Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-24
Why Not Two BilIs2

Why Not Two Bills?
Greater interest Is being taken in the
Improvement of the rivers and harbors o.
the country than ever before. This Is
indicated by the large and enthusiastic
conventions which have been lately, aud
are still being held in different parts Of the
country for the purpose of impressing
upon Congress the importance OF liberal
policy with regard to rivers and harbors.
1t is probable that at the approaching
session of Congress extraordinary efforts
will be made to secure for the most i'm
portant river and harbOr improvements
appropriations 90 liberal that it will be
possible to push them towards completion
continuously, and with increased vigor.
A small river and harbor bill IS, therefore.
out of the question. 1t will not be sur
prising, therefore, if the next river and
harbor bill that is reported to the House
is much larger than any that preceded it.
A large bill is sure TO meet with opposi-
ton, and the larger the bill the greater
will be the opposition. The country will
be startled with the announcement that
the bill is a JOB, and that it is cunningly
devised to rob the Treasury. Enough Of
the newspapers will attack it to excite
strong sentiment against it. The large
amount appropriated will be all the basis
they will want for their opposition. De-
malls that the bill contains any jobs, or
appropriations for bitches and duck ponds
will have little weight in the face Of fam
ing headlines and dou ble-leaded editorials
announcing a river and harbor ''stea" Of
Unprecedented magnitude. Few will
stop to inquire into the merits of the
bill, and many will accept the very large
amount OF the bill as proof that there is
something crooked about it.
Congressman, being naturally tlmid and
afraid of doing something that their
constituents will not approve, are liable
to accept the buster and noise for genu-
inc public sentiment, and abandon
course of action that their judgment tells
them is right.
There is no doubt that the great major
ity of the people Of the country favor liO-
eral appropriations for harbors and water
ways. All they want to be sure of is that
the public money is not being wasted. In
amount of river and harbor bill fur
nishes the strongest argument against it
and is the chief obstacle TO its passage,
would it not be wise plan to make ap-
preparations for rivers and barbors in two
bills? Let the great works for which
millions of dollars annually are, or soon
will be, demanded-su as the Missis-
sippi river, Galveston harbor, Hennepin
canal and Ohio river Improvements
be provided for in separate
bill. 1t is probable that
in the next river and harbor bill at least
$5.000,000 will be demanded for the Mis-
sissippl river alone, and If the Galveston
improvement is undertaken, and the de-
mands OF the Ohio river and Hennepin
canal are complied with, there will not be
much left for other rivers and harbors of
any bill that Congress is likely to pass.
It is about certain that there would be
much less opposition to two bills than to
one, because two bills could not be at
tackled as successfully as one. The regu-
lar bill for rivers and HORRORS would be
comparatively small in amount, and
would meet with little opposition. The
other bill, for the prosecution of certain
great works of internal improvement,
would have merits which would be more
clearly recognized when its features
were considered alone.
The friends of rivers and harbors could
and would stand together as firmly if
there were two bills as they would if
there were only one. No one who would
vote for the various appropriations when
contained in one bill would hesitate to
vote for them if provided for in two bills.
The convention which assemblies here to-
day ought to consider whether 1t wouldn't
be advisable to request the Congressman
of the States it represents to give this
question of two bills careful thought
before the work of framing a river and
| harbor bill is begun.