The Portland daily press., 1896-05-14
NOW TO PRESIDENT.
River and Harbor Bill Passed Senate
Yesterday
Except WITH REGARD TO 4 FEW
AMENDMENTS.

! Eloquent Speech-Sarcastic Language
Used by Senator Allen in Opposition
| Adjournment Can't Take Place Until
| JuneS.
Washington, May 13.-The river and
narnor bill was taken up by the Senate
thls aftern oon, the pending question be-
| ing on the amendment offered yesterday
py Mr. German to restrict the annual ex-
pend1ture under the bill and under form
OF river and harbor bills to $40, 900, 900.
| Mr.. Vest confessed his establishment at
the result Of the motion made by him
yesterday to lay that amendment on the
table and he hoped that the Senate would
reconsider that vote.
Under it the secretary of war would
absolutely control the apportionment of
the expenditures.
Mr. German defended his amendment.
1t was not offered with view of imped-
ing any works; and he did not believe
that it would have that effect. At the
conclusion of the discussion Mr.. Vest
renewed his motion Of yesterday to lay
Mr.. Gorman's amendment on the table,
and that motion was agreed to, yeas 40,
nays 20.
| Owing to the delay in passing the river
ana harbor bill, the adjournment of the
session by mutual consent, appears to
have been delayed q week, and the lead
ers now say that the end will hardly
come before the eighth of June. None
among the leaders is inclined to believe
the SESSION will last longer than that.
On motion of Mr.. Frye, the appropria-
tion of 81, 403 600 for work at Sabine Pass
was reduced to 81, 0O0, 600.
Mr.. Lindsay, Democrat of Kentucky,
offered an amendment directing the Sec
retary of War to adjust the continuing
| contracts. SO that not more than 90 per
cent of any one of the appropriations
shall be expended in any single year.
lhe amendment was opposed by Mr..
Frye on the ground that it was entirely
In the discretion of the Secretary of War
to decide as to how much should be ex-
pended or what contracts should be made.
Mr.. Frye moved to lay the amendment
on the table. Agreed to, yeas 81, nays
18.
Mr.. Allen, Populist of Nebraska, said
the contracts provided for in the bill
would be made by Republican secre-
uary OF war if the present prospects
should be realized. They would doubt
| less be made with class of gentlemen
who would be willing to contribute very
! largely to the support of the Republican
/ party in this campaign. &
He could understand why the Repub-
llcan Senators should support the meas
| ure. lie regretted that the chairman of
| the committee on commerce had not
enlightened the country on the prospects
OF the next Congress appropriating
money for improvement of additional
creeks. The bill, Mr.. Allen added, car
ried appropriations for the Improvement
of 10 different creeks and one mill
pond. He did not recall any ditch, al
though he believed there was one in New
York provided for. As soon as they got
through with estuaries, lagoons, bayou,
creeks and ditches he supposed they
would provide for mill pond.
Mr.. Frye declared the Senator from
Nebraska had been talking of thing
he knew nothing about, and as If q creek,
because it was called creek, had no
navigation. There was an appropriation
in the bill for Newtown creek, n. Y,
where there was $197, 900, 600 commerce.
There was no creek that had not first
primary survey and next a declaration
that commerce required improvement.
The farmers all through the South de-
pended on those very appropriations to
get their products of cotton and tobacco
to the market.
Those rivers bayous al d creeks were
little arteries of commerce to be sure,
bnt they aided working people and farm
erS.
Mr.. Allen remarked that the argument
made by Mr. Frye had been made hun
dred times before. There had never been
reckless and inexcusaple expenditure
OF public money that some subterfuge or
excuse could not be made for it,
The question being on the massage of
the bill, Mr.. Frye made closing speech
In defense of the comm fttee on commerce
OF which he is chairman. There never
had been time, he said, in his experience
when there was such universal demand
for river and harbor Improvements as
this year. There was hardly great har-
Dor in the country, hitherto regarded as
ample for all requirements of commerce,
Ghat has not been persistent in demands
Tor wider and deeper channels to accom-
modate the great ships of the world.
The water in the great lakes was two
or three feet lower than ever before and
the vessels twice as largo as before. The
commerce of the United States had
grown in quarter of a century so it
become the marvel of the world. He
heard it estimated that from twenty to
loity mllllOn QollaIS worth OIL domestic
commerce was transported by all rail
The commerce carried ON by vessels was
more than that of Germany, France,
Italy and England combined. Twenty
years. ago the freight charge of railroads
was l-2 cents a ton per mile at cost
to them of 2 1-2 cents. Last year the
charge was 7S-100 cents and cost one
half cent. People were demanding still
lower freights. Railroads could not re-
duce them unless some new and cheaper
motive power was discovered. Freights
could be made cheaper by water and no.
where else. For that reason, intelligent
business people were everywhere demand
Ing improvements. For the last ten years
Congress had been responding by degrees
to these demands. Millions were spent
on the Mississippi river. Was it money
thrown away? The year before last it
took $500, 600 tons of documented and
undooumented vessels to carry the freight
on the Mississippi river.
r, After finishing his speech, Senator
Frye called for vote on the bill. Passed,
- TO y. Those voting nay were Allen,
5ate. Brown, Chiffon, Harris, Hill, Kile,
. On motion of Mr.. Frye the Senate in
SlSleQ uDOn fts amend rnants and the