The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-06-30

" Wv VI ooA AAfoAt ob%t ~
national as New York, Boston, Charleston
and other large cities nave for the large
amounts given to their harbors. This is the
plan upon which THIS bill is drawna and | ask
you whether it is not a just one.
OPPOSITION TO THE BILL.
/ know they tell us that the way We get
up this bRl is 70 sit down and look over the
country and SEQ how many harbors we can
find, how many congressman have got har-
bors or rivers in their districts, and then give
enough to these harbors to catch congress-
men enough To secure the passage OF the bill
and then put up n job and rush it through.
hat rs the common idea about it. Now
what Is the facts The fact is, IL is prepared
just like every other bill. Several gentlemen
who voted against the bill had large appro-
priations for their districts. Abram 5.
Hewitt Of New York, the leader Of the DEM
Ocratic side of the house. came before our
committee and represented to us that He'll
gate needed $50, 900 or $1,000 Immediately
for present Use. You know that they are
improving that by blasting under the water.
They ran out pf funds and were going to
lose their entire years work unless they
could get a large sum for Use Immediately.
So our committee reported the fact to con-
gress and asked them to give 1t. They did
so. Then when the bill was prepared he
anne to us and said eve must have $780,
he voted against the bill, fought it tooth and
pail and did everything he could do beat
| ms from That time out. He had a right to do
this. After all many OF the men In
that house who voted for this bill
, we're members whose districts did not
got a dollar. 1t is true that the bulk Of them
did, but some of them did not. Now, there
was not a man in that house whose constitu-
ents did not get some money appropriated In
the postofiice bill. If we could draft q bill and
leave some fellows district out in appropri-
ating the money for .postoflces, not leaving
anything for the mail carrying and the other
postofice work in his district, i don't
think he would vote for such a postofice
bill. Yet that is what they claim about this
bill. The fact is, this bill is prepared as
nearly as we con prepare 1T, for the purpose
| of improving streams that ought to be inn
| proved, and the fact that they are scattered
| all over tho United States only shows that
| in our work we carefully saw that every
| part of the country got its just amount.
| [Applause.1
II IMPROVEMENTS IN TEXAS.
Now they talk about Texas getting SO
m~uch-$SS0, 900. lave you ever examined
to find whether that is too much? 1t is a
mooted question whether we can improve
the harbors on that Gulf of Mexico.
The treacherous sands of those shores
are yet but little known and it is a
question whether we cam control them. 1t
is still an experiment, but is it not an ex-
pertinent worth tryings The harbors of
Texas are now being reached by railroads
coming from the Pacific slope, bringing
wheat and grain from California and
Oregon, This joins the sea-board at Gal
weston, at Sabine Pass and other
places, and they now need facilities
the world. Before you condemn this bill
stop a minute and think what klnd of a
country Texas is that we are providing har-
Dor. Michigan has SO, 900 square miles OF
territory. Texas has 266, 600 square miles,
Il for.. arI half ftrnac no rntlnh nc
Michigan. Do you know that you could
put every human being in the Unite1
States into the state of Texas to-day and
then it would be little thicker populated than
France. Just think of it for a moment. IL
linois, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan have just
the same amount Of territory that France
has. Yet you have in these four states only
about 100000 people, while France has
81, 000, 900 of people. l tell you this to show
you the possibilities of this country in the
future.
WHAT DOES THI RIVER AMI HARBoR BILL
1t gives employment to 125, 900 mon. Tt
keeps them in employment over eight months
in the year. 1t opens up the broad water
way of the country and furnishes cheap
transportation for the future, for the food
and fuel of the people. Look at
the Ohio river Some people tell us
that because q river sometimes
luiio u OOu oliCuhN w hltO N1 'OoA
months in the year usually the Ohio river
can be waded. And yet the Ohio river
floated more tons Of last year
than went in and out of the great city of
Chicago. The coal that floats down that
river affects the peeps below millions of dol
lars every year. When in the construction
of the Davis Island dam at the
head of that river we obstructed
it for a few months so that they could ncr
get their coal out it raised the price of coal
f.o,,, thara fA Naxy nrIaapC nyar z a fnn
and cost the people of that valley more
money than has ever been spent on the Ohio
river since we commenced improving it.
Now all l say, fellow citizens, is that be-
fore we condemn such a bill we should ex-
anime it. L am not finding fault with the
President for vetoing it. They made him
believe that he ought to do it. He did it, 1
have no doubt, conscientiously. We
passed it over his veto just as con-
scientiously. Our duty was if we
Many of the members of congress believed it
was right and voted for it. The President
did his duty and we did ours. We will both
bo happy. Applause and ~laughterl
THE APPROPRIATIONS.
But / must pass on. There is a good deal
said about the general appropriations which
this last congress has the annual APP
preparations that necessarily are continually
increasing. But il there is anything that
| DciiOClsibSu tliHutl III uolhk ~ 10 w bhoW bu0o
a Republican congress in some way or other
votes ten cents more for something than
some Democratic congress did. Laugh
teri They think that makes out
a sad case. l say that no Demo-
crat has any right to say anything about
the river and harbor bill in any event. For
a wonder, i'm that case there were as many
Democrats who voted right as there were
Republicans. Ii is an astonishing fact, but
it is true. laughter They voted with US.
As to the agricultural bill the appropria-
ton committee does not have anything to do
with that. 1t is prepared by the agricul-
tural committee and both parties are always
very anxious to show that they want to pass
every bill for the farmers that is needed. You
will never have any trouble i'm getting ap-
propriations for the farmers, because there
are more lawyers who. turn farmers in Is
minutes after that appropriation bill comes
up than you can have any possible idea of.
, [Laughter.l Now, l say, excluding These
two bills last year we appropriate
ed 500, GAG, 25G 70 in the general appro-
priation bills, for the present year gal, S26,.
499 50. That makes an excess Of $37, $780,.
90 II against this congress and
in favor of the last Democratic con.
: gress. They tell us 80. Now, OF
this amount $34, 900, 900 was voted for tho
, pensioning of soldiers. The sum Of s., 742..
$50 vent to pay for extra clorks and extra
help which we put into the departments for
|, the purpose OF trying to help these pension
, claims through and getting our soldier boys
, in shape SO they could get their money some
time or other. (Applause1 Is there any
, Democrat who has the cheek to complain o
this pension bill. Was it the Republican
party that is to blame for our having to pay
pensions now. TApplause i will saw to