Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-03-03
The River and Harbor Bill.

year assumes larger proportions than
ever. The bill which passed on last
Saturday appropriates about sl1 ,500,-
600. 1t is only necessary to go back n
few years to show what II monstrous
abuse this annual raid upon the pub
lie funds has grown to be. In 1870
an expenditure of not over $4,000, 900
was found to be amply sufficient for
repairs and improvements to har-
bors and for improving the navigation
of few of our principal inland
streams. But now every Congress
man seems to have trout stream 10
be improved. These gentle men com
bine their influences. Their estimates
90 into the bill and the money is vo-
ted with a reckless and brazen disre-
gard of the interests of the people that
deserves the severest condemnation.
These men are unfaithful to the trusts
confded to their care and an outraged
public opinion should make itself felt
in censure Of their shortcomings.
Among the faithless, however, il is a
pleasure to note the few faithful, and
to know that this outrage upon the
treasury was not permitted TO pass
without strong protests against its
enormities from such Senators as Thur
man, Wallace and Herman. They
were not strong enough to prevent the
passage of the bill, and unless Mr..
Hayes will favor the country with q
veto it will undoubtedly become law
and a large portion Of the millions
voted under it be squandered upon
useless and unnecessary projects. The
Harrisburg Patriot exposes the char.
acter of some of these "nayigable
rivers of the country upon which it
is proposed to spend the public money.
The Patriot says that zone of these
great navigable rivers upon whose
bosom Is to be borne the commerce of
the country Is the majestic Elk river
in West Virginia The engineer vii.
liam 7. Craighead, reports that before
this river can be properly prepared
for the full development of trade"
some or all of the private mill dams
upon il should certainly be modified
or improved" His estimate is that
with much less than 100000 the
mill dams can he modified" aud the
noble Elk opened for commerce. The
money thus spent, he says, will give
the Elk "ten or twelve inches depth at
lowest water" and the Elk is put
down for a handsome appropriation
in the river and harbor bill. Imagine
what mighty vessels will float down
the stream with a depth of ten or
twelve inches of water.
Another Of these mighty streams is
the Little Kanawha in West Virginia.
BY liberal appropriations in the past,
as the engineer reports, rafting is now
practicable on the Little Kanawha
''at much lower stage of water than
ever before" But rs the navigation
for RATS is not fully improved on this
stream a further appropriation was
necessary. Appropriation is also made
in the bill to improve the Guyandotte
river for "push-boat navigation"
One of the items in this bill is to
make "pole boat channel" in the Sa-
vannah river above Augusta. This
great improvement for commerce is to
be accomplished by putting up wing
dams on the river so a. to concentrate
the water. This will make channel
three feet deep. Fortunately there
are no mill dams that need to be modi.
fed. Jay Gould and his associate
monopolists will tremble at these
efforts to establish a
system of water transportation in
with the railroads. When
the mill dams on the Elk are "modi.
fed," when navigation for RATS is es-
tablished on the Guyandotte, and
when the upper waters Of the Savan-
nah are opened for pole boats, new
and mighty commercial epoch tor the
country will begin, according to the
predictions Of the statesman of Georgia.