Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-24
Members Withdrawing Their
Names From Petition.
A FURTHER ANALYSIS
SHOWS DIsPRoPoRTIoN OF PoPU-
LATIoN TO AMOUNT GIVEN.
The Three Stages of Progress in
"Po'k Bari" Measure
Set Forth

Some of the members of the House who
| signed the petition to the committee on
rules asking for consideration of the public
buildings "po'k barl' bill are becoming
| restless over the public criticism of that
measure and are Withdrawing their names
| from the paper. 1t Is confidently claimed
| by the House leaders that If a test vote
| comes in the open House with yea and
| nay vote great many more of the men
who signed the paper will run to cover.
| 1t is said that quite number of men who
| put their names to the petition had not
| analyzed the bill. but took 1t in the gen.
| eral acceptance of its being a proposition
| to erect public buildings In towns where
| they are needed.
| The claim of the House leaders who are
| fighting the measure is that the bill was
not framed along the line of uniform serv-
| Ice to the public good. but that many of
| its provisions could well be spared at this
stage when the public revenues low
and when the public service is being pro-
| vided for at a moderate rental, represent
| ing interest at the rate of or l1s per cent
on the proposed investment
A Further Analysis.
The "po'k bar'l' bill has been further
| analyzed by some of those who wanted to
dig into it's innermost recesses for some of
| the choice morses.
1t Is found that quite a number of small
towns included in the appropriations
| AS example, Paris, Tenn, with popu-
| lation of 201S is to have a $4,000 public
| building. At present the post office at Paris.
| with receipts of only So. 700 year. is ac-
| commodated at a rental of S24S year. But
| in asking for $4,000 public building they
| designate 1T custom house as we'll as
| post office. Some of the other instances of
| Ia arpa small
| cited For instance, Trinidad, Col. with q
population of 5345 is given a S60,O0U build
ing. The present rent is $50 year The
| little town of McComb, ILL.,, with popula-
| ton of just 50 people more than Trinidad. only
gets a $4,000 building. but then the postal
| receipts are less. McComb pays 500 a year
rent Clarinda Iowa, which has only 3,276
population, is given $4,000, although the
postal service is accommodated now at
rental of S62S year. Niles, Mich. with
population of 4,2S7, gets a $4,000 building.
Kingston, N. c., has 4 JOG population and
gets $4,000.
The state of Mississippi fares pretty well.
| The town of Greenville, with I.642 popula-
| tion gets $4,000. The town of Gulfport,
| with only $50 population, gets $4,000 for
| post office and custom house. At present
the post Office is accommodated at the rate
of SOL year. The town of Yazoo City.
| which is in the district of Leader John
Sharp Williams of the minority, having
| population of 4,494, gets $4,000 building
Tennessee does pretty well, too. Knox
! town of $1,000 and a growing commercial
| city. Columbia, with a population of 6OOO
| is given $4,000. and Johnson City, with a
population of 1900 gets $4,000 Murfrees-
bOrO, with population of 1000, gets $780,
600.
| Texarkana, Texas, with a population OF
$3.50. gets 100000 for court house and
post office Nocogdoches, Texas. with a
| population of less than 2.0O0. is given $685.
| 600, but Texas has very competent man
| on the committee on public buildings and
grounds. But Sheridan Wyo., has less pop
ulation than Nocogdoches by 300, but gets
100000. Sumter, S. c., with a population
| of 5.763, gets $50, 600, and the same amount
| is given to the town of Anderson, S. c.,
with about the same population.
The Three Stages.
The foregoing are only few of the ap-
preparations taken at random from the
bill, and are selected from the items relat-
| ing to towns of small population. In those
! towns the amount is for the purchase Of a
site and the erection of the building. An
other class of cases in the bill relates to
| the erection of buildings on sites now
| owned by the government There really
| are three stages in pok bar'P' bill. The
first is to authorize the purchase of sites
Then the next Congress may come for
ward and say that as the government owns
site a building ought to be put up, and
| the money for 1T secured The third step
| is to come iE some time later and say that
the first appropriation was inadequate and
| to ask for an increase. In the pending bill
| the committee asks for forty-seven in
creases of appropriations, amounting to
| nearly $2.O0O,OOO. These increases are in
addition to appropriations made at a time
when the revenues were ample and no such
| policy Of economy was being practiced as
this Congress contemplates.
Under the classification of buildings to
| be constructed on sites now owned by the
government. the little town of Florence.
10 xIffh ln nf oats
600. Pine Bluff, Ark, gets $4,000, the town
having population of 11,000. Ocala, Fla.
with population of less than 1900 gets
| $75, 900. Valdosto, Ga, with a population
| of $500 is given $125,OOO. In these two
| towns the public building Is to serve as
q court house as well as post Office. Bed
ford, Ind, gets $4,000 for post office. with
a population of 6115, and Marion, Ind,
with population of 1877 gets away with
| 100000 fiat. Webster City, Iowa, doesn't
| do so poorly however. for with popula-
| ton of only 4,613 It pares off $4,000. Ma
| son City, Iowa, with a population of 500
| gets the same amount. Crookston, Mimi,
with a population of $500 gets $4,000.
The little town of Bluefelds, w. Va, with
population of 1900, is given 100000 for a
post office and court house. Bessemer,
Ala, with 6300 pop iation. gets only $685.
co., and Chippewa Falls, Wis, with a pop
ulation of 5000. gets $4,000. These are only
a few of the items in this class.
The entering wedge" class. that is, appro-
priations for the purchase of sites, con.
tains Al items of appropriation, running
from 1000 to $4,000 Troy. Ala. is at the
foot of the list, getting only 5000, but
that's about dollar and quarter for
each inhabitant. Gadsden, Ala, gets $1,000
on population of 4.20O Moscow, Idaho,
with a population of only 2,4s4. gets away
with $4,000, and Plymouth, Mass, which
is not an incorporated town. is given $12,-
600. Cocomo, Ind, gets dollar for dollar
almost for its inhabitants-10,000. Esther.
Vile, Iowa, goes Cocomo several better.
however, and gets 5000 for 1900 inhabit-
ants. Shenandoah. Iowa. also comes up
strong with 5000 for 1900 inhabitants.
Fayetteville, N. c., gets $4,000 for 1000 IN.
habitants, and Corscana, Texas, gets 1900
for $500 inhabitants. Three other towns In
Texas get sums ranging as high as $4,000.
Doesn't Represent Total Expense.
In all Of these cases the postal service Is
now being accommodated at q reasonable
rate Of interest on the proposed invest