New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-12
AFFAIRS AT WASHINGTON.
THROWING AWAY THE PUBLIC MONEY.
Try TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuSE.l


IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuSE.l
WASHINGTON July 1.-THE senate mas auueu !"
fhe River and Harbor hill as it came from the Com-
merce Committee $763,600, making total OF
500 247. $40. OF about SO 100000 more than the
largest River and Harbor bill ever before passed.
Senator Morrill, proposed an amendment this AFTER
noon prohibiting the expenditure of more than one
half the amount in the present fiscal year. lie said
he desired the bill to pass and become law
He referred to the fact that President
Grant had vetoed a much smaller bill because OF
its extravaganza. His motion was losi 'ne >o'0
against it being unanimous.
When the bill had been read through ana 'ho
amendments had been acted upon, the senators
from Florida began an assault upon the treasury,
and by dint of scolding, secured the passaso "
several appropriations for petty matters III ."ei,
State The Senators from Mississippi Mary ianu
and North Carolina were not to be ou'uono' cav"
making a motion for increased appropria'ions 'o
his State Protests were unavalling' rolh's VI
order were evaded and rules were broken IN INC
scramble TO get the little additions made
Co. creeks sounds and bayous If which
no one ever heard before. For an hour
or two these men had it all their
own way. although, as it subsequently, appeared
some of the votes in their favor were so cast WIN
a view TO making the bill obnoxious, and thus Sc
curing veto.
Senator Vest said it was perfectly clear that IN
the opinion of the mover every amesdmehV pro-
posed was of the utmost Importance TO the whore
people of the United States. But he appea'e" "
the good sense of Senator'S. stop must DO h''u0
somewhere. Turning TO his Southern associates, "1
cale, attention to the fact that his whole lo La"
been sncnt in devotion to that section and his love
for il would not now be doubted Here was Tue
largest River and Harbor bill ever passed Al'eA,y
Ia
orabv nponi The larger portion OF 1t was iOr toe
Sontb He would say to Senators from the SOutherh
States that if these demands were continued-'nls
swelling of the appropriations for oou'nein
States-there could be only one end to IT, ana 'naV
xvas that the South would fail in her reasonable de
mands hereafter. .n
Senator Plumb said he should vote against the
bill He had voted for every amendment 10 increase
it, because he wished to make 1t dose JUST as l'Iee
and a little larger than the American people "ouiu
care to swallow Twenty-Five per cent OF the pres
emf bill would be absolutely thrown away Inc
bill was a disgrace.
Senator ingalls, said he should ask a separate vote
upon each amendment in the Senate. He thought
that nnblic attention ought to be called to thein
The River and Harbor bill was an annual shame
and scandal-a disgrace and an outrage upon the
people-and the palmer it was stated me better IL
would be for the Congress of the United states.
One or two of the last amendments were actual,y
defeated. The dose was becoming TOO great for the
Senate The body remained III session uhtll
O'Clock hoping to pass the bill, bqt adjourned viii
ont dong so. The epIthets used by senator lngals
were certainly merited. The universal argument III
support of every amendment and OF each petty lea
ture of the bill the the engineers recolnnenoeu
n larger sum even than was asked for III is moi
creditable to Senators that they maAe use OF argu
ments Ike that This bill itself contains many
clauses instr ctinp the Chief of Engineers to cause
surveys to be made of creeks, rivers and mlets oil
which the public never heard. 10 make survey
9TH hat IL
I'm the RIVER and HaIbOr bill The Engineers OF
the Army have no choice. They Will make tIe II
surveys and will submit estimates OF IN cost Oh
work specified in the bill. Next winter these estl1
mates will figure in the speeches of Senators ana
Representatives as the recommendations OF IN
gineers They are nothing of the kind, and the en-
Sineer officers themselves object to having the
responsibility for so large proportion OF ths CD
noxious bill placed upon their shoulders.