Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-01-31
PASSED BY THE HOUSE
THE GREAT RIVER AND HARBOR
MEASURE GOES THROUGH.
Bill Involves the Same Prin->
cipIe, Yet the Amount OF Subsidy
Asked In but One-sixth of that Voted
the River and Harbor Measure.

Asked IN Out OnG~8A1VM O1 tAAat ObCO
the River and Harbo- Measure.
Washington correspondence:
The situation in Congress Is very
much the same at this time that 1t was
week ago, except that the progress of
public business at the House end OF the
capitol is up to the standard that
branch set for itself at the opening Of
the present session, and which it has
lived up to most admirably. The river
and harbor improvement bill was
passed in the House on Wednesday.
The river and harbor improvement bill
is always most important measure.
but never more so than at the present
session, since it's total appropriations
aggregate about sixty millions Of dol
lars.
That these expenditures are reaching
an aggregate Of colossal proportions Is
not to be doubted, and IL they grow
during the succeeding twenty years as
rapidly as they have during the past
twenty, their total will by that time
have exceeded the annual expenditures
on account of pensions, and that the
latter fall but little short Of $15O,OOO,-
900 annually will forcibly bring before
the mind the magnitude of the work
involved in these river and harbor i'm
provements. Much significance lies in
the fact that the bill, as finally pre-
pared in the House committee, provid-
ed for an appropriation aggregating
about eighty millions, which was sum-
marily and ruthlessly cut down to
little under sixty.
When all Of the myriad items COM
posing this great measure are submit
ted to the scrutiny of the Senate Com
| mittee on Commerce, to which 1T Will
| be referred as soon as it reaches the
Senate, 1t will be apparent that much
| time will be occupied in such examin-
alton, no matter how rapidly the mem
bers of the Senate Commerce Commit
| tee dispose of the items. Right here 1t
is proper to say that the river and har-
Dor improvement bill has occupied the
attention of the House committee
| which had 1t in charge almost cOntinu-
ously for the past eighteen months.
Before the last session of Congress be-
gan. all during that session, and much
| Of the time during recess, the subject
had been under detailed consideration
by various members of the committee.
They have heard delegations, they
| have visited important places where
Improvements are sought all over the
i ont 10
matter in committee for weeks, and
have devoted a week-which is phe-
nomenal amount of time in that body
to it's consideration in the House.
When it reaches the Senate, and by
that body is referred to it's commerce
committee, many Of the items, if not all
of them, will be new to the members Of
that committee; they will be compelled
to give proper attention to each one, to
be Informed just what considerations
justify the appropriation, what it will
accomplish in promoting and in cheap
ening the carriage of our vast domestic
and foreign commerce, and what it will
INVOLVE in probable future expenditures,
once the government becomes commit
ted to new proposition. Considering
that the bill is a great volume in itself,
and considering that each appropria-
ton must be explained in report ac--
companying it, the scrutiny of the
items and the preparation of the report
involve an immense amount of detailed
work that to be accurate must be thor
ough.
This great subsidy to the nations
commerce, 1t will be apparent, perhaps
involving an expenditure of seventy
FIVE millions of dollars before it is final
ly acted upon, seems to provoke little or
no opposition throughout the country.
There is something very strange in the
fact, of great significance in this con-
nection. that the subsidy proposed for
our shipping, and involving but nine
millions, where the other is at least
sixty, should provoke so much and such
bitter opposition. And it is possible
that while the Senate Commerce Com
mittee is examining the hugest of sub
sidy measures-that for our rivers and
harbors-it may be able to discover the
real reasons for the opposition to the
other, because, In fact, they 60 together.
Prosperity for Ali.
DurinU tho late Gamma tom Tho nr,x,o