Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-01-18
IHEPBURN'S SPEECH
OPPOSING BILL.

congressman Hepburn. OF Iowa, Ex-
poses the wonk ness and Unfairness
Of tho River and Harbor Bili-1,
Dtscriminatcs Against Iowa and
Proves an Extravagant Waste OF
Money.
The river and harbor bill was passed
by the house, and will go to the senate
for approval, but before its adoption by
the house Congressman w. p. Hepburn
OF Iowa, made the following speech
against ii:
Mr.. Hepburn said: Mr.. Chairman:
For nearly nearly twenty years have
thought that / discovered In the river
and harbor bill evidences of the waste
ful expenditure Of the public money.
When 1 first made that discovery the bill
appropriated s19,000.I00. The country at
that time was, might almost say, hor-
rified at so vast an expenditure. Yet
this bill carries SEQ, 900; and another
bill which will be before us shortly, to
provide for carrying on works of im-
l'rovement that have been already au7
thorized, will carry an expenditure OF
eight or ten millions more.
recognize the fact that many of the
improvements authorized are wise and
jIdicious. think that perhaps this bill
has as few meretricious propositions in
1t as any one; and will say here, Mr..
Chairman, that I would be content to
allow the present chairman of the riv-
crs and harbors committee to prepare a
bill, satisfied that IL would represent
nothing but material interest. But the
chairman can not do that he has six
teen colleagues, and all Of those gentle
men have their special interests which
they feel compelled to advocate
think this policy is a mistake. 1 do
not believe that gentlemen strengthen
themselves by this wanton, this reck-
less, expenditure of money. remember
an instance There was gentleman
here from the state of Oregon-a gentle-
man beloved by all his colleagues who
devoted himself to securing appropria-
tions for his state. They We're colossal
in amount, and yet they We're not suffi-
Gent to meet the constantly growing APP
petite of his ople-contractors and
interested persons and when the time
came that he had reached the limit they
struck him down because he could not
continue these extraordinary appropria-
tions,
see seated before me now gentle
man who has done more to secure APP
Preparations for the mississippi river
commission and for that enterprise than
any other gentleman in this house. In
Geason and out of season he has labored
until more than si1,O0000o has been
thrown away in abortive attempts TO
Improve the navigation Of the Missis-
s'ppi river. Each year commerce on that
stream has dwindled.
can remember time when there
We're many lines OF magnificent steam
.ers plying the length of that river.
Where are they now? You do not find
them. There are scarcely as many tug
boats on the river today as there were
magnificent palatial steamers forty
/! ears ago. Last night, to my astonish-
nient, found in my mail an unsigned
letter calling my attention to newspa-
per article which would receive in that
mail. To my surprise I found that it
was an assault on my friend from Mis-
sissippi who has done so much for his
people because he had not done more
1T contained a speech of Patrick Henry
II do not know whether 1T was the
shade of the revolutionary orator or
some one in being-an assault on my
friend because he had secured only
beggarly s2,00O,o0O and more for the
purpose of building levees in that state
The charge was made that he had not
occurred for the rivers of that state
and undertake to say that there is no
gentleman here who could name three of
the dozen rivers named--as large appro-
rriations as some predecessor of his had,
altho those appropriations amounted to
two hundred and more thousand dollars
The complaint was that four of the riv-
ers. after years of appropriation, had
from the river and harbor
hill.
All. gentlemen, this thing Is perennial.
IT never does to complete a work of this
kind 1t never does to put 1t In such
that it may be dropped with
Its attendant hundreds OF thousands of
dollars. from the river and harbor bill.
The work must go on and on and on
ard unless you are able to secure these
sums which are demanded, warn you,
gentlemen. you are not helping your
Eelves in the end by these extraordinary
Why, think of it--you gentlemen who
have been colleagues of General Catch.
ings-that any man should charge him
With dereliction OF duty in not securing
ample appropriations to build up the
levees of his state and protect the plan
tations Of the state from the inundaing
waters of the Mississippi.
Democrat as he is. strict constructions
LIST as he is. he has gone infinitely fur
Their than my friend on my right who
spoke a moment ago. He finds constltu-
lional warrant for keeping water away
I.om private lands, while my friend can
not find constitutional warrant for put
ling water on government lands |
[Laughter.l And right here might say
that this is one of the evidences of pro-
yressive democracy. The gentleman |
from Missouri asked a question of the
gentleman from Ohio a little while age.
can remind him when it was for the
fret time a prominent democrat in the
Omitted States took the position that a |.
'iver, an interior river. could properly
ce the subject of Improvement by the T
government Of the United States.
II was when Mr.. Calhoun made his
'peech in the city of Memphis, in 1916.
It river-improvement convention held
here at the time. He then said that the
original democrats had believed that
larbor II upon the sea. might be sub
ect of Improvement. Later thew nro-
.ressed. and took the position that il itj
vas upon tide water 1t was proper
subject of improvement; but now he
cnS willing ~ On fbo% &