Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-05-20
A New York Paper ON Congressman
La Toilette.

The New York Mail and Express has
the following commentator for Mr..
La Follette's speech on the River and
Harbor bill:
The discussion of the River and Har-
Dor bill in the House generally reveals
an unseemly scramble on the part of
members to get appropriations as large
as possible for their own particular dis
tricts, and a willingness to vote for other
appropriations of doubtful utility as a
means of gaining votes for their own pet
projects. Occasionally, however, this
monotony is varied by representative
who discusses the question of appropria-
tons for internal improvements in a
statesmanlike way. The most CON
spicuous and telling exception to the
general rule this year was made the
other day by new member from Wis
consin, who sat still for five months,
and only rose to speak when he had
something important to say.
This gentleman, Mr. La Toilette, went
at once to the root of the River and Har-
Dor question, and explained his view of
the principle on which appropriations
should be made, with clearness and
force His first proposition was that if
appropriations are to do any good, they
must be made according to the direction
of the engineers who recommended
them. Amy money!" said he, zap
propriated under the bill not in accord
ance with their recommendations, to
satisfy the clamor of local interests, is
hazarded on the merest speculation. A
review of the present River and Harbor
bill reveals the fact that the general
policy has been to allow less than one
third of the engineers estimates. Such
a course is wastefully extravagant. Sew
eral cases, samples of dozens of others
all over the country, were cited to show
that this policy of dealing out money in
driblets, to be spread all over the coun-
try, has enabled many works to be be-
gun, and very few to be finished Those
that are begun are suspended for want
of funds, and the natural wear and tear
of the elements soon makes it more ex-
pensve to complete the job than to do it
all from the beginning For instance,
the sum of $50, 900 was asked, two years
ago, to complete the work at Stoning-
ton Harbor. Ten thousand dollars was
granted to continue the work. Again
this year the engineers urge the compile
ton, but say that now $4,000 will be
necessary to finish it. The provisional
$4,000 was simply thrown away.
Not content with dragging along in
this way with works actually begun,
Congressman are continually opening
additional avenues of expenditure. The
present bill provides for the continual
tion-not completion-of fifty-eight i'm
for the beginning of twenty
three new ones, and for the making of
no less than ninety-eight new surveys.
1t is easy to see that this is all wrong.
No private firm would or could conduct
business in such way. If any inn
provement is necessary, enough money
ought to be appropriated to complete it
entirely within a reasonable time. If
there is not enough money, no insufficient
should be made. The
principle on which Congressman should
vote appropriations was admirably set
forth by Mr.. La Toilette.
If Congressman would act generally
on this principle, there would be an end
of ''do-nothing Congresses, and of dem
agogism among members. 1t is hardly
to be expected that they viii act thus,
but it is none the less refreshing to hear
talk like this on the floor of the House
Mr.. La Follette's constituents have
our hearty congratulations on being
represented in Congress by man who
can keep still till he has something to
say, and then say it in such a fashion as
this.