The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-28

products from the interior to foreign
countries, and am a little surprised that
he or the committee should have found
Al ,reason for altering the plan of the house
II regard to this particular Improvement
Unjust attribute II to the fact that he has
rot looked carefully enough into the real
merits of this proposition.
There is not a more important commune
cation In the United States for the COM
raerce of this county than this little plan
here-it has cost only 500 ,0OO-of connect
ing the great coal-producing and IRON
producing fields around Birmimingham
with the outside world Why do speak OF
1t as the outside world in this connecuon
For the reason that that district, acting IN
concert, I will grant you, with the great
Pennsylvania Ohio, Illinois, and other iron
mining districts of the United States, mas
produced an effect on the commerce OF the
United States in one of the great staples
that may well be called an absolute or a
perfect revolution. We have been here fof
a hundred years raising cotton and having
1t priced in Liverpool. We have been rals-
ing the grains-wheat and corn-in compe-
tition with Russia and the Argentine and
various other places and We have not until
recently and then only on a single produc-
ton in the United States, SO mastered one
of the great elementary industries as to be
able to price the products of that industry
in all foreign countries. l am making
statement OF the utmost degree of impor-
lh1Ce 10 the commerce OF l16 united oldleS
at large. Iron and steel, but more particu-
larry iron, are the most elementary of all
productions There is no valuable indus
try that can be based on anything else than
iron. The price of iron has much to do
with the profit and value of that industry
and every industry of leading character
In this country and In all other countries.
Now, what have we accomplished from
birmingham, not discarding, by any means,
the assistance that comes from other iron
and coal producing fields in the world?
Now, what have we accomplished from
Birmingham, not discarding, by any means
the assistance that comes from other iron
and coal producing fields in the world?
What have we accomplished?
Shipping Into Liverpool
We are shipping into Liverpool. and in
1act into every European port and into
every Asiatic port in the\ world that has
any consequence at all, pig iron and other
iron productions of our own mines and fac
tories and are underselling the foreigners
In their own harbors and in their own
ports. That is a fact which the senate of
the United States has not had time to con-
slder. The truth of it has not been deyel-
oped except within the last two or three
years, out l state to you proposition that
Is absolutely true and is conclusively es-
taolshed by an experience that is undenia-
BILE and that has been gained under the
handicap of heavy rates of transportation
adverse to this industry and the transport
tation of its products to Europe and Asiatic
countries.
Suppose this work should cost the gov
eminent of the United States 100000 in the
outcome. 1t will be paid in the savings
of a single month of the work of these men
in that great interior of iron and steel
which my colleague has SO properly de-
scribed here today, IN month g saving will
pay the whole sum. That provision ought
to be allowed to remain there, 1 respect
aiully suggest to the committee, for the
reason that 1t gives permanency to the
Improvement. But 1 dare say that there
will never be a dollar spent on this i'm
proyement in excess OF $4,000, and 1t is
a mere bagatelle compared with the vast,
the enrmous interests we have already de-
yeloped and that have enabled this coun-
try to do what it has never been able to
do heretofore in its history, to control the
price in all the markets of this world OF
one Of the great staple elements of our
country, for no products are more widely
scattered and more abundantly found
throughout our country than coal and
iron, and particularly iron.
The committee have added here at an
other place the following:
THE secretary of war Is hereby author
lied and directed to appoint board of five
engineer officers, whose duty it shall be to
make an examination and survey and sub
nit plan and estimate for the general i'm
provement of so much of the Tombgbee
river as embraces the several reaches APP
propriated for in this act.''
am perfectly willing for that clause to
remain in the bill; l wish 1t would stay
in. At the same time the committee of
five engineers, when they have gone over
this work, will probably add nothing at all
to the knowledge and Information that the
two houses have now before them in regard
to this Improvement and the manner OF
handling it.
No Reason to Explain
Mr.. Frye-Mr. President do not think
the senators from Alabama have any rea-
son to complain of the action of the COM
mittee. In the first place, the continuing
contracts for the smaller improvements are
all contrary to the general principle of con-
tinuing contracts. When what was inau-
gurated, it was intended that it should be
applied only to contracts of large impor-
lance from national point of view, where
time was of as much essence as money
But another body than this has seen fit in
the pending bill to apply it TO twenty,
thirty, or forty of the smaller and more
local improvements which have been sug-
gested. 1 think they have made very
profound mistake and that all of these
smaller continuing contracts should have
been stricken from the bill. 1 urged that
upon the committee on commerce l did
not succeed in prevailing with them that it
should be done.
Mr.. Morgan-The senator will allow me to
remark that this is not small contract.
Mr.. Frye-It is only 100000. That is
pretty small in a bill of this size.
Mr.. Morgan-It runs over a number of
years.
Mr.. Frye-In a bill that has the Nicara-
qua canal appropriation of $115, 000, 900, $780,,
600 is a very small item.
Mr.. Morgan-And that appropriation
could not have been there but for the very
great patriotism of the senator from
Maine, which 1 am happy to acknowledge
on all occasions.
Mr. Frye-I do not care to carry my re-
marks in that direction.
Mr.. Morgan-What want to say Is that
| this appropriation is small only in the
amount appropriated. The amount is
| $40 600, but as to the usefulness of the work
| for commercial purposes, there is not a
| work provided for in this bill that is larger,
except the canal.
Mr.. Frye-Mr. President, am just as IA
| miliar with the Tombigbee river as l am