The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-21
PAYS TRIBUTE ID
 ENGINEER CORPS
Senator Ransdall Resents In- ferences of Graft in Rivers
 and HarbOfs Work

Washington, September 2o.-(SpeciaL)-Ir the course of speech on the river and harbors appropriation bill. which has run the gauntlet of senatorial opposition in some quarters for nearly three months Senator Ransdell of Louisiana paid a glowing tribute to the work of the en- gineer corps of the army in connection with waterway improvements. This arm of the military service is rarely in the pub lie prints, except where some great achievement is accomplished. like the building of the Panama canal, the ex- ploraton of unknown regions, or the map ping of vast tracts of land for the uses of mankind.
 Throughout the long and wearisome de- bate on the rivers and harbors bill much has been said about the engineer corps not necessarily in terms of criticism, but in intimations that have ranked and left exceeding sore spots It was these faint praises for the honor graduates of the greatest military schools in the world that led Senator Ransdell to pay his compliments to one of the most useful and most necessary branches of the mili- tary establishment.
 Some of the best names in our history belong to the engineer corps" said the junior senator from Louisiana. Meade and Lee, who fought at Gettysburg against each other, were members of the engineer corps. They were the leaders of 40 members of that corps who attained commanding rank in the war betweeen the states. Some of the greatest generals on both sides were engineer officers. Joe Johnson, McPherson. Beauregard and Wright, and many others whose names are emblazoned on the pages of our na- tion's history
 Coming down to the present time. Sen ator Ransdell called the roll of engineer officers who had made an imperishable name for themselves in connection with the building of the Panama canal. Colonel George w. Goethals, like "Abou ben Ad- hem,' leading all the rest in that great galaxy. With the name of Colonel Goethals. Senator Ransdell coupled those of Colonel Sibert of Alabama. the late Colonel Gaillard and Colonel Hodges who, he said, acquired the training and experience which enabled them to con struct the greatest engineering feat of all the ages from their intimate and per sonal association with river and harbor work.
 Would any American dare intimate for an instant that Colonel Goethals would have favored a project in which there was pork or graft? I should like to see the man who would make that suggestion about Goethals or Sibert or Gaillard or Hedges said Senator Ransdell, yet these men were connected with various and sundry river and harbor projects long before their government sent them to Panama to build that mighty achievement of mans ingenuity"
 The engineer corps. which is probably the least showy of the varied arms of the military establishment, but which has al least as much to its credit as any other branch of the service, represents nearly every state in the union; the states not represented in the corps as at present constituted being Rhode Island. South Dakota and New Mexico, although Little Rhodey' has been ably represented in the past.
 One of the rather remarkable things in connection with the present engineer corps IS that Oregon, Delaware and New Hamp- shire have more representatives in the corps than they have members in Con- gress, situation that may never occur again.
 Since the engineers in charge of rivers ana harbors have reported favorably upon Sz9 of the S1 items in the rivers and harbors bill. which has been kicked about like d football for the past three months in the Senate, there can be no denial ot the fact that those who charge that the bill IS full of pork" are at the same time reflectlng on the army engineers.