New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-07
FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS.
THE HOUSE PASSES TIE BILL UNDER
SUSPENSION OF THE RULES
WORK OF CHAIRMAN HOOKER AND Ills COL"
LEAGUES APPROVED by A VOTE OF PIG TO
@o-TIIE DEBATE on THE MEASURE

1o-TIlE DEBATE on TIE MEASURE
my TELEGRAPH TO THE TRinuNEl
Washington April G-By vote of PIG 10 ~ the
House Of Representatives to-day voted to suspend
the rules and pass the River and liarbor Appropra
ton bill. which carries items amounting TO 'o'a ..
about $40 10000 and authorizes the Secretary D,
War TO enter into contracts for the comp'e'oh ..
thIrtv.two different projects for the improvement u
rivers and harbors the ultimate tota! cost OF "hch
will amount to abor. 81 72l cDo The work on these
improvements Will cover period OF about SIX N'"'s
so tina; the amount of appropriation required 'a'n
vaar will he coulparatively small. II + also hoItd
tha, the revenues will be better able TO bea' the
burden Of such expenditures after next year '"" -
now the
The cxnerence OF the last six years has fully and
completely vindlcated tn" wisdom ana economy OF
the contrac: system. which was adopted by me 'iS'
congr.ss and has since been continued. FIRST, an
Improvement once begun IS pushed 10 coHpieilo"
and at a cost 10 20 20 per cent less IMAM uh"''
the old haphazar1 and wasiefnl system "h''" INV
vh,ms Of successive Congresses were among The
more extensive clements OF cost SECOND much Jess
money than formerly IS appropriated FOR ana eN-
nend.d upon works OF little utility and for the bene-
Il, chiefly OF "nelghborhood commerce" and con
tractors In the River and lIarboF bills 81 the iS'
and the Lila Congresses projects were nut upon me
continuous contract plan agsrccatIng %'1D'iS ana
these have been nearly an co'Hp'''n anu ap"''P''
tions for the sam" mad"
q, course. there was an outcry In the House
against the enormiiy OF passing the bill under
susnension OF the rules and with ONLY Limited OF
nortunity fo- debate and none TO- amendment In
the case o. any other appropriation bHl-s'Y thf
sundry Civil bill or the Indian hilL BON OF "h''n
were passed In the ga mo manner IN IN" Iaf' ''n
crcSe tho former without any opportunity whatever
- dchatc-ihe ouicry should ard probably would
have been effective But the River and harbor b.l
IL another matter altogether. and III" Same cIiucW
cannot fairly be made TO apply 10 IT. II the hi ma
been opened 10 debate ana amendment under 'ir
nvenolpute rule Il is almos. certain that the total
would have been so sweed that ono OF two things
would Inevitably have happened. either the bill
would have broken down under i's own weight or II
would have carried amount 50 lar;e a to have
invited and received an Executive veto
That the bill passed to-day was perfect one IN
every detail cannot be fairly said. That II was one
open 10 less Jus, criticism than IL usual In the case
NJ similar bills must be admitted The Committee
on Rivers ana IIarbors had worked steadily for
three months In framing the measure. and had re-
celved the benefit Of the advice AMI suggestions.
no, only Of Senators and Representatives. but Of
representatives OF many commercial bodies IN dhei-
ent parts OF the country. as wei as OF the army en-
gln.ers who were familiar with the various projects
under consideration. That Chairman Hooker ana
his colleagues tolled faithfully and with due sense
of their responsibility Representatives, everybody
| vho knows the men and had opportunity 10 OBJ
|
There would have teen more time for debate to-
day II the reading OF the bill ito which not more
than score OF the members paid any attention
yhatever) had not been demanded by It's opponents.
The reading occupied more than two hours OF Time
which might have been more prontaby employed.
for The time remaining for debate was 40 short that
there could be no Intelligent dlscussioh OF the pro-
visions OF the measure.
Mr. Dockery Dem. MOI. leading the opposition
10 the BILL said in favor OF jus, ana proper
| appropriations for the Improvement Of rivers ana
harbors but he not In favor of tn policy which
compelled the House TO appropriate money for the
Improvement OF unmportant streams TO secur" that
result But II he approved every item In the bill
he would oppose It's passage under suspension OF the
rules.
NO PORK" FOR MIR. HEPBURN.
Mr. Hepburn Osep. Iowa. made the principal
speech against the bill lie said that he stood upon
the floor almost alone in one respect. THE bill ear
rIes no pork for my district. but there Is enough
IN II 70 secure it's passage; and | recognize that
nothing I can say will interfere with the state
IL march Of this appropriation to completion Run
ming over the pages Of the blli he said he that
the state OF Maine had secured N7boooo. Massachu-
sets. 81 $4,000: Rhode Island. SGO"o; Connecticut.
1886 900: New-York. y,l10o; Delaware Hs'O.0oo
| Enough local Interest had thus been judcIous.y
niace1 and exercised to secure the passage Of the
bin Continuing. he said he FOUND among other
things in@t mere e liver commsson the
sum OF ISIS 900 and contracts authorized 10 the
amount OF $50 90 additional II nave no objec-
ment OF our waterways ! am 'ryins to rebuk" II
possible the methods employed to secure this Inn
mense sum OF money
MIR Catchings Dem. Mlss), chairman Of the
committee I'm the last Congress- replied to Mr.. Hep
burn This BILL" he said, rs the brst Till the
most scientifically drawn. and will rebound more
! 10 the benefit OF the whole country than any bill
| that has been presented 10 the House since have
! been I'm Congress" Npplausr)
! In the course OF further debate. Mr. Clark Uep,
| Iowa. quoted the traffic manager OF one OF the
great Northwestern railroad systems saying that
| the result OF the work OF the Missi,~ppl RIVER
! commissIon already secured Was reduction OF 20
| per cent in freight rates all over the Mississippi
Valley.
! Mr. Colson (Rep. KY said the only objection he
had 10 the bill was that II DID not carry enough
| money The people OF Kentucky believed with
| Henry Clay in spending money freely for internal
| Mr. Hermann Rep Ore) said that no policy had
been 80 profitable 10 the people OF the country az
that Of making liberal appropriations Tor water
way improvements
! Mr. Hooker Rep.. y. " closed the debate In "A
nve-mnute speech as TO the criticism against con
| siderng II under suspension OF rules. Mr.. Hooker
81 900 had been reported from the committee OF
which Mr.. Dockery was a member and disposed OF
In the same way. and he made no objection to that
Upon the question Of suspending the rules and
passing the bill the vote. by division stood: Yeas
N6; nays 40. and the announcement by the Speaker
was followed by applause. An effort to secure a
vote by yeas and nays failed Mr. Hepburn. In
leaving the subject remarked that the vote showed
the general evenness with which the pork had
been distributed. n-aughter)
motion OF Mr. Hartmann tRep. Month the
passed for the relief OF settlers on the abandoned
Fort Assinboine Military Reserva tion. Montana.
Mr.. Grosvenor (Re... Ohio) reported the "hlled
cheese bill" from the Committee wsv. az