the money value to
the State of his services may be
formed from the figures shown by
the public records of the amounts
expended by the Government for pub
lie improvements in Maryland. for
rivers and harbors alone, from the
commencement of the Government
to the present time. Dividing the ag-
gregate expenditures into two peri
DDS. the following remarkable result
/ is shown:
From 1889 TO 1SSl-ninety-twO years
the United States Government expended
for the improvement of rivers and harb0rs
OF Maryland $97s,269.
From 1881 to lS9o-eighteen years
Mr.. German and his colleagues have Sc
cured for the same purpose $3,ss7,7 02.
The large number of private claims
of citizens of Maryland against the
Government, which through Mr.. Cor
mans influence have been paid, viii
add many thousands to the above
showing, while the amounts expended
for public buildings. lighthouses and
other public improvements would in
crease the aggregate by many more
millions. and probably show quite as
remarks bic a disparity during the
two periods above noted.
4 further idea of some of the de-
tails of Mr.. Germans services to his
State may be obtained from the fol-
lowing summary:
At the time OF his entrance into the
Senate in 1851, the width of the chan
mel of Baltimore harbor was only $50
feet, and the depth 24 feet. At the
first Congress of which he was "A
member he secured an appropriation
of S45O,00O for the harbor, and pro-
vision to increase its depth TO % feet;
in 1899 he secured a provision to in
crease the width of the channel to
400 feet; in the following year pro-
vision to increase the width to 600
feet, and the work was placed under
contract, so that the improvement
should proceed without interruption;
IN 1894 he obtained authority to
widen the channel TO 1000 feet, and
in 1896 secured an additional appro-
priation of 100000 to deepen the
channel TO 80 feet. These extensive
improvements thus mapped out will,
according to the estimate of the Chief
of Engineers, involve an ultimate ex-
penditure of $500, 900.
At the last session of the Fifty-fifth
Congress just closed further appro-
priation of 100000 for the Baltimore
harbor was added to the River and
Harbor bill by Mr.. German in the
Senate, and contracts entered into
involving the expenditure of an addi-
tional 81 100000 to complete the i'm
provement of the harbor.
In 1881 the large vessels of foreign
commerce could not with safety en-
ter the harbor of Baltimore; to-day
lit is the equal in its capacity for the
trade of the heaviest ships with any
port on the Atlantic.
, There is scarcely a harbor on the
Chesapeake or it's tributaries or
point where a lighthouse is required
/ that has not been PROVIDED OF I'M
proved during Senator Germans
term in the Senate.
In the Fifty-third Congress, he Sc
cured a complete survey of the Ches-
apeake and Delaware Canal, both for
commercial purposes and as means
of national defense.
He secured an appropriation of
S375,000 for the construction of the
new postoffice building, and 100000
for the Marine Hospital building in
Baltimore City, and in the expiring
days of the last session just closed,
Mr.. Germans bill, providing a new
| Custom House Building for Baltimore
City, and appropriating $1,575,OoO for
the purpose, became a law.
In 1887 Mr.. German secured fast
mail service for Baltimore City, ia
cility it had not previously enjoyed.