The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-09
CONSERVATION OF SMALL DEMAeoeUEs

The probability of the passage, by the
House, of the committees river and
harbOr appropriation bill causes con-
%sternation to the hin-chested states
men of that body. Judge Holman has
been trying to brighten his party by his
declarations, and Mr.. Bynum was so
demoralized Saturday. when the vote on
the bill was pending. that he resorted
to filibustering to delay action. What
is this thing that is terrOrizing our Lii
iputian statesmen, and which Judge
Holman. as their chief, has so OBJ
fuscated7 1t is easy t. be explained.
1t has long been known that much
money has been wasted in river and
harbOr improvements because con-
tracts could not be made covering their
completion, but only from Congress to
Congress, and for the amount appro-
priated. When the money was ex-
pended, the work would cease until an
other appropriation might be made. The
engineer officers in charge of such works
have long protested against that method
as e%xtravagant and ineffective. The
last Republican Congress courageously
adopted a system dictated by business
principles. 1t assumed that when a
greatriver or harbor improvement is un-
dertaken it should be prosecuted until
completed as rapidly as the work can be
done. 1t, therefore, provided that the
War Department should make cOntinu-
Gus contracts for the completion of the
work, named the amount estimated to
be necessary by the engineers and made
actual appropriations for as much as
these officers decided could be profit
ably expended the current year.. The
second session the Republican House
put into the sundry civil appropriation
bill as much money for the following
year as the engineers reported to be nee
essary to keep the work going p%rofita-
bly,. General Casey, chief of en-
g%ineers, has reported that this
system of continuous contract will
make it possible to complete
the -four great works for which contracts
were made, for about one-half the orig
inal estimates. In two years "a. 0OO, 600
have been saved on works estimated at
SIC, 00O, 900.
Strange as it may seem. the river and
harbor committee of the Democratic
House has adopted the Republican plan
of the last Congress. 1t has recon-
mended the making of contracts for
river and hnrbor improvements aggre-
eating S26, DOC. 900 in excess of it's regu-
lar appropriation of S21. 900, 900. 1t has
done this because the experience of two
years has shown that this system is the
only economical and business-like one.
1t may be that some of the works rec
commended are not necessary, but if
they are the Republican plan is the
only business-like one to be pur-
sued. Of the contracts proposed by
the House committee two are for the
improvement of the Mississippi rlv-
er, aggregating S12, 600, coo. No man
of average intelligence and fair
breadth of judgment can fail to see the
Importance to the whole country in
making the Mississippi safely navigable
from st. Paul to its mouth. To-day the
United States cruiser Concord is attract
ing attention at Memphis. Many are
doubtless surprised that a ship of her
draft has reached that point of the Mis-
sissippi in safety. There is no canse for
such surprise, since. if Congress so wills,
ships of the Concord's draft can safely
ascend To st. Louis, and. If necessary,
take a cargo for a European port. The
Journal will not insult its readers by an
argument to show that such an achieve
ment will be of value to every producer
in the great Mississippi valley. Mean
while sensible and broad-minded bust
ness men will smile at the hostility of
the su~perannuated Holman and the con-
s%ternation of demagogues like Bynum
who think that votes can be won by
s~trangling great national enterprises
like the Improvement of the Mississippi.