Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-06-20
OOMIOAL CONGRESSMAN.
Amusing Debate In the House or Represents
tfves Over the River ana Harb0r RiIl.

she Dill proposition for the survey
of rivers where there is not water
enough to make mill-race. On
some of them, as had been said, a
man could not find dam by the mill
site, and could not find a mill by a
dam-site. laughter Most of the
rivers provided for by the bill were
not worth dam. [Laughter.l He
found in the bill provision for a
river in Kentucky, and he was told
by Kentucky member that the only
way to make that river thoroughfare
was to macadamize it.
Mr.. Ellis, of Louisiana, said he had
appeared before the Committee on
Commerce asking for an appropria-
ton for the Improvement of the har-
Dor of New Orleans. The committee
had voted but $4,000 for that pur-
pose, while it had given large appro-
priations for uncomfortable rivers in
Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Roberts handed Mr.. Ellis q
copy ofthe bill and challenged him to
name the river in Pennsylvania to
which he alluded
Mr.. Ellis looked at the bill and
spelled out the name of the Kiskim.
initas.
Mr.. White, of Pennsylvania, here
broke into the discussion and de
clared that Mr.. Ellis education must
have been neglected when be did not
know where the Kiskiminitas river
was Laughter That was an old
Indian name for river in Western
Pennsylvania. 1t was one of the trib-
utaries of the Allegheny river, which
was one OF the arteries Of the wealth
of Western Pennsylvania, penetrating,
as it did, the oil regions of the coun-
try. So, too, the Connemaugh river
(also mentioned in the billy traversed
Western Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Wright asked his colleague to
state where the trout stream, the Kis-
minitas was, and also where the Con-
nemaugh Gf that was she name) was.
Laughter.
Mr.. White-The gentleman aspires
to be candidate for the chief execu-
tive of pennsylvania, but if he does
not know the geography of his State
better than that he ought not to aspire
to such high position. Laughter
and uproar.
Mr.. Wright-If / have to support
appropriations for the navigation of
trout streams, don't want to be
Governor of Pennsylvania.
Mr.. White-The people of Pennsyl-
vania may agree with you in that re-
spect. Will my colleague say before
the House and country that he does
not know the location of the Kiski-
minitas and the Connemaugh rivers
in Pennsylvania?
Mr.. Wright-They are new names
to me. / never heard them before.
Loud laughter and great confusion
and disorder.
Mr.. White-In the old Democratic
days it was the Kiskiminitas and Con-
nemaugh rivers that made the west
ern limit of the Pennsylvania canal
region which used to contribute to
the power of the Democratic party.
"Oh no." shouted Mr.. Townsend,
of New York, at was the Mononga-
hela that always helped the Demo.
cratic party" [Continued laughter
and uproar.
Mr.. Wright want to know
whether that appropriation was made
at the desire of my colleague.
MIR. White-It was, and am proud
of my success
Mr.. Wright-Are they navigable
streams?
Mr.. White-They are.
Mr.. Wright-How wide are they !?
Mr.. White (stretching out his arms
to their full extent, which the men,
bers assumed to be a dumb-show an
swer to the question, provoking inn
moderate laughter)-Over 200 rods.
My colleague could not swim either
of them. He would lose his wind be-
fore he got across.
Mr.. Bridges asked Mr.. White
whether in low water a person could
not step across tilem?
Mr.. White Gplignantly)-No, sir !;
yon could not sep across them. The
gentleman Ought to know something
about the great oil region of Penn
sylvania.
Mr.. Bridges-I do know something
about it.
Mr.. White--I want it known to the
people of Pennsylvania that the gen.
tleman has libeled my part Of that
Cfafo IJauohtar opI urroc~