The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-23
TIE PORT RoYAL DOCK.
The Proposition to Move 1t Criti-
cised.


Barnwell. S. c., May 1s-Editor Morn
ing News: I see by the News and
Courier that you have been advocating
TO have the Port Royal dry dock. il
torn up from its present location. moved
to Savannah. And I see that Charles
ton. true to her ancient spirit, is hay
ing her feathers ruffied with indignation
at the presumption of Savannah. in even
limiting at such a suggestion. If the
dock Is to be moved at all from its
present. site, l hope that Savannah Will
get the plum, because Savannah has al
ways treated Beaufort and Fort Royal
with more consideration and farmers than
Charleston has. X IS surprising that the
people Of those towns give any share
whatever Of their trade or patronage TO
Charleston, which has always acted like
dog in the Manager" not only toward
Port Royal, but every other city thai
tries to do something for itself by honest
enterprise and workout particularly TO-
ward Savannah and atlanta.
The fact is hat the most that Charles
ton has done for herself since the war has
been remarkable success in standing al
ways in a begging attitude az the DORIS Of
the United States ueasuTy; her success as
a mendfcant can only be accounted for GA
the lNtOTy mat II 10 IeE Glltl y
All her energies seem 10 be devoted TO
begging, and, II all the largesses. from the
North and elsewhere, to the Charleston
College, to Porter's School, to the Ciladel,
to dig out its shallow bar to establish ex-
positions. etc, the grant aggre gal ton would
mount up into the millions. l suppose that
the jetties. from first to last, must have
cost several millionS-now she is moving
heaven and earth for a soldier santa
rum.
Including the Port Royal dry dock
scheme, she has now no less than three
or four enterprises on foot for raiding the
federal treasury, which, IL successful, viii
deplete il TO the extent of no less than
5000 GOO, to say nothing of the many mil
lions she has already swallowed in her
capacious NAV.
Her conduct towards Port Royal has
been nothing less than scandalous. Brief
ly reviewed her tactics have been about
as follows:
First. to embrace every opportunity to
SANDER the dock and adroitiy make 1t
appear that the disasters which have re-
suited from the incapacity and ineff1dency
Of the government officials. from the head
officials in charge Of navy matters down
to the contractors in charge of the build
ing of the dock-was due to the location.
rather than to the true cause.
Having succeeded in prejudcing the
minds OF uniformed persons, she pro-
ceeded to get rid of Col. Elliott. who, not
wlthstanding he was a Beaufort man, has
worked ceaselessly for Charleston, which
tried vainly to substitute Barnwell as con-
gresham in Eiliott's stead. Realizing
that that was a difficult JOB she tries to
capture Tillman. She sends on to Wash
ington, brings the Gridiron Club there,
invites Tfllman. pats him on the back.
and, prestoi the wild man from Borneo"
is tanned and captured.
Tillman takes no counsel with Elliott
after ne gets his instructions from
Smythe and others in Charleston, but
works on Long and Endicott, gets Endi-
cott and Long to write letters abusing
Port Royal and laudlng Charleston, and
there being absolutely no man in the Sen
ale to tell the Truth as to the situation, the
scheme goes through the Senate, absolute
ly without opposition.
But, IN conclusion, IL Port Royal cannot
have 1t / hope Savannah will. She de-
serves to have it. as against Charleston;
for If the national appropriations made in
Savannah and Charleston were summed
up and compared It would be found prob
ably that Charleston, by her greater en-
ergy and concentration in the mendicancy
business has corralled two dollars to every
one that Savannah has received.
Vindex.