The herald., 1896-04-07
appropriated, aggregated over s62, ,OOO,-

appropriated, aggre gated over s62, ,O0O,-
200. Such an appropriation, he sub
mitted, was entitled to the careful con-
sideration of the house under the or
dinary rules, which would allow the
debate and amendment of each para
graph. He denounced it as a high
handed proceeding. He reviewed the
rapid growth and development of the
continuing contract system inaugur-
ated by the Fifty-first congress.
Has not experience shown that this
system is economical" interrupted Mr..
Hopkins (Rep., lll.)
Undoubtedly" replied Mr.. Dockery.
1T is economical, as to each individual
contract, but the result has shown that
wherever the government enters upon
the policy of giving it's notes instead of
paying cash, the expenditures become
fecklesSly eXtravagant; members i'll
this way get small appropriation for
some local improvement to start with
and mortgage the treasury for COM
pleteing the work.
After Mr.. Wheeler (Dem., Ala.) had
given his endorsement to the BILL Mr..
Hepburn Rep., 1owa) made asensa-
tional speech in opposition to the meas
ure. There was, he began, nothing in
the bill in the way of pork" for his dis
trict, but, he added, there was enough
in it for other districts to insure it's
pasage and he felt that nothing he
would be able to say would stop it in
its stately march to the statute books.
He read the amounts that would go to
various states ($1,700,00 to Maine, ST.
100000 to Massachusetts, 100000 to
Rhode Island, $196,000 to Connecticut,
81 ,440, 900 td New York, etc, etc.) to show
how the pork" was distributed, and
then proceeded to make an attack on
the appropriations i'll the bill for the
Mississippi commission. The bill car
ried $4,000 for the commission, he said,
and authorized contracts aggregating
! $S,375, 900.
Right here, Mr.. Speaker" he said
Il want it understood that do not OBJ
| ject to legitimate appropriations for
! the great waterways of the country.
! What l desire to rebuke are the methods
| adopted to secure the passage of this
| bill. In most cases in this bill there is
a fragrant bestowal of the larsesses of
the government"
Proceeding. he said that in the last
| ten years there had been expended
through the Mississippi river commits
sion. $29.000,O00, most of the money
thrown away. The scheme of the Mis-
| SisSippi river commission, he declared,
| had been fraud from it's inception Its
real purpose was TO reclaim swamp lands
! given to the states Oh condition of their
reclamation. Since the scheme had
been devised two-thirds of the appro-
priations had been applied to this pur-
pose and but one-third to the work of
deepening the channel. He cited the
reports of the war department in sub
| stantiation of this fact. The net re-
suit of the expenditure of money, he
said, had been an average deeping of
the channel of only eighteen inches. 1t
| had cost the government $400, 900 to se-
cure an additional depth of one inch for
forty miles of the river.
For the Hennepin canal, he contin-
ued, great project to connect the Mis-
| sissippi river with the northern water
ways, the bill contained the magnificent
appropriation of $4,000 and the possi-
| bility of contract for it's completion
extending over ten years. He favored
| this important work, but he wanted to
| demonstrate the viciousness of the sys-
tenn on which the bill was framed.
At this point Mr. Hepburns' time ex-
pired and he concluded with loud pro-
ryins sixty-three millions with so short
debate and no opportunity to amend
| single line or an item of it.
Mr.. Catchings Dem.. Miss.), who was
| chairman of the rivers and harbors COM
mittee in the last congress. replied to
Mr.. Hepburns speech.
! I'm all frankness and candor," said
he. II desire to say that the bill which
| she- committee has presented to the
| house is by all odds the most carefully
| drawn, the most scientific in it's con-
struction, and will rebound most to the
benefit of teh country of any bill which
has ever been passed since have been
| in congress-
A minute was given to Mr.. McLach-
! Ian (Rep., CALI to criticize the manner
in which Southern California had been
treated; to Mr.. Clark of Iowa and Mr.
, Hermann of Oregon to favor the bill in
! the interest of reduced railroad trans
portation, and to Mr.. Colson (Dem., Ky)
to express the opinion that the bill did
| not carry enough money.
| Mr.. Dockery then cosed the debate
for the opposition with humorous ap-
peal to members who had got all they
wanted to vote against the motion to
! suspend the rules.
! Mr.. Hooker, chairman of the COM
nittee, in closing the debate briefly re-
| ferred to the fact that the passage Of
the bill under suspension of the rules
was not unprecedented. The Fifty
third congress, he said had passed a
| bill carrying s25000.0O under suspension
! of the rules. He Indignantly referred
| to Mr.. Hepburn's attack. He concluded
by demanding a vote.
In response to this particular request
for the ayes, the house seemed to rise
| en- masse. Only here and there a men,
| Der retained his seat. On tn rising vote
| 206 voted in the affirmative and but 40
| in the negative.
! The bill to validate certain bond is
sues in New Mexico was called up and
| failed to pass by vote of AZ yeas and
| 73 nays. The discussion revamped the
! charge of fraud made while the bill was
! in committee.
Mr.. Grosvenor reported the filled
! cheese bill and gave notice that he would
| call it up Wednesday.
| The senate bill for opening the Fort
Assinaboine military reservation lands
| was called up by Mr.. Hartman, who ex-
planned that settlers already on the land
! were to retain their holdings and the
| other lands to be disposed of under the
| laws applying to sale of abandoned
| lands. The secretary of the interior
| had decided that the settlers were tres
| passers until some legislation was
! passed for their benefit. The bill passed
without opposition. AT 4:40 the house
| adjourned.
IN THE SENATE