Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-27
HEPBURN'S ANNUAL
Iowa Congressman Registers a
Protest.
HOUSE GALLERIES FILL QUICKLY
"Uncle Peter" Hepburn Says the Gov.
eminent Has Paid SO for Every Ton
of Freight Carried on the Missouri
River in Seventeen Years.
Washington. March "a, 1902.

Washington, March "a, 1902.
Occasionally the humdrum and hori-
zontal tedium of the commonplace, in
the house is fractured; members wake
up, look around and recognize their
fellows and take note of things. The
dreary waste of empty desks gives
way to long rows of really fair-looking
men and the young congressman who
has been cleaving the ambient atmos-
phere with words he had previously
expected would make the old frame of
the republic SILVER her timberS" dis
covers that the members of congress
are yet in town.
These events occur ever and anon,
but all too seldom. They occurred
when Senator Dolliver was still
member Of the lower house, and arose
to speak; they occur when Littlefield
addresses the house; they occur when
that king of debaters from Iowa. af-
fectionately known everywhere as
Uncle Pete" Hepburn, rises and says:
Mr. Chairman"
Mr.. Hepburn's Speech.
Mr.. Hepburn is VIGOROUSLY opposed
to the river and harbor bill and each
year opposes it with vigor and then 81
lently witnesses its passage by the
house. He has delivered himself of
his yearly dissertation and there will
be many who will say "amen" to the
sentiments expressed In view of the
fact that the remarks of Mr. Hepburn
have bearing upon rivers hedging in
Iowa on the east and west, some
what full amount of his remarks will
be of general interest. Mr.. Hepburn
said:
Il rise, Mr. Chairman, now, to make
my annual contribution to the litera-
ture upon the river and harbor bill. l
confess that I have a miscellaneous
assortment of emotions. First, I am
satisfied that my colleagues would not
be content if l should omit to discuss
this bill and | will not deviate from a
habit that dates back twenty years.
recognize the utter futility of anybody
saying anything in opposition to a riv-
er and harbor bill. l used to think,
years ago, that all efforts in that direc-
ton were futile at time when the
pork in the barrel was limited to S.
100000. How utterly impossible op-
position is when the pork has grown
to $60,O00,OO0.
Missouri Gets Attention.
again, find that there are retro
gressions in this bill that are highly
commendatory-tha in some respects
feel the committee is now on the
back track. For eighteen years this
bill has apparently looked forward to
the improvement Of the navigation of
the Missouri river; and right here I
want to call attention to the delights
that come to men who can at least say
81 told you So" For eighteen years l
have been engaged in that exercise,
now comes the fruition. l have taken
the liberty of saying heretofore, that
the ideas of improvement of the Mis-
souri, river for purposes of navigation,
are absolutely chimerical; that 1t was
forbidden by nature; that it was for
hidden by the whole trend of modern
commerce and commercial grawth,
and yet we have gone on until SS,000,-
600 have been expended under the di-
rection, largely, of commission; and
today the committee comes in and, as
/ understand, by unanimous report,
diSSOlveS the commission and aban-
dons the hope of lettering the navi-
gable character of the river Hope? All
no!
Carried Less Than Two Miles.
For hope means desire and expec-
tation, and I think there never has
been a member upon that committee
SO incapacitated from holding his seat
inthishouse as to expect that the Mis-
souri, river can be improved for navi-
gable purposes. They have determin-
ed-and | want to call attention to this
matter only in the hope of inspiring
the thought in some mems minds that
perhaps the reform in the committee
has not been complete, and that in
other directions they may still be pur-
suing willo-the-wisp-I want to
call attention to the fact that they
have discovered that the whole com
merce on stretch of that great river,
stretch of more than 500 miles, is
now 263,000 tons, 21S,000 of it being
sand and other building materials
carried upon an average distance of
less than two miles, and leaving "A 900
tons year to be carried on that great
stretch of river.
Eyes Open at Last.
81 have made rapid calculation, and
I find that the government of the Unit.
ed States has paid, supposing that
traffic of $4,000 tons has been continu.
Gus during the seventeen years of ap.
preparation, So a ton for every ton
that has buo.1 carried upon that part
of the river; and that the government
could, by rail, have carried it all the
whole distance of 500 miles and saved
to the treasury $4,0OO,000. In com
mendation of the committee, want tc
say, after seventeen years of effort
they have gotten their eyes opened
at last, and have concluded that tina,
kind of wasteful expenditure no long
er shall continue, and have abrogated
the commission.
Jettes Only Mississippi Improvement
81 am sorry that the committee have
not extended their inquiries with thu
same minuteness to the Mississippi
river and it's improvement. They d.
not tell us just what has been expend
ed upon this great stream, and yet
remember few years ago, when l las
Investigated, we had already spen
$95,OOO,OOO upon improvement of thu