The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-05-03
COMICAL CONGRESSMAN.


Amusipg Debate In the House Of Repre-
sentatives Over the River and Harbor
Bill.
Mr.. Cox, of New York, found in the
bill proposition for the survey OF
rivers where there was not water enough
to make mill-race. On some of them,
as had been said, man could not find
dam by the mill-site, and could not find
a mill by dam-site. Laughter.
Most of the rivers provided for by the
bill were not worth a dam. Laugh
ter. He found in the bill provision
for 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 Com
merce asking for an appropriation for
the improvement of the harbor of New
Orleans. The committee had voted but
$50, 900 for that purpose, while it had
given large appropriations for unmen-
tionable rivers s Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Roberts handed Mr.. Ellis copy
of the bill and challenged him to name
the river in Pennsylvania to which he al
luded.
Mr.. Ellis looked at the bill and spelled
out the name OF the Kiskiminitas.
Mr.. White, of Pennsylvania, here
broke into the discussion, and declared
that Mr.. Ellis education must have been
neglected when he 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 tributaries of the Allegheny river,
which was one of the arteries of the
wealth of Western Pennsylvania, pene-
trating, as it did, the oil regions OF the
country. So, too, the Connemaugh
river (also mentioned in the bllD trav-
ersed Western Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Wright asked Lis colleague to
state where that front stream, the Kiski-
minitas was, and also where the Come
maugh Off that was the name) was.
Laughter.
Mr.. White-The gentleman aspires to
be candidate for the chief executive 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 1 have to support APP
preparations ror the navigation of trout
streams 1 don't want to be Governor of
Pennsylvania.
Mr.. White-The people of Pennsyl-
vania may agree with you in that respect.
Will my colleague say before the House
and country that he does not know the
location of the Kiskiminitas and the
Connemaugh rivers in Pennsylvania
Mr.. Wright--They are new names to
me. never heard them before. Loud
laughter and great confusion and dis
order.
Mr.. White-In the old Democratic
days it was the Kiskiminitas and Come
maugh rivers that made the western
limit of the Pennsylvania canal region
which used to contribute to the power of
the Democratic party.
ooh no" shouted Mr.. Townsend, of
New York, sit was the Monopgahela
that always helped the Democratic
party" Continued laughter and up
roar.
Mr.. Wright want to know whether
that appropriation was made at the de-
sire of my colleague.
Mr.. White-It was, and I 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 members as
sumed to be dumb-show answer to the
question. provoking immoderate laugh
ter)--Over 200 rods. My colleague
could not swim either of them. He
would lose his wind before he got
across
Mr.. Bridges asked Mr.. White whether
in low water a person could lot step
across theml
Mr.. White Gndignantly)-No, sir
you could not step 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 gentle
man has hbeled my part of that State.
+ Laughter and uprOar