The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-03-05
The Public services ~ = Dead Nam-
utotb

Ito collapse ~ '.e m.u-tr'r- KIyor
arI Ulrb.r .I. % 'tn Very in-' moment
nuI .o a most ua.,po.'rI way. is = -'rk
,u- Instance ~ ',r Ir'uy - Legislative
cs,...
It.- u.l.Ir" provided for many legl'l-
mate works - puh importance" some u
them ~ urgent Necessity 20 c"mmerr"
Tint .-fUr .,-r with AL RIVER AMI Harhor
bills Bot fIr hungry greed of Congress
men of huru parties swcl'"i this years
bl.. under 'ts accommodating -upertn-
r.nI,rro OF Mr. BrRruNs committee. 10
Pre-. u,reroI- proportions Il pa-sed tn"
House cprrylns 'us' a little less than sixty
milton dollars m immel late appropria-
'Iuu, lul futur' obligations under IN" con
tun.,E contract -g-'"m
The Senate adIrr. some items and struck
ont OF reduced o'her'. When the bllI
passed the senate u, total had been iimIn-
i-hei nearly twenty per cent TINT =. from
a n'ilr under sixty millions 10 a little over
htty millions.
When we consider that II Is not nfty
wears since the entire annual expenses OF
the United States Government. interest
lfl4'lNfNls Nfl' lNN " llAlAAAph' VI N'itsl '
than tho amount involved in this single
bill. the magnitude OF the proposed trans
action. oven a, reduced by the senate,
become, sufficiently apparent.
IL wa at this stage ut us career that the
River aud IIarbor hI!. while not ceaslng
- Toe a public menace. became incident
ally and temporarily a public benefactor.
There Is good reason 10 believe that tho
chief deterrent influence against the OBJ
struction that might have prevented the
enactment Of the Spooner amendment
and the Cuban declaration. the two most
important political measures then pend
ing, was the knowledge that tllhustering
tactics directed al these measures would
kill the River and Harbor bill and other
bills Of similar porcine quality. Some OF
the anti-imperiallsts who contemplated
with horror tho .dea OF en'rusting 10 Presi-
dent Mckinney in the Philippines tho
same temporary powers which JEFFERSON
had exercised In tho Louisiana territory
and MONROE In Florida were even yet more
appalled, at the idea OF losing their pork.
Lcgitimately or illegitimately, but certainly
adroitly and successfully. the majority
managers held over these stern patriots
the fear that Obstructive tactics on their
part would result in tho failure Of the River
and Harbor h.li. 81 they tacltly agreed
to the bargain by which the pork wa to be
secured At tho sacrifice ~ principle.
The opposition 10 the Spooner amend
mont and the Cuban declaration was there
fore confined 20 academic and p%crfunCtory
expressions 81 roErrt, the River and Harbor
bill meanwhile dangling in the air before
the < eyes ofthcp protesting patriots.
The humOr Of the situation Is considera-
hlv increased hy tho circumstance that
after the great political measures had
been put through hv this method. II was
owing tu no breach 81 faith on the part Of
ANYBODY that the River and llarbor bill
finally failed, hut simply because ono Of
the anti-imperiali-tS not Interested in
this particular pork. Senator WEIIING-
ToN Of Maryland. took II into his head TO
talk th" mammoth TO death on his own
private account. and actually did the Job.
Thus the great River and liarbor bill Of
1901 served a good purpose, and. having
served that purpose. persisted before II
arrived AZ the Treasury door.