The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-15
SENATORS GROW CAUSFIC
Charges Of Extravaganza in the
Agricultural Bill Debate.
Messrs. Hale and Lodge Engage in n
Pertinent Discussion Over the APP
propriatton-The Contest Over the
Soil Mapping Amendment Marked
by Lively Exchange of Satire.

The debate OF the Agricultural Appro-
priation bill in the Senate yesterday de-
veloped some pertinent discussion in the
matter of the cost of the present Con-
gress. Messrs. Hale and Lodge lectured
on extravaganza and We're in turn repri-
manded by other Senators.
The question under consideration was
on the committee amendment as to map
ping the soils Of the United States, with
an amendment offered by Mr.. Money to
restrict the mapping to tobacco soils"
MIR. Hale made point of order against
the committee amendment as being IN
authorized by law. The scheme, be said,
would in the end, cost a hundred million
dollars. 1t would never end until every
State and every county was visited by a
corps of engineers. In the interest of
moderation he made his point OF order
Mr. Proctor. in charge of the bill. re-
Piled that as the proposed expenditure was
but $4,000 1t would take LOO years to
reach the amount suggested by Mr.. Hale
Mr.. Tfllman inveighed against what he
called niggardliness on the part of Mr..
Hale; and MIR. Pettus contrasted the prop
of shipowners and shipbuilders, and the
proposition to spend less than s10O, coo for
the benefit OF more than half the popula-
tlcn of the United States. Look" he ex-
claimed. ION the two pictures
Mr.. Hale repeated his prediction about
the ultimate cost of the proposition. The
farmers. he said. did not demand it, They
knew the soils of their farms and their
adaptability to various growths. The
fl r-rn s.,,l
and took no stock in the fanciful scheme
of some expert in the Department OF Ag-
riculture.
1T seems sometimes he continued.
that there is nothing SO thankless as to
object when (as at PRESENT. every interest
and every scheme is organized to loot the
Treasury. In the great decentralization
which has seized upon the public mind
and upon Congress We are incapable of
reading or understanding or approaching
the tremendous expenditures we are au-
thorizing. When the people realize it
those who are responsible for it will call
upon the rocks and the mountains to hide
them. Every measure is urged because it
has some great industry or interest, or
class behind it,
When We get TO the end Of this Con-
gress and figure up the appropriations the |
sum VIII be larger very much larger than 1
any estimate that has been made; and it |
Is Just IN such times as this that Danger |
comes In"
In the course of long discussion. Mr. |
Lodge. commended Mr.. Hale for his warn
Ing about extravaganza. He spoke of the |
River and Harbor bill being weighted
down with demands for every port and
river. and said it was an open secret that
that bill was in danger of failure on that
account He also instanced the growing |
demands for appropriations in aid Of ex-
positions-S50 00, 600 for st. Louis. $500. 900
Tor Buffalo, and so on-and said that that
was a great industry which was growing
up
1t was the same with battlefelds of the
Revolution and of the civil war. One or
two of them had been properly taken as
places of public interest and now there
was an industry in the line, a great real
estate movement in battlefields. And it
was SO with monuments. There was a
continual pressure to have the Govern
ment raise monuments in different States
TO local heroes and local events
Mr.. Bacon said that the Democrats by !
killing the Subsidy bill, would save few
hundred millions for the use OF the farmer.
Mr.. Hansbrough referred TO the talk
sgainst expenditures. He said that some !
time ago Mr. Hale had had passed bill
establishing lobster hatchery in the
State of Maine and IL Maine could have
lobster hstcheries the rest OF the country
could have the soil examined
Mr.. Gallery defended the appropriation, !
saying that the farmers were entitled to !
some consideration. He said that no one !
objected to the appropriation save "the
farmer from Maine and the farmer from 5
The Senator from Massachusetts, he
laid, has declared that he would vote for
money TO hold the Philippines and slaugh-
er subject people but he is against a I
ew collars fcr the farmer c
Senator Gallery held that tbs Rivers and c
Iarbors hill wa merely check on the t
Railroad Trust. and the Improvement of 7
ie watc-wcvs vas the only hope OF the | !