The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-03
RIVER BILLS NOT JOBS.
Senator Hoar Denounces Promiscuous
OnslauRhts.

WASHINGTON, July 2.-After some time
devoted to District of Columbia business,
the senate to-day took up the river and
harbor bill, some amendments to which had
been reserved on Saturday for separate
votes
The demand for separate vote on the
Hennepin canal amendment was with
drawn by Mr.. Vest on suggestion that the
question might be left to the conference
committee, but subsequently a motion to
reconsider was made by Mr.. Sherman.
NOT BAD MEASURES.
In the course of the discussion Mr.. Hoar
vehemently denounced the criticism and
abuse so generally indulged in by some
senator's, and by some newspapers In rela-
ton to the river and harbor bills. He had
got sick, he said, of hearing senators trying
to blacken the character of their own asso-
ciates in public life by charging that the
river and harbor bills were made up of
miserable bargains, log rollings and cheat
ing.
A TEST.
He had taken the most villifed river and
harbor bill ever before the public, and had
gone over item by item, with the
reports Of the engineers and such
written a letter to his constituents defend
ing the bill. A newspaper which had
joined in these attacks, and which, he was
ashamed to say, got its Endorsement from
senator's, employed one of the ablest men on
its editorial staff to answer his letter and to
attack him on the record, and this writer,
after examining all the documents, reported
to his principal that Mr.. Hoar was entirely
right and he would not write the article.
WEE ISLANDER.
1t was vile slander on the representa-
tives of the American people to declare that
these river and harbor bills to any consid-
erable extent, to any appreciable extent, to
any extent amounting to per cent, con-
tanned provisions that were not thoroughly
defensible or that were not demanded by
the interests of international or interstate
commerce. If this bill contained improper
items in any considerable numbers the
senator from Maine (Mr. Frye, with a
character as unSullied as any man who
walked on the con tinent, was unfit for his
place in the senate las chairman of the COM
want of capacity or by reason Of want of
integrity. There was no alternative.
VESTS ADMISSION.
Mr.. Vest, member of the committee of
commerce, took the responsibility of say
ing that legislation on river and harbor
bills was not free from criticism. Much of
it was done by species of agreement-not
to say log-rolllng. One senator went to
another and asked him to help matter in
which he was interested, promising to do
the same for the other.
Mr.. Hoar-But are they honest items or
| not!
DEFENDS HIS COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Vest-That is another. question,
darfo Iya fO fba tpoS St1
merce that we have honestly tried to do
our duty, but we have put appropriations
in this bill against our Judgment certainly
against my Judgment, because we have
been overwhelmed by personal solicitation
and as the effect of personal solicitation.
At the close of long discussion, the
amendment abolishing the Missouri river
commission was disagreed to.
Mr.. Palmer offered an amendment ap-
propriating $3.50, 900 for the purchase of the
Portage Lake and Lake Superior ship canals.
Agreed to.
MORE MONEY FOR FLORIDA.
Mr.. Call moved to increase the ,appropri-
alton for the ST Johns river, Florida.
from $50, 900 to $3.50, 000 After arguments
in favor of the amendment by Messrs
Call and Pasco it was agreed to by vote
of % yeas to IS nays.
Mr. Call also moved to insert an item of
| $4,000 for Indian river, Florida, but the
motion was disagreed to.
Mr. Sherman said he would not insist on
his motion to reconsider the vote agreeing
| to the Hennepin canal amendment, although
| he was opposed to it.
Mr.. Daniel called for a separate vote on
the amendment reducing the appropriation
| for James River, Virginia, below Rich
| mond from $3.50, 900 to $500, 900 and argued
| against the amendment 1t was disagreed to.
THE BILL PASSED.
The bill was then passed. The bill as
| originally reported from the senate com
mittee on commerce appropriated S21 ,562,
753 II: as it finally passed the senate to-day,
it appropriates S22, ,474, 7S3 II; having been
increased by the senate $4,000.
sAvANNAHs ITEM.
Savannah's item in the bill as passed TO-
| day by the senate remains as reported by the
commerce committee. The house will disa-
gree to it, but the Georgians think they can
! keep it in the bill in conference.
Mr.. Call tried in various ways to get his
! $4,000 amendment in for the Indian river,
| Lake Worth and Key West improvement,
but the senate would not take it in any OF
the several forms. Chairman Frye said, In
commenting on one of Mr.. Calls attempts:
IF you'd let her, Florida would absorb it
all as sand does water"