The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-02
FORTY.EIGHTH CONGRESS-.
The HOuse.

WASHINGTON, Jan 3l-The Speaker pro
tenn Mr.. Black burn, laid before the House
a communication from the Supervising
Architect of the Treasury asking an appro-
priation OF $40, 900 for the public building at
Kansas CITY, Mo $50 coo for that at Cleve-
land, o., and recommending that the limit
Of the appropriation for the building at JEFF
lerson City, No, De inc eassd to Sl32, goo.
Referred.
The House then vent into Committee of
the Whole. Mr.. Hammond in the chair, on
the RIVER and Harbor bill.
Mr.. Mills earnestly sdvocpted the sppro
priation FOR the proposed improvement o.
Galveston Har0or. The attempted improve.
ment so far had resulted in failure, aud the
people of Texas had no confidence in the
achievement of any measure of success ex-
cept by the plans proposed to be pursued by
Captain EaGs.
Mr.. Thomas thought the bill in the mat
ter fair and meritorious one. There was
some items in the bill which were objection
able to him. 1t would De better for the
country for instance to await the action OF
the Harbor Board provided for by the bill
before any large appropriations were made
Congress should not rush headlong into
work which was 70 cost % 80, 600 sim ply
because CAPITA Eads was brought forward
as the aTtitect of the proposed scheme.
If this appropriation for Galveston hsrbor
bsd been put on al equal footing with
other hsrbors OF the same character
and importance be probably would
have abstained from finding fault
With it. But when the committee had seen
tit 10 put his foot on the Engineer Corps and
20 without any estimates satisfactory to the
House, for one be must protest against it.
He thought halt should be called. There
was another project in the bill that was de.
oidedly Objectionable Ii was one for the
establishment of a great national harbor of
refuge at Sandy, Mass. Engineers said that
this was not Iecessary, yet the committee
had pressed 1t in. 1t involved an expendi-
tUre OF 81 COO eco and was intended % fur
nish baTbor refuge for the ocean going
trade OF New England. There were places
where harboTs to meet all the requirements
Of commerce could be established at a much
less cost
Mr.. Blanchard defended the bill against
hostile criticism, and especially expressed
his appreciation Of the item for the Improve.
meDt of Galveston HarbOr. No more meri-
terious proposition involving an eppropria-
tiOn was presented to the House than that
for the improvement OF this harbOr He
pictured the benefits which would inure ID
Texas, TO the Western States aud the cOuu-
try at large, by the establishment of safe
and deep harbor at Galveston, and favored
the plans o; CsptsIn Ea5s. II, with an ex-
peDditure of So 600 600 or s., 600 900. depth
of thirty feet could be procured at Calves
ton, the people of the United States would
not part with that result for 800 600 900.
Referring TO the proposed improvement of
the Mississippi Rivsr and the appointment
OF Captain Eads as consulting engineer of
the Mississippi River Commission, ne read 8
telegram from that gentleman denying the
statement that 8ccc riding 70 his plan the
work would cost 500 coo. coo and stating
:bst his estimate bad been $50 GOO 600
Mr.. Bsyne opposed certain features of the
bill, which be declared appropriated g..
600, Geo more than wa recon mended by the
Secretary of War.
Mr. Willis called attention to the fact that
the chief engineer had stated that S34, 090-
eco could be probably expended during the
next 6,cal year.
Mr.. Rsyne said that only confirmed his
opinion that Congress had no adequate in
formation upon which to make these aporo.
pTiatioDs. He pointed out the objectionable
features OF the bill, specifying the establish
ment OF hsrbor refuge st Sandy Bay, Mass,
IN the face of adverse recommendation by
the engineers. The Hennepln Cana scheme
thought ii might per Sc be a proper one,
should not be incorporated in the River and
Harbor bill. He opposed the Galveston
barbor scheme because the app; opriation
was msde in the spirit of
blind faith in Captain Esds. Congress
was asked 10 appropriate 81 500,0 600 without
knowing how u 6ola- OF it was 10 be ex-
pended. Passing on TO the consideration of
the question of the Mississippi River / n
pTovement he declared the jstty syste u to
he failure, and attacked the plans of the
commission. The commission knew that
they were failure. and the cry went up,
Help US Eads or we sink" There was the
blind faith put In Eads again. The com
mission thought Esds could get it out of its
difficulty. Captain Eads was a great man,
but he (Baynel doubted whether ne was
great enough for that. He thought that
The appropriation for the Mississippi should
De about $500 900 for the purposes of dredg-
ing only.
Pending further debate, the committee
rose and the house adjourned.