, 1873-04-22
THE RIVER AND HARBoR sWINDLE.

Among tho many abuBoa roBalting from Bur-
plus royonuo, and ono Of tho protoxta for not
repeating unnecessary taxes, is tho now annual
appropriation Of 100000 or $4,000, 600 for tho
ostonsible purpose Of improving rivers and lar-
bors. Taken US 3 whole, tloro is no creator
fraud upon the Treasury than this, unless VIC
except the annual appropriation Of about
$4,000 900 for tho repair Of certain old fortilca-
tionB that ought, rs a general thing, to bo blown
up or abandoned. The River aud Harbor bill
passed at tho lato session appropriatos
s0,082,000, four-hfths of which Ia actually
waste, and might as we'll bo given away,
At tic cloao Of each Of those bills thoro Is d
clauae directing tho Secretary Of War to cause
surveys to DO mado Of various now works III all
parts Of tho country, and to report an estimate
Of oach at tho next sossion. At tho next session
these new works arc added to tho lat, aud In this
WY the annual expenditure for these local Jobs is
getting enormous. Among tho new works on
which this last act directs a survey and cstimato
is Pine River, St. Clair County, h1onistiguo har-
bor, and sobawring Rivor, all in Michigan; Rcd
River, from Morohoad to pombina; tho Youg-
hiogheny River, Pennsylvania, and m exton-
aion of tho Chesapeake d Ohio Canal, from
Cumberland, Maryland, to tho Ohio River !; also
of work to connect tho inland wators
from Donaldsonvillc, Louisiana, to the Rio
Grando River, by cuts and canals, so az to avoid
the navigation Of tho Gulf Of Mexico; tho great
Pee Doc River in south Carolina md Forkod
Deer River in Tennessee. There nro Hcoro Of
othors, for each Of which next year thero will be
asked m appropriation Of from $4,000 to
| $50, 900 to begin with, the game to bo kept up
indefinitely. The bill contains appropriations
for no loss than twolyo ancent harbora
lin Michigan, regular old Joo n1illera.
to dredge out tho Bay Of Superior, and to keep
its entrances opon. There are 1000 for Chi
cago and $4,000 for Calumet harbors, and $780,
600 for tho Ohio harbors on Lake Eric
Even Vermont gets $4,000 for har.
bors. sixty.six thousand dollars arc up.
propriatod for tho Upper Monongahola Rivel
In West Virginia ;; and $4,000 are appropriated
for removing tho raft in Red River, Arkansas
work begun forty years ago, upon which i'm
nonso sumB have been oxpended and tho raft al
this timo ia greater than .oyor. Tho inevitable
Capo Fear River, North Carolina, gets anothc
500, 900 for M impossible Improvement that haf
boon under way for forty years. A aufflcion
number Of the rivers and creeks OF Virginia hay'
appropriations to scouro tho votos Of tho Rop
regontatiyea Of that State. Tho sanae Is the cas-
in Now Jersey, Maryland, Tennessee, Missouri
Now York, aud Delaware. Tho harbors Of Rhod
Island got $4,000; those Of Connecticut
$4,000. Soda Lake, in Texas, get
$4,000, whilo 1Iaino gota s174,0oo No'
Hampshire wants tho Oooheco Rive
mado navigablo, and this bill gives $4,000
yoar for that purpose. Tho greater pnrt Of thea
| appropriations arc frauds upon tho country, an
Congress- would never daro to lovy spooal ta
to meet them. So long, howovor, as thore is
surplus royonue OF over q hundred millions Q
dollars year. so long will Congress- repeat thl
rechleas waste of public money for tho promo
tion Of fow local schemes, In tie especial III
forest Of memhers Of Congress, at tho cost o
tho whole country,
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