Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-10
APPROPRIATIONS.
The Annual River and Harbor steal
The Hennepin Canal Scheme-Log-
Rolling Jobbery.

The Annual River and Harbor steal
The Hennepin Canal Scheme-LOg-
Rolling Jobbery.
Special Dispatch 10 the Register.
WASHINGTON July 0.-It is during the
last two or three weeks of the session that
the Congressional lobby works in the most
of its jobs. Everything then is in great
hurry. Appropriations are made with
dizzy rapidity, and bills, many millions too
large before. are made larger by amend
ments on final passage. Enormous as was
the amount appropriated by the House in
the annual river and harbor steal, aggregat-
ing sixty per cent. more than the highest
expenditure ever before made for such pur-
poses, the Senate has increased it upward Of
two million dollars, making the grand total
S19, ,4O0, 900 as against $ll, 100000 last year
and 81 200, 900 in 1S69-7O OF this amount
sS77, 900 is added to the appropriation for
the Mississippi River, making the total
amount applied to that specific purpose
about S., 600, ,OO0 0fthe balance $l0O, 900 goes
to the improvement of six different harbors
and streams in No rth Carolina, most OF
which will be utterly wasted as far as any
permanent good to either State or nation
is concerned. There are also large amounts
appropriated to various little ports and
streams in the States of New York, Michi-
gan Delaware, Arkansas and Tennessee,
where, in all probability steamboat or
vessel of any kind larger than a skiff or
mud-scow will never be seen. These mul-
titudinous allotments OF the public funds
seem to have caused scarcely any debate,
Senator Morrill, alone objecting to the
North Carolina portion of the grab and
being squelched by the decisive vote Of 81
to6, after which he ceased his efforts for
reform.
The Hennepin Canal scheme, however,
provoked a good deal of criticism. as it
pointed to a very large future expenditure.
The amount asked for in this bill is $780,
OOe to begin the work, but the lowest esti-
mate offered for the completion Of the job
contemplates the further expenditure OF
$4,000, 900, the opponents OF the measure
charging that it would cost anywhere from
SO, ,00O, 900 to 500, 100000. The object OF
this particular appropriation, of course, is
to complete a waterway to connect the
great lakes with the Mississippi. 1t is very
doubtful if the plan is feasible, as similar
experiment has been tried little farther
north by the route of the Fox and Wiscon-
sin rivers, which, after an expenditure OF
5000, 900, has been practically abandoned
as failure.
One OF the noticeable features of the de-
bate is the utter helplessness OF the Sena-
tors to pare down any of the appropriations
asked for, no matter how exorbitant or use
less they may be. Mr.. Butler, OF South
Carolina, yentured some criticism upon the
Hennepin Canal scheme, only to receive
two or three very sharp reminders that the
appropriation for Charleston harbor was in
the same bill and must share the fate OF the
balance o: the Jobs, without regard 70 its
intrinsic merit
This is about the worst piece OF log-roli-
ing jobbery ever engineered through any
Congress, and it is a remarkable fact that 40
considerable number of Senators can be
found to raise their voices against this
tn ieving scheme