The record-union., 1896-06-05
A INDUSTRIOUS EVIL.

One of the monstrous evils attaching
to legislation in Congress and in State
Legislatures, we may call ''localism"
for want of a better term, to express
what we conceive to be exceeding dan
ger to republican institutions.
In the framing of the river and har-
Dor bill that has just been made law
over the veto of the President this evil
was made prominent, as indeed it has
been whenever an appropriation bill
has been up. Many members ap-
pear to be impressed with the idea that
they are representative Of their dis
tricts only, without regard to their duty
in promoting the best interests Of the
whole country whenever the question
of appropriations for public works
comes up, and there Is then rush from
every district to secure a portion OF
what would seem to be regarded as le-
gitimate plunder.
The result is that there is all manner
of trading and coercing; the appropria-
ton bills are loaded down with rid
ers," behind which lie votes of Con-
gressmen that are nothing more nor less
than ION sale" and the passage of
needed provisions is made possible only
by conceding to the Congressional
highwaymen the loot they demand
For instance, if 1t is proposed that a
navigable stream of high Importance
to all the people and the commercial
interests of the entire country shall
have certain treatment to preserve it a
free highway. it becomes impossible to
secure votes enough for the measure,
except by traffic and bargain with a
host of demands for the expenditure of
money upon unheard of creeks, tall
races and hog wallows. scattered over
all the land and not one Of which is
justly entitled to dollar from the gen.
era treasury.
The records of Congress disclose that
millions Of money have been squan-
dered upon the Improvement of streams
and alleged harbors, the betterment Of
creeks and rivulets and attempts to
make ports where nature intended mud
holes only to have place. These schemes
are one and all blunderbusses presented
at the head of the Nation demanding
not money or nfe," but appropriation
for our job or none for the needs Of the
country
Nor are Congressman wholly to blame
for this condition Of affairs, If we are to
allow any excuse to be entered for lack
of integrity. for their constituents not
only urge them to adopt the methods Of
the road agent, but censure them if
they do not. In a great number Of
the districts the people seem to be i'm
bued with the idea that the measure of
q Congressman's usefulness and ability
is to be taken according to what he
gets for his district. If he returns home
with no record of having drawn some
thing from the public treasury for his
community he is rated failure.
1t Is wholly unnecessary to follow out
the logic of this practice Where 1t will
wind up the dullest cannot fail to see
The scramble for the plunder is becom-
ing yearly more general an> more hot
ly prosecuted, and 1t must result In re-
form or disintegration. 1t goes far be-
yond the river and harbor appropria-
ton bill. It enters into the matter of
constructing Federal buildings, the To-
cation of Federal institutions and the
establishment of Federal offices. Every
just and decent measure Of the kind is
secured passage only at the cost of so
much legislative blackmadl, for 1t is to
be no otherwise characterized in justice
and plain speaking. 1t is levy upon
the treasury that uselessly, wickedly
increases the cost of government enor-
mously, and that is growing to such
proportions as to alarm the sincere
lover OF his country.
The same spirit and the same prac-
tice are manifest in State legislation
regarding the location, maintenance
and betterment OF public institutions,