Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-15
OPENING THE PORK BARREL.
"Our Dawes" Evil system Lives
After Him.


Washington Dispatch to Boston Transcript
To redeem promises made while repub-
lican members of the house were 'insurg-
ing against the Philippine tariff bill and
the joint statehood bill Speaker Cannon
and his lieutenants will seemingly have to
open the way for an omnibus public build
ing bill. The committee on public build
ings and grounds is preparing TO report
such a bill about March l. Practically
every member of the house has introduced
a bill for public building in his district;
some of them have introduced a many as
ten bills. If all the bills that have been
introduced should be passed it would take
$55,000ooO out of the treasury TO foot the
bill The committee is trying to keep the
bills that will be reported down to about
s15OOOOOo
In presenting a measure carrying this
amount 1t will endeavor to give every
republican member and some of the demo-
Gratis, who have behaved nicely, n piece OF
pork" 1t is safe to assume that il the
house passed a bill carrying $4,000 900 the
senate will add from 100000 to 100000 eco
to It, So 1t Is reasonable to expect that
this years bill, If 1t meets with fair
weather, will carry something over 900
10000.
severely criticised. They represent a sre-
cies of graft. 1t is true. of course that
1t is desirable for the government to erect
a great many buildings, for dignity's sake.
but II is equally true that they do not nav
The cost of care of the smaller public
buildings almost invariably exceeds the
rental which the government had formerly
been paying, leaving interest on the invest
ment wholly out of account. Such bills
would not be looked on with so much sus-
picion were ii not that they are used resu-
iarly as vote getters for party measures in
the house of representatives. II has come
to be an old story that at the beginning
of every session announcement is made
that on account OF the condition of the
governments finances there will be no
public building bill, Later, IL the party in
power gets in a tight place on legislative
measures. as IT did this year on the joint
statehood bill, the house organization
allows the information to escape that there
Is prospect for an omnibus building bill
provided the organizations policies are
supported
The method of making up one of these
bills is open to criticism. Obviously, II
is necessary to take a majority of the
house in on any bill to insure it's passage
This means that members are favored
whether they present deserving proposals
or not. In recent years the committee on
public buildings and grounds has found IL
necessary TO provide for buildings sites
or both, for nearly every member of the
body. In order to have smooth sailing for
the bill, The method of making up the
bill presents a species of legislative log
rolling that should be severely condemned.
Every omnibus bill provides for public
buildings in towns that have no justifca-
ton in asking for such buildings; but the
average congressman feels that he cannot
be renominated and reelected unless he
succeeds in securing more for his district
than some rival or predecessor promised.
Think Of the governments owning the rail
roads and building new lines on this basis.