New-York tribune., 1880-02-06
CONGRESSIONAL PATRONAGE.
REPRESENTATIVES, IN FAVOR OF EXTRAVAGANT AP-
PREPARATIONS bTo AFFORD PATRONAGE-THE

PREPARATIONS Sro AFFORD PATRoNAGE-THE
GREEDY SOUTHERN MFMBERs.
fBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUSE1
WAsnIXGTON. Feb. 5.-Ihe House Of representa-
tives has now been engaged for about month in
discussing the rules for its own government Be-
sides this the House has done very little public busi-
ness. II has not passed the bill 20 pay United
States Marshals, whose dues are now more than
seven months in arrears. The rules reported
by the committee number forty-fve. The House
has not yet finished the consideration of the elev-
enth rule, upon which 1t entered week ago to-day.
At this rate the report of the Committee on Rules
would not be disposed Of before tho 1st of May.
There are several features of the committees
port that deserve pnblic attention. One of these
features that which requires that the River
and Harbor bill should be passed upon by the Com
mttce on Appropriations, and reported to the House
by that committee THIS part of the report was re-
iccted by the Committee Of the Whole. The same
two-thirds vote which can always be depended
upon to carry the River and fIarbor bill through
the House without allowing "A yea and nay vote
upon it rallied to defeat the Committee on Rules
In the course Of the discussion to-day two other
matters came up in which ope are interested. In
the first place the Committee of the Whole decided
to take tho bill making appropriations for public
buildings away from the Appropriations Committee
ana give lU 10 INC tOuulllttb OH uDllC I'H'iunSS
and Grounds. This was not step in the direction
of economy but of extravaganza, a good many
who voted for it knew. The same motive which
governed the majority of the House in their
action on the River and Harbor bill controlled them
in regard to the Public Buildings bill No one who
is at all familiar with Congressional legislation
needs to be told that that motive is the desire of
each member 10 control as much patronage pos
sbe in his own district. The building of post
Office or court house the dredging OF q creek or
river has given more than one Congressman
second aud third term, and translated more than
one Representative from the House to the Senate of
the United States.
II any one dOubts that hopes Of increased patron
aye inspired members in this matter to-day he has
only 10 look and find that the Committee OF the
Whole has within day OF two refused to give the
Indian, the Army, the Naval and the Post Office APP
preparation bills to the several committees which
have charge of those subjects. The appropriations
made in the latter bills must be made in accordance
with statute law. Every river or harbOr appropra-
ton and every appropriation for public building,
ON the other hand. is a law unto itself.
The most vcious attempt that has been made to
override the report Of the Committee on RGles
was made tins afternoon, when the Southern mem,
bes demanded that all appropriation bills for the
Improvement Of the Mississippi River and It's ribu-
tarics shOuld be prepared ana fcpOficu Dy the t0n-
mlrfeo on Levccs and Improvement Of the Misss-
sippi River This is new committee, created within
the last two or three years The COM
mission appointed 10 investigate the subject
and submit plan for such improvements has
NOT vet completed its work and made a report.
II was never contemplated that either the com
mttee ar the commission should extend their lahors
beyond the Improvement Of the Lower Mississippi.
where lcvecs arc required. And yet here is pro-
position to give 20 this new committee, which was
organized for special specific purpose, control over
the subject of appropriations for the great river
system of the country.
IL is not yet settled by any means that the Cen
eral Government should adopt the policy OF reclaim
ing at its own expense the alluyial lands OF the
Lower Mississippi by system OF leyees which
would cost all the way from half billion
10 a billion Of dollars But If the pro-
posed amendment is adopted the Com
mittee on Levees will he III n pos ton
70 bring an omnibus bill containing an apprOpria-
tion of $40. 200 900 or $4,000, 900 for levees,
and say 10 the Representatives interested in the
Improvement Of the Allegheny, the Wabash, the
ONO the Illinois, the Wisconsin, the Missouri, the
Yellowstone. and all the other tributaries Of the
MississippI, "Give what we ask, or not one dol
lar shall you have for your rivers"
The discussion of the amt ndmcnt was not COM
plcted in the Committee of the Whole to-day, but
II was evident that the Southern men, who are
greedy for all sorts of appropriations, were wide
awake and determined to carry their point II pos