The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-03-02
AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

tie army pest Werk has bes1 stopped On
ire plans IN the department. and nothing
further VIII be done. according 10 stats
nlert made by Secretary Lamont recently.
until the site is given BY tae citizens or
Seattle. in accordance with the demands
OF the department. Sufficient land for q
wharf - required and Secretary Lamont
insists positively upon this. There 10 no
appropriation for tae Seattle army post
n the sandry civil bill. and IL Is not likely
that one win be added n the senate, mas
much as Gen. SaEtelle. recently quarter
master OF the army, stated. In nearing
before tbs house appropriations commits
lee. that the United States has no title
20 the site At Seattle, and that It IS not
likely that IL VIII be obtained in time for
construction TO De commenced during the
next fiscal year. Therefore. be declined %
make any estimates concerning me
amount OF money fnRs could Do expended
and no appropriation would be male 5y
the committee.
"A regards the Spokane military post a
good, strong recommendation was made By
Gen. Sawtsiis, IN which he stated that con-
tracts would ne entered into for the con-
structfon OF the buildings. amounting 20
tho sieo, 60 appropriated for the present Es-
cal year, so that work viii commence as
soon as the building season opens IN the
spring. To continue this work during tho
next fiscal year. Cen Sawteale said slSo.-
GO would be necessary. Whether the sen
ate VIII adj the fun amount OF this sum
10 the bill IS probiemasical. but Il is more
than likely in view Of what has been done
with similar bills in the past, that they viii
rot add more than SOC gol for continuation
OF the work at Spokane. This, however,
win be satisfactory 20 Washingtons rep
reseutatives, both Senator Wilson and
Representative Hyde stating that they
they would be satisfied Il 10000 would be
given.
The snap judgment taken by the house
IN the matter Of passing the sundry civil
bin was a proceeding that has had but one
precedent in congress, so Ii is stated. No
opportunity was given TO consider the va
Tious items in the biz. or TO offer any
amendment. Only twenty minutes deha "a
vas allowed upon each side, and then the
bin had TO be voted upon as a whole. The
result was that Representative Hyde had
10 opportunity TO offer an amendment for
the Spokane post. and he was only one
OF the many others who were in the same
boat The object Of this proceeding was
not so much 10 prevent the addition OF a
few Items, Ike the Spokane post and the
post at Fort Riley, as IL was 10 prevent
the cutting Out OF about sixteen or
eighteen appropriations made for rivers
and harbors. which, BY the committee on
were placed under what Is known as the
continuing contract system. Each one OF
these items carried In the present bill an
even $s01. 600 and IL was called TO the at
tention OF the house by Representative
Pearson. OF North Carolina. that each one
OF these sixteen items was located in some
corner OF the district OF some member OF
the rivers and harborS committee. He did
not state In so many words that each MEM
SFrafr a a "a
particular pains to feather his own
nest. but the intlmation was very
clear upon that point. One OF these $780,
900 appropriations was for Yaquina bay,
In Oregon, which Is In Representative Her.
MAINS district who Is a member OF the
rivers and harbors committee. This ap-
preparation, Representative Dockery, of
the Democratic side of the chamber. point
Ell out was an improvement which Gen.
Casey, when he was chief of engineers.
had declared to be wholly unworthy. and
that there was no reasonable excuse for
the government spending any more money
at that place; that II would be impossible
TO make a better harbor there than now
existed without the expenditure OF vast
sums OF money. and that the return for
such expenditure was not likely TO ever
be had.
Ar. Dockery also showed that OF the
$4,000 600, which the sundry civil bin car
ried this year not q cent of that amount
had been recommended by the war de-
partmenL II Is true they had been called
upon by the house resolution TO furnish
statement OF how much money IL would
cost 70 make certain improvements, but
their opinion was not asked as TO whether
II would be advisable TO undertake such
work Therefore, they had given the
amount which such Improvements would
cost and volunteered no opinion, holding.
as the chief or engineers said. that IL would
be disccurteous 10 the house to volunteer
an opinion evidently not in accord with
the views OF the house on the subject Of
appropriations II the war department or
the chief OF the engineers had been asked
then. or was II be asked now, what they
thought of such Improvement. they would
state. as they had said in private TO Rep
resentative Dockery. that they did
not consider them worthy OF being
made, and thus that that si0.o00. 900
could have been saved to the government
However. under suspension OF the rules,
tho hiI went through. carrying that
amount, and beats all records for any sun
dry civil bill 90 any former congress. II
Is not only likely that all this viii be re-
tanned in the senate. but also that con-
siderable more will be added as has been
done in the past
II tz rt.s I'll