St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-02
ROUTINE REPORT.
House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON Jan. 31.--1n the house to-
day the speaker pro TEN, Blackburn, laid be-
fore the house a communication from the
supervising architect of the treasury, asking
an appropriation of $40, 900 for the public
building at Kansas City, Mo-, So, 900 for that
at Cleveland, o., and recommending that
the limit for the appropriation for the build
ing at Jefferson City, Mo-, be increased to
$132, 600. Referred.
The house then went into committee of
the whole, Hammond in the chair, on the
river and harbor bill.
Mr.. Mills earnestly advocated an appro-
priation for the proposed Improvement of the
Galveston harbor. The attempted i'm prove
ment so far had resulted in failure, and 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 Eads.
Mr. Thomas thought the bill in the main a
fair and meritorious one. There were some
items in the bill which were Objectionable to
him. 1t would be better, for instance, to
await the action of the harbor board, provided
for by the bill, before any large appropria-
tons were made for the improve meut of the
Galveston harbor. Congress should not rush
headlong into work which was to cost S.
1900 simply because Capt. Eads was
brought forward as the architect of the pro-
posed scheme. If this appropriation for
the Galveston harbor had been put on an
equal footing with other harbors of the same
character al importance, he probably would
have abstained from finding fault
with it. But when the COM
mittee had seen fit to put
its foot on the engineer corps and go on
without any estimates satisfactory to the
house, he, for one, must protest against it.
He thought halt should be called. There is
another project in the bill that is decidedly
Objectionable. II was one for the establish
ment of great national harbor of refuge at
Sandy bay, Mass. The engineers said this
was not necessary, yet the committee had
put it in. 1t involved an expenditure of
"a, 600, 900, and was intended to furnish
harbor of refuge for the ocean going trade of
New England. There were places where
harbors to meet all requirements Of COM
MERGE could be established at much less
cost
Mr.. Blanchard defended the bill against
the hostile criticism, and especially expressed
his appreciation of the item for the improve
ment of the Galveston harbor. No more
meritorious proposition involving an
appropriation was ever presented
to the house than that for
the improvement Of this harbor. He pic
tured the benefits which would inure toTexas,
TO the western states and TO the country at
large by the establishment of q safe and deep
harbor at Galveston, and favored the plans
OF Capt. Eads.
Mr. Bayne said congress was asked to APP
propriute S75, 900 without the knowledge of
how single dollar of it was to be expended.
Passing on to the consideration of the ques
ton Of the Mississippi river improvement he
declared the jetty system to be a failure, and
attacked the plans of the commission. The
commission knew they were failure, and
the cry went up, "Help US, Eads, or We
sink" There was that blind faith put in
Eads again. The com mission thought Eads
could get it out of its difficulty. Eads was
great man, but he (Bayne) doubted whether
he was great enough for that. He thought
the appropriation for the Mississippi should
be about $500, 900 for purposes Of dredging
only.
Pending further debate the committee rose
and the house adjourned.