The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-03-17
THE VALUE OF HIS SERVICES TO MARY
LAND.

LAND.
The value of Mr.. Germans services
to his own State during the eighteen
years 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
terial interests. Besides his large in
tiuence. Mr.. German has been re-
marlably 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" 1t 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 he
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 -ninety-twO years
the United States Government expended
for the improvement of rivers and harbOrS
of Maryland $07S,26o.
From 1881 to eighteen years
Mr.. German and his colleagues have Sc
cured for the same purpose $3,SS7, 7O2.
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
remarkable disparity during the
two periods above noted.
\ 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 1881, the width of the chan
mel of Baltimore harbor was only 80
feet, and the depth n feet. At the
first Congress of which he was
member he secured an appropriation
of $45O0OO for the harbor, and pro-
vision to increase its depth to - feet;
i'm 1892 he secured a provision to in
crease the width of the channel to
400 feet; in the following year a pro-
= vision to increase the width to 600
, feet, and the work was placed under
contract. so that the Improvement
should proceed without interruption;
t IN 1894 he obtained authority to
widen the channel to 1000 feet. and
i'm 1896 secured an additional appro-
| priation of 100000 to deepen the
! channel to 30 feet. These extensive
improvements thus mapped out will,
: according to the estimate of the Chief
= of Engineers, involve an ultimate eX-
| penditure of s., 100000.
, At the last session of the Fifty-fifth
% Congress Just closed a further appro-
1 pration of 100000 for the Baltimore
= harbor was added to the River and
4 IIarbor bill by Mr.. German in the
y Senate. and contracts entered into
= involving the expenditure of an addi-
: tional 100000 to complete the inn
+ provcment of the harbor.
). In 1851 the large vessels of foreign
i commerce could not with safety en-
ter the harbor of Baltimore; to-day
4 it is the equal in its capacity for the
5 trade Of the heaviest ships with any
h port on the Atlantic.
r. There is scarcely a harbor ON the
$ Chesapeake or it's tributaries or
J. point where a lighthouse is required
/. that has not been provided or i'm
= proved during Senator German
n term in the Senate.
y In the Fifty-third Congress, he Sc
e cured a complete survey of the Ches
e apeake and Delaware Canal, both 70
e commercial purposes and as a mean
v of national defense.
o He secured an appropriation o
S315.0 900 for the construction of tn,
new postotlicc building, and 10000
for the Marine Hospital building il
&c Baltimore City, and in the eXpirin
ne days of the last session Just CLOSED
ar Mr.. Germans bill. providing neN
IN Custom House Building for Baltimor
to City. and appropriating $1,575,000 70
~ the purpose, became law.
a In 1887 Mr.. German secured fas
IN mail service for Baltimore City. ia
d. cility it had not previously enjoyed.