The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-04-25
LET THEN BE WATCHED.

There Is now little doubt that the
STA 900 contained in the sundry civil
bill for the completion of the locks
will be appropriated; but whether this
amount shall be used for the purpose
for which it is intended or as another
dilatory measure to hinder the opening
of the canal, rests largely with the peo-
pie who are directly interested therein.
If we sit idly in the future as we have
in the past, heed the vows of good faith
that will be made both by the engin-
eers in charge and the contractors who
will secure the job of performing the
work, and do not interest ourselves in
seeing that the money is judiciously
expended. we may expect to see this
appropriation squandered in prolong-
ing the work Indefinitely.
There Is an errone Gus idea existing
in the minds of many that government
engineers are a sort of divine indi-
viuals, whose will is law and who are
amenable to no higher authority: that
whenever they say work under their
supervision shall not progress their
edict is final. This idea was exploded
however when the work of construct
ing the jatty at the mouth of the Colum.
bin river was in progress. The engin-
eers then attempted to adopt dilatory
meas ures, and so soon as this was
made known to the people of Astoria
and Portland the matter was brought
to the attention of the war department
in such forcible manner that orders
were issued causing the work to be,
rushed as rapidly as men and money
could accomplish it. So persistent
were the people of Astoria that. at
their own expense. they Investigated
the methods of the engineers, insisted
that every dollar was expended
judiciously, and as result the work |
was constructed within the limits of |
the appropriation and also within the
time specified in the estimates of the
engineers. The dry docks on Puget /
Sound furnished another illustration |
of how government works can be con-
structed in short space of time when
the acts of engineers are closely |
watched. This work required the ex-
penditure of 81 800. 900, and that it was !
completed within the limits of the ap-
preparation and also in the time speci-
fed was largely due to the interest
manisest by the people who were
interested. To be sure there
were no outside influences brought to
bear for the purpose of retarding
operations on either of these works;
that is, there were no railroad corpo-
rations whose interests were threat
ened, which made it possible for the
people to assume quasi supervision
of the construction and prevent
measures.
Nevertheless the fear of mourning
the displeasure of the engineers in
charge need not prevent the people OF
Eastern Oregon from exercising some
sort of supervision over affairs when
the time comes for expending this last
4
,umed at the Cascades. If The DIlles
alone will take the matter in hand and
send some good business man there,
who will neither be corrupted nor
oluffed, to watch the work as it pro-
leeds and report the progress each
week to the war department.. the en-
,ineers and contractors, whoever they
nay be, will not dare to squander the
appropriation or delay construction.
n the past the people who are inter-
sted in the opening of the locks have
,een entirely two timid for their own G
,ood. They have allowed matters to
rag along at the will of those in +
harge, and if frauds have been per-
they have taken no vigorous t
teps to show them up. But If they L
Vill arouse from their pacific attitude,
efuse to be trlaed with any longer, il
hey can make themselves heard by 8
he war department, and the result will n
re that the works at the Cascades will
e completed with the appropriation :,
hat is now pending. If, on the other b
and, they do not attempt to exercise :
ONE sort of watchful care, they need :,
OF hope TO see the locks finished with =
hat appropriation, or with many other : :
imilar ones that will follow.