The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-09-01

and other large cities have for the largo
amounts given to their harbors This is the
plan upon which this bill is drawn 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 bill is to sit down and look over the
country and see 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 job and rush il through.
That is the common idea about 1t. 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 s.
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 100000 Immediately
for present use. You know that they are
improving that by blasting under the water.
They ran out of funds and were going to
lose their entire years work unless they
could get large sum for usei5nmediarely.
So our committee reported the fact to con-
gress and asked them to give it. They did
So Then when the bill was prepared he
came to us and said ''We must have $780,
600 more" We gave him that. And yet
he voted against the bill, fought 1t tooth and
psil and did everything he could do beat
this. After all many of the men in
that house who voted for this bill
we're members whose districts did not
got dollar. 1t is true that the bulk OF them
did, but some of them did not Now, there
was not man in that house whose constitu-
cnts did not get some money appropriated in
the postofce bill. If we could draft bill and
leave some fellows district out in appropri-
ating the money for postoffices, not leaving
anything for the mail carrying and the other
postoffice work in his district. don't
think he would vote for such a postoffice
bill. Yet that is what they claim about this
bill. The fact is, this bill il prepared as
nearly as we can prepare it, for the purpose
of improving streams that ought to be inn
proved, and the fact that they are scattered
all over tho United States only shows that
in our work we carefully saw that every
part of the country got its just amonnts
lApplause.]
THE IMPROVEMENTS IN TEXAS.
Now they talk about Texas getting so
much-$SSO, 600. Have you ever examined
to find whether that is too muchl 1t is o
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 q
question whether we can 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
weston, at Sabine Pass and other
places, aud they now need facilities
the world Before you &C condemn this bill
stop minute and think what kind of
country Texas is that we are providing har--
Dor. Michigan has SO, 900 square miles of
territory. Texas has 266, OOOlsquare miles,
four and half times as much as
Michigan. Do you know that you could
put every human being in the United
States into the state of Texas to-day and
then it would be little thicker populated than
France. Just think of it for 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 4rance has
81, 600 of people. tell you this to show
you the possibilities of this country in the
future.
WHAT DOES THIS RIVER AND HARBoR BILL
DO?
1t gives employment to 125, 900 men. 1t
keeps them in employment over eight months
| in the year. 1t opens up the broad water
ways 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 a river sometimes
months in the year usually the Ohio river
can be waded. And yet The Ohio rivsr
floated more tons of commerce last SoAr
than went in and out of the great city OF
Chicago. The coal that floats down that
river affects the people below millions az Col
of the Davis Island dam at bhe
head of that river we obstruofsd
it for few months so that they could noe
get their coal out it raised the price of coat
from there to New Orleans over 81 q ton,
| 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, ] am not finding fault with the
President for vetoing it. They made him
believe that he ought to do it, He did it
have no doubt, conscientiously. We
passed it over his veto just as con-
scientiously. Our duty was II we
believed the hill to be right to vote for It
Many of the members of congress believed it
did his duty and we did ours We will both
be 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 passed--the annual APP
preparations that necessarily are continually
increasing. But If there Is anything that
Democrats delight i'm doing it is to show that
| 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 / say that no Demo-
| crat has any right to say anything about
the river and harbor bill in any event. For
| a wonder, in that case there were as many
Democrats who voted right as there were
Republicans. 1t is an astonishing fact, but
| it is true. [I4aughter.1 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 in getting ap-
propriations for the farmers, because there
| arc more lawyers who turn farmers in Is
minutes after that appropriation bill comes
| up than you can have any possible idea OF.
[Laughterl Now, | say, excluding these
two bills last year we appropriate
ed $2O4, GAG, 256 20 in the general appro-
priation bills, for the present year $241 $780,