The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-30
SPECIAL BILL FOR SAVANNAH.
SHOULD THERE BE NO RIVER AND
HARBOR MEASURE.
Col. Lester Prepared to Look Out for
SaNanhah's Interests In ANY
EVent-Many Members Want a
bill at This SessiOn-Need for Inn
proVements at savannah and at
Florida POrts-What Judge GriEgs
Did-AtlnntR's Military Park.

| Did-AtlantR's Military Park
| Washington, Jan. 9.-Representative
Lester says the Committee on Rivers and
Harbors will decide tomorrow whether
they will report general river and har-
Dor bill at the present session.
There is very strong desire among
members, without regard to party for a
river and harbor bill this session. Since
| The origin of the system of internal i'm
provements by the government. il has been
! customary to pass a river and harbor bin
during the first session of every new Con-
| gress. Sometimes similar bills have been
passed at the second or short session of
a Congress-
Col Lester is perfectly willing to re-
| spond to the appeals made to his com
mittee in behalf of bill which will in
| clude liberal appropriations for Savannah
harbor and other great waterways of
! equal or relative commercial Importance
Should the administration send forth the
edict that economy in public expenditures
shall begin by the defeat of a general
river and harbor bill, Col Lester will en-
deavor to secure special act for the ben
eft. of the Savannah. river and Savannah
harbor He has in contemplation two or
more plans of securing the much-desired
and greatly-needed Improvement of Savan-
nah harbor. One plan is to have a new
appropriation to carry out an entirely new
project to give Savannah 2S-foot chan
mel from the Ocean Steamship Companys
docks across the bar at Tybee.
Col Lester realizes that he is in a meas
ure handicapped by the different views
| entertained by Capt Gillette, the engineer
officer in charge of the improvements in
Savannah harbor.
Necessity for the Work
AT the war department the engineer of
| fcers and those officials who visited Sa-
vannah during the heavy transport busi-
ness to Cuba and Porto Rico during the
Spanish war understand and appreciate
the necessity for giving Savannah the very
| best waterway to the sea possible.
| Should Col. Lester fail to secure provi-
| sion for new project he will endeavor to
| have the existing law modified by which
| the money appropriated 10 carry out the
| work on the breakwater at the outer bar
may be expended in deepening the chan
| mel With the war department officials
| friendly disposed toward the improvement
! of Savannah harbor Col Lester will go
| into the fight with the same determina-
! ton and indomitabe energy he displayed
in securing an additional appropria 10
/ for the Savannah public building several
years ago. Then his task was apparent
| ly hopeless but his wide experience in
| Congress his legislative ability, and his
personal popularity on both sides of the
chamber enabled him to pull off a victory
when defeat seemed foregone conclusion.
The great commercial interests of Sa-
vannah and the steadily growing trade be-
/ la,a Trg7ff II nd AraC Tn
dies justify an immediate appropria ion
| by the government to increase the har-
Dor facilities of Savannah
Workman of SparLnan and Davis.
Representatives Sparkman and Davis
| are doing some effective missionary work
among their associates in the half of the
! passage of a river and harbor bill during
| the present session. Mr. Sparkman is a
| member of the River and Harbor Com
| mittee and he is confident a majority of
} his colleagues favor a general bill. There
| is number of waterways in Florida
/ greatly in need of improvement, and
/ vigorous fight will be made to force
bill through the House if the Republican
! members of the committee are ordered by
the powers that be to make an adverse
report. If the bill can reach vote it
will surely pass unless it is made a party
| question Even then there are many Re
pablicans who declare they will not bow
| to the party lash under the circum-
| stances.
Judge GriGgs scores a Point.
Judge Griggs of the Second District,
! came to the front in the House this even
! ing, and was the chief instrument in kill
| ing what was regarded the entering
| wedge for a civil pension list. This was
! one of the features of the bill for the
! reorganization of the weather bureau, and
| it came from the agricultural committee,
| the weather bureau being a part of the
| agricultural department
The consideration of the bill had 'ad-
| vanced to a stage where it looked as If
| there would be little opposition when
! Judge Griggs got into the fight He point
! ed out that it was but an effort to commit
| the government to the civil pension idea
! and that this would be followed by similar
| bills from other departments. He showed
| TO Republicans that while they were cry
ing that the government should get out of
the banking business, they were here try
| ing to put the government into the insur-
| ance business. His expose of the real
purpose of this feature Of the bin led %
| so many members on both sides of the
| House coming to his assistance that the
consideration of the bill had to be post
poned and the indications are that 1t is
| certain Of defeat in its present shape.
Atlanta Military Park.
Cant. g. p. Howell, who Is here paving
the way for. the hearing for the Atlanta
| committee on the military park, is very
| hopeful Of success in the endeavor to Sc
| cure the necessary appropria lions for this
mark. When the Atlanta committee
| reaches here tomorrow night, 1t will find
! mat Capt Howell Senator Clay and Con-
gressman Livingston have prepared things
so as to make their work as easy as pos
sble. This morning Capt. Howell first
called upon Gen. H. Y. Boynton, the head
of ne Chickamauga Park Commission, who
has from the first been the warm friend
of the Atlanta project. Gen. Boynton Is
capt. Howells personal friend. and he
had great deal of information of value,
which he placed at the disposal of At
| lanta's representative. After a conference
| OF couple Of hours with Gen. Boynton
! Capt Howell went to the Capitol and had
| talks with Col. Livingston and Senator
clay with these gentlemen he went fully
| over the ground
The only opposition to the passage Of the
bill for the park comes from two sources.
| one of these is the feeling among Repub-
| lican leaders that there must be the closest