The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-08
REFORM In IMPROVEMENTS.
The Sentiment ms to River and Hnr-
Dor Work Gains Ground.

is claimed. already gained headway since
the adjournment of Congress. Regard
less of what Senator Carter's motives
may have been in defeating the appro-
| priation bill. he is said TO have voiced
the opinion of many eminent engineers
who are thoroughly familiar with the
present system of public works and the
manner in which money is secured for
carrying them on
In speaking of Senator Carter's argu-
ment. an engineer Of standing, who is In
the Army Engineer Corps. but who faVors
restricting the operations of that corps
to purely military work. said;
Il have just finished reading carefully
Senator Carter's speech, and there is
enough of good in it to make honest men
think. Carter dilates on the Trinity
River scheme particularly, where, start
ing with a few thousand dollars, the APP
preparation rolls on with each year until
it amounts to about $4,000. 900. all this to
be expended to secure a navigable chan
mel four feet In depth which must depend
on artesian wells to supply the water.
The Senator suggests, what is evident 10
anyone, that If an engineer was to make
such a recommendation for the invest
ment of private capital. he would forfeit
his reputation as an expert The army
engineers, to retain the good fellowship
and friendship of Congressman make
recommendations of pernicious projects to
dispense public moneys. and thus aid in
securing the reelection of these Con-
gressmen. Carter might have added also
that If the Congressman does not do
what the engineers want. the Congress
man Is also In danger of losing the pros
pective patronage and then being de-
feated at the subsequent election
THE remedy naturally suggests itself
TO eliminate this patronage business by
returning to the conditions which pre-
vailed before the war. Let the United
States surrender its claim of absolute
jurisdiction over any stream that is or
can be made navigable and contine this
jurisdiction to harbors and trunk line i'm
provements, the purpose to be kept in
view at all times being to create continu-
Gus and deep channels and not pools of
deep water inaccessible from outside Let
the Government turn all other works over
to private or local interests to develop
by any plan that may give the best re-
suits, as was the custom years ago. Thus
was started our original system of water
ways. Some of these early works are
still in existence, and come have been
turned over to the Government with a
business and commerce already developed.
Many of our highways upon land and
railroads We're built in this fashion, and
it has proved the most economical method
because it requires no distribution of pub
lie patronage and no payments of money
until there was business enough in sight
to justify private capital taking hold of
it, 1t was in this manner that the Sault
Ste. Marie, the Illinois and Michigan. the
Delaware and Raritan, the Erie, the
Chesapeake and Delaware, the Albemarle
and Chesapeake, the Dismal Swamp, the
Delaware and Hudson. the Union, the
Juniata. the Lake Erie and Ohio River,
the Louisville, the Chicago Drainage
Canal, the Monongahela River, and many
other improvements were put upon their
feet and permanently established before
the Government expended cent. Many
of these have continued to grow and are
now free waterways.
Another instance of laundering on the
part of engineers was illustrated in an
incident which occurred at Pensacola re-
Gently. The Government has been dredg-
ing the harbor channel at this point for
many years. and yet on the date / men
toned vessel stuck on the bar Senator
1'iliman's remark to the effect that the Oh
to be to keep the United States engineers
busy does not seem very far out of the
way when they recommend $500 OO0. 900
worth of public improvements to be done
under their direction. when ever half of
these improvements would be ridculed as
an nYestment for private capital 1t
seems to be rather an expensive way of
employing the engineers to buy big plants
and let them experiment at damming up
our harbor entrances 1t was hardly
necessary to increase the corps from 129
to 100 officers IL they hadn't enough to do
before this increase was made by the
terms of the new Army bill"
This subject is not by any means new
either with the Army Engineer Corps or
with civil engineers who have had much |
to do with Government work. A great |
many business organizations throughout |
the country have made protests for years |
past against the manner in which the |
Government carried on its river and har- |
Dor Improvement work, and the National |
Board of Trade, as well many other |
EXAMINATIONS of a similar character, have |
the Government TO the eff |
feet that mixed commission of civil. army, |
and navy engineers should be appointed |
to supervise all Government conStruc-
lions. The Government has also been |
urged to encourage the policy Of grant |
ing rights and franchises TO private cor |
porations for the purpose of improving |
tributary
works, and of granting the power to col |
iect tolls thereon for limieed period. |
These recommendations are made as they |
are believed to express the most expedi-
tious and economical method Of improv-
ing lateral connecting waterways |
" hich are tributary to the works of great |
ma Snitude in the large harbors and princi- |
pal rivers improved by the Government.
Ii has been suggested that the manner
IF administering public works such as are
here discussed should be the same as in |
the private administration of railroads.
At present the harbor works are concer-
trated I'm the hands of a few men, who
have received a military education and |
who are placed in charge Of the numerous
localities where works in progress at
The option of their chief. The superin-
tendencc thus becomes Kaleidoscope
. fair wherein the scheme of imuOrtant |
works Is frequently changed to suit
caprice. This system also depends for
he means to carry on the works contin-
Iously on the moods OF Congress which, |
as shown by the experience of the past |
are varied. Large appropriations have
been made for unworthy purposes, and |
money has otter been refused for the in |
,eption of great enterprises. In num- |
DER Of instances large sums have been
spent on public works which could not |
)e used because they We're not connected |
With some accessible waterway.
1t now remains for some prominent and
influential member Of Congress. aided by |
engineers of distinction and unquestioned
Observation-Disclosures. to propose "A satisfac-
DRY scheme for carrying on river and
larbOr work in an economical and COM
non sense manner, and to force the
adoption of such plan on Congress-
iespite the opposition of the lobby of |
trmy engineers and the greediness of |
such members of Congress as use the
river and Harbor bill to secure patronage
Ind Congressional favOrs.
EInnn,y