The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-31
THE PEOPLES SAY SO.
River and Harbor Question.
Chicago Times.


in its Sunday issue, published the report oi
a commission of engineers addressed to the
! secretary of war and relating to the inn
provement of the Calumet river. Aftel
stating the gratifying fact that no engi-
neering difficulties stand in the way" the
| report recommends the immediate appro-
| priation of 800, 000ato construct dredges
scows, ETC., and further recommends thai
the work be prosecuted by days labor, be-
/ cause IF let by contract it would cost 35
cents per yard, but if plant is construct
ed by the government a great saving can
be made" The value of this last ASSERT On
is reduced by the fact that the first asser-
ton as to price is untrue, as work exactly
/ similar has been done and is offered at less
than Is cents per yard. Again. it may be
asked why this Calumet.river is deemed of
national importance more than the Chicago
river, exactly similarly situated as to its
| beginning and ending, and of which Major
| Lydecker, in his report to the secretary of
war. Nov. s, 1880, says: 1T is in fact
simply a line of communication through
the city as one of its streets.
In general the interest look
ing to the Improvement of the
Chicago river can hardly be viewed
as one having any national Importance,
but one simply local" Why this diversity
same sources of exact information? The
two senior officers of this commission are
noted for their persistent efforts to save
the government from the dangers of the
contractSysten, and they have succeeded
in excluding anything like, public
advertisement in the management of the
large sums that annually pass through,
their hands, on the day labor plan, at Fox
river and Michigan City, respectively. The
power and patronage attending the distri
button of 100000 each year to individual
applicants and personal favorites, the only
accountability being check rolls of sigma
lures, usually signed in blank by mechan-
les and laborers neither enlisted nor
enrolled, and therefore utterly impossible
of Identification, is a privilege so desirable
that man welding it cannot fail to be
unduly interested in large appropriations,
and it is only reasonable to suspect that
this favorable report was largely affected
by the fact that Calumet river property |
owners were likely to influence congress
sional favers. The land is concentrated in |
the hands of comparatively few wealthy |
owners, whereas the ownership of the |
Chicago river property was so widely |
extended as to be unavailable for political
purposes.
1t is not generally known that of late
are expended under this dangerous and
corrupt check roll system. Notwithstand-
ng the fact that each appropriation bill
lirects that the work be let to the lowest |
bidders after due ADVERTISE
nent, the engineer corps has secured the
Insertion of proviso: THAT where it is
o the manifest injury of the government
o let the work by contract, then the secre-
airy of war may direct the work to be
one by hired labor" Under this ex-
optional provision all large sums are be-
lg expended, and no works. let by con-
ract unless it happens to be of little i'm
ortance or is situated in remote localities
I'D of dangerous and uncertain charac-
r. The Chicago breakwater, where ap- !
ropriations average $3.50 900 annually, is
arried on by day labor. The Fox and |
Wisconsin Improvement, half million
nnual appropriation. is, and has been for
he last five years, by day labor. The inn
rovement of the Illinois river is by the
sme plan. The costly experimental work
Q the Mississippi to the tune of $1,000 I
10 is accounted for to the United States I
easury by individual signatures. What i
rave men the officers disbursing these t
rye amounts must be, certifying /
lat every dollar was justly expended and :
at, of their own knowledge, they know n
act system for many reasons is the safest, s
cause under it transactions are matters a
record, and, being for round sums, are h
.pable of investigation. Under honest 4
hcers there is no danger ofoverpayment. d
len, too, it is greatly to be feared chat q
G reason the officers of the engineer o.
rps have so unscrupulOusly Endorsed the "
any absurd schemes in the late bill is on k
count of their feverish anxiety to obtain | m
rye support for their own schemes. An | "
linent lawyer of Chicago in a public e,
eech lately said 'I do not believe that | "
is within the proper scope and purview q
municipalities to engage in any schemes st
itch are ordinarily carried out and exc 8
ted by private or individual en- terprise . b.
he same doubt may be applied TO the
tienal administration of public works
day labor The distribution of large
ms of money to Individual applicants is
eady laying the foundations, broad and tt
ep, of a widely extended official corrup- in
n The safe requirements of govern ba
mt are for more close and positive BY
iividual responsibility, instead of enlarg- Dir
! the scope and power of administrative Gu
cials, P ca
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