The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-03
FACTIONS IN CONGRESS.
VIE FOR MILLIONS
Partzan Battle Will Be Waged for Huge Sums for
Navy, Panama Canal, Ship Subsidy and Rivers and
Harbors improvements Pacific and
Cheap Freight Rates, Arguments of Rivals. !.

project for four-foot channel in the
Mississippi! river from ST. Paul and
Minneapolis to the gulf, Oh the ground
that the railroads-the wicked rail
roads--are having entirely too free a
hand in making rates, and that the SAL
walton CT the country depends upon
competition by steamers on the great
rivers. Along with this, many other
streams in other parts of the country
and ta1bors that you never before
heard OF are to come in for portion
of the spoil, all for the sake Of the
votes they can produce.
A talk with any one Of the steel
trusts representatives now here will
easily convince one who is easily con-
vlnced that the rivers of the United
States are the one and only key. to
the situation created by the rapacity
OF the railroads. The land is full Of
SO :, that they could be navigated, the
railroads would be obliged to lie down
and roar for mercy. They point out
the well-known fact that the new rate
Dill does not provide for any govern
mental rate-fxing, but only for rate
regulation, SO that there shall be no
rebatlng and other inequalities, and
t I'M; e therefore e! the people have no real
relief in sight save that afforded by
the use of the rivers to break the rail-
road back. The steel trust people real
~ put up one Of the most affecting
| cases OF alarm for the safety of The
interests of the dear people seen here
| since the late Jerry Simpson retired
from congress. 1t is not to say that
many OF the river and harbor projects
are without merit. Many of them are
certainly worthy. Some are not. But
the funny phase of the situation is to
| be found in the solicitude Of the steel
trust for other folks. If you had a
burglar by the leg, and him hanging
head downward out Of a tenth-story
window, and he should plead for YOU
not to drop him, On the ground that
to do SO Woul d result in mussing up
your good Christian neighbours flower
bed, 1t would make You laugh And
SO this sudden steel-trust interest in
the railroad rates of people in far cor
ners OF the country cannot help tickling
one.
Ship Subsidy Demanded.
AS Tor the ship subsidy fellows, they
hope to ride thru on the Endorsement
of the president, altho the shrewd pro-
motors OF that enterprise have also cast
an anchor to windward bv making
lot Of friends among the river and har-
Dor patriots. The ship subsidy has no
more ardent advocate than Harvey D.
Goulder Of Cleveland, who has put
plate on Capitol hill than any other
man, living or dead. The subsidy peo-
ple, are ready, apparently, to take up
with the friends of the big navy or
with the river and harbor apDropria-
ton. or both, so long as thew get their
| hands into the treasury for the modest
sum called for in the bill which they
last winter. At the same time. thew
are not trusting single item OF their
program to luck. Nobody ever came
here with more sumptuous lobby
than they. The finest apartments in the
best hotels are theirs, and the press
bureau they have established here is
wonder. It is located in a=suite Of
recently erected by Frank A. 'MunseY,
and it is offering its arguments neat
ly typewrltten, to any newspaper cor
respondent who will receive them. Even
the correspondent representing a paper
opposed to the entire subsidy plan is
furnlshed with Hcopy' that is appar-
emily anti .subsidy, and might pass a
careless editor, if the correspondent will
only accept it and send it home
The president and the speaker have
a large contract on their hands in try
ing to hold things level and make the
money IN the treasury 60 around and
do all that is expected of it, and the
river and harbor crowd are already SO
cocky in the certainty of their strength
as to make yelled threats about elect
| ing some other man speaker next time
| if Uncle Joe does not let them get away
with their full slice this time. It
'sure do proElise' to be lively ses-
| sion of congress-as lively as any held
in many years. So look out for rumors
of war with Japan from the big navy
men, and Of terrible stories of the
atrocities practiced by the railroads
| from the river and harbor outfit.