Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-03-07
THURSDAY EVENING. MARCH 7. 1901

Justly chargeable to the republican
leaders in the two houses OF Congress-
Tney cannot escape censurs. They
controlled both branches. II used to be
the custom for many years to pass
bill to improve rivers and haroors
every year. Then change was made
to biennial bill, to be passed at the
long session of Congress, and this for
the reason that of all the bills of gene
raj appropriation Ia the one that
most requires study, Investigation, dis
ordinations and hard work on the part
of the committee that prepares II.
Along with the change to biennial
bill another change was made, the
value of which no one now disputes.
Il is the plan 10 the most important oil
these works, requiring perhaps three
or four years for completion, to provide
a certain sum for immediate expendl'
ture. ard to authorize the Secretary oil
War to make contracts for the remain =.
der of the work, not exceeding stated
maximum, to be paid for from time to
time as provided by law. By TINS
method contractors for the work to Dc
done are able to bid at much lower
figure, and the saving is estimated oy
tho Engineer Bureau at from twenty to
TWENTY-FIVE per cent. Last year-the
session of S99-1900-was the proper
time for passing the river and haroor
bill, for then there was sufficient time
for examination. But the republicans
had spent so much money 10 order to
make a show Of economy thst they
postponed the regular bill until after
the Presidential election. A very
small emergency bill for rivers and bar
b)rs was passed on the 9th OF June,
1900. The whole thing was managed
by the republican leaders with view
to deceive the people in the Presidential
election. Public interests were Gun"
ningIy subordinated to partisan advant-
age. The republicans controlled both
branches of Congress and dill as they
pleased.
The came spirit controlled the re-
publican leaders at this session. There
were only three months to be de-
voted to the most important sub
jscts. Probably every one OF the
regular and necessary appropriation
bills could have been passed. but the
steering committee of the republicans
were still acting with almost exclusive
reference to the late Presidential cam
paign. They had to pay debts. 10 Or
der to get the necessary millions for
that campaign, the ship subsidy bill,
which could easily have been passed
during the session OF 1S99-19OO, was de-
Iiberately postponed to this session.
This was for two reasons: One, that
the bill was not apt to be popular In a
political campaign; the other main
reason bsing to force the proposed bene-
ficiaries of the subsidy to put up freely
in the campaign in order to get their
reward at this sc ssion. The same cum
Mug game was played 10 reference to
the reduction OF the war taxes. Ii one
class OF taxpayers were relieved, for
example, they would have no motive to
contribute to the party fund, and the
classes not relieved would be Offended.
So it was deemed best to put them all
on the anxious bench. Thus those
two measures were laid over to this
short session which is really not long
enough to give proper care and stten-
ton to the annual appropriation bills.
10 addition to these two extraordinary
objects, which, II legitimate, ought 10
have been passed a year ago, the re-
publlcan leaders have crowded into this
short session two grand revolutionary
measures, one to create huge perma-
nent standing army Of 100000 men at
the pleasure of the President, the other
to give him Unlimited imperial power
to deal with the Philippines and Cuba,
dispensing with the Constitution and
bound by no restraints except bis own
will. OF course, to pass all
these projects would take time. 10 or
der to accomplish them or as many as
possible, the river and hsrbor bill was
postponed TO so late sn hour OF the
session that any INSCRIPTIONS man who
had no character to lose could easily
talk it to death. The responsibility for
the loss of this measure rests not on
one man, but on the republican leaders
of the Senate. Mr.. Carter was the
hangman-sheJ Jack Ketch, 80 to speak,
but the men who signed the death
warrant OF execution were the repubi.
can leaders of the Senate and the
House. They did the work. They
did not care for the business men, the
merchants, the shippers, the producers
and farmers, whose Interests they have
deliberately betrayed. The river and
harbor bill Is justly popular. 1t has
steadily grown in strength. 1t is the
only large appropriation bill 10 which