New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-17
7HE RIVER AND HARBOR BILL FAILS
UNABLE TO CROWD IT THROUGH THE HOUSE
A NOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES DEFEATED-134
TO 102-DEBATE ON THE MEASURE.

A NOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES DEFEATED-134
| TO 102-DEBATK ON THE MEASURE.
WASHINGTON, April l6.-The House Committee
on Rivers and Harbors is wiser than 1t was this
morning When Chairman Blanchard rose and
moved to suspend the rules and pass the biggest
River and Harbor bill that ever was offered he did
| so with the air Of q statesman who felt sure Of
| o victory. His proposition was the reverse Of
] modest In effect it was that the House should
| abdicate its functions as q legislative body in
favor Of the fifteen men who compose the Com
| mittee on Rivers and Harbors and pass, after Q
| half hours debate, and with no opportunity for
amendment, bill which carries about 81 800 goo
and contains several hundred separate items Tor
| works scattered all over the country. Such .
proposition never before made in the middle
| OF long session OF Congress.
Chairman Blanchard had induced Colonel Bayne
| Republican member OF the committee, to open
| the debate lie began with the admission THAI
he would prefer that the bill should take the usual
course and be considered item by item, but it
seemed plain to him that unless passed under
| suspension Of rules, no River and HarbOr bill
could be passed at all at this session, on account
Of the pressure of other measures He remarked
that The management Of the bill In the committee
had been essentially different from that which
prevailed In the Committee on Ways and Means,
and said that there were few new projects in the
bill
Mr.. Anderson, of Kansas, criticised the motion
as one of brilliant audacity. He read some in
teresting figures to show how the committee has
distributed the appropriations so as to benefit
particular sections, especially the States repre-
sented by members Of the committee.
In opposing Blanchard's motion Mr.. Reed made
one Of the best veminute speeches of the session.
He did not suppose 1t was possible TO chan ns
In that way would not be lost. lie was not OPP
posed to river and harbor appropriations, but this
motion ought not to prevail. Said the speaker
We sit here record lhe dcta of committees This
bill ought pass unless It shall receive the approval
Of the majority after careful and deliberate examination
and discussion 1t is vast bill II is mufarious- 1t
every part of the country These appropriations
scattered between the and between the
Canadian border and the Cult II adopt this motion
shall sbdicate right 10 understand these items
right Of amendment
An emergency might arise, he said, in which
this sort of legislation would be justified, but he
utterly denied that this bill presented such case.
Three months of the session at least remained.
Mr.. Reed then exposed fatally weak point In
the bill, feature Of the measure which Will not
bear discussion He said that the appropriation
for certain parts Of the country had been based on
the estimates of the local engineers, while for
another large section of the country they were
based the reports Of those estimates after they
had been reduced and cut down by the er Chief OF
no fairness in such legislation
s. S. Cox made short but forcible, speech
against the bill itself, on the ground that the
appropriations for the harbor Of New-York are
utterly inadequate and dsproportionate when COM
pared with appropriations for other parts OF the
country:
willing to vote to pass the bill without consider
alton, because the people of the country would see
that each member had got what he wanted, and
that the bill was log-rolling scheme
Mr. Farquhar of New-York, defended the bill.
which he said business bill that ought to be
treated in business way. He spoke of the fact
that the bill makes the money Immediately avail
able and he gave as an example OF the necessity
of the immediate appropriation the item oil
81 00O, 600 for the Sault Ste. Marie Canal
Mr. Blanchard closed the debate, In a speech
clarifying the committee and declaring that there
was serious danger that unless the House should
adopt the measure no bill will be introduced this
session. 1t was business bill, be said
in which there was no politics
When Chairman Blanchard called up the bill
it's opponents were uneasy but active missionary
work by prominent and influential Republicans,
and the speech of Mr.. Reed, settled the fate OF
the measure for to-day. Instead OF receiving q
majority of two-thirds the bill received a majority
of only 80 in total vote of 236. IL is apparent
that unless opinions change it will have to be
passed through the House in the usual and orderly
manner IL at all. The New-York Representatives
who voted 90 pass the bill to-day were Messrs.
Baker, Farquhar. Greenman, Hopkins, Laidlaw,
Nutting Sawyer and Weaver. The New-fork
Representatives who voted in the negative were
Messrs Arnold Beldcn Bliss Timothy. j. Camp,
bell Cochran, S. S. Cox, Cummings, Mahoncy and
Merriman All the New-Jersey men present, in
GLIDING Messrs Phelps. McAdoo, Kean, Pidcock
and Lehlbach, voted in the negative