The Washington herald., 1907-02-01
FIGHTON WATERW WAYS
mississippi Valley Arrayed
Against Chairman Burton.
WORK FOR DELAWARE RIVER
Pennsylvania Representatives Insist
That Survey for Thirty-five-fOot
Channel Be Provided FOr-Mr. Bur-
ton Explains Details of His Meas
ure and Meets All Attacks Made.

terday was devoted TO the consideration
in Committee of the Whole of the river
and harbor appropriation bill. Mr.. Bur
ton, the chairman of the committee, out
lined in brief the various projects under
taken In the measure, and had several
coIloquys with members OF the Illinois
and Missouri delegations, who are dis
appointed because of the failure TO get
in the bill anything more than "a survey
for the fourteen-fooJ channel project from
Chicago 70 the Gulf and with the Penn
sylvania delegation, which is not salts
ned with the treatment accorded Phila-
delpha The remainder of the day ses-
sion was largely consumed by members /
from these three States in arguments in
support of their pet projects.
A feature of the days discussion was
the speech of Commissioner Larrinaga,
OF Porto Rico. who described the need
OF harbor improvements on the island.
1t was the first time that a native of
any of the insular possessions of the
United States was ever heard in a speech
in Congress. Mr.. LarrinaGa, who speaks
English luently, made a very favorable
impression. and was given warm ap-
plause when he concluded.
Mr.. Burton, in explaining the bill, said il
was not the largest river and harbor bin
ever reported. but, in his opinion, the
best one for three years.
First-Provision was made for the COM
pletion Of a much larger proportion Of
the projects than in any preceding meas
ure
Second-The total amount necessary to
which the committee regards as most i'm
portant was provided by appropriation
or authorization if completion can rea-
s0nabIy be expected within four years
from July !, 1901; also upon large projects
where the amount required 10 finish the
work was necessarily indeterminate, such
as IN the three divisions of the Mississippi
River was made for an equal time.
Third-No new projects We're reported
except in connection with provision for
their completion. This was a policy
toward which the committee had been
working for several years.
Explanation OF the Bill.
Mr. Burton went wiki minute detail /
into the appropriations and authorizations
carried in the bill The committee recon- /
mended and included in the bill a repeal
OF the provision of the act of 1894 for
bidding she construction Of dredges on
the Great Lakes and north Of Cape Henry
on the Atlantic coast Provision was
made for making of contracts with the 1
owners Of dredging plants.
The jurisdiction of the international /
IS Commission was 10 be eX-
include all waters adjacent to
dairy line between the United
III I
ding of the Canadian govern /
the government of Great Brit
the jurisdiction was 10 include I
on the boundary line between /
the two countries
Speaking of the Cape May harbor 4
pToject MI Burton said that in that case /
the people contributed $3.000,000, and it I
seemed proper for the government to /
dredge the channel TO the entrance Of the /
harbor.
And this leads me- continued Mr.. Bur
ton, TO the very large project Of an in /
ner waterway from Chicago TO St Louis
The committee decided not TO include .
that in this bill In the first place it is /
the 3-rgest undivisible project ever rec
commended for river and harbor improve /
ment in the United States Il seemed 4
10 Us, i'm view of the fact that scores.
even lLNllAlN Gus vi GlItIttls nave btEu !
waiting five or ten years. we ought not
to take up this which was advanced /
only six weeks ago. We were asked to
appropriate $390o.0)0 on a $4,000. 0O0.project /
It did not seem 20 the committee de-
sirable TO do that. II it is TO be taken .
up at all, let it be taken up In its en-
tirety."
A long colloquy ensued between Mr.
Burton and the Philadelphia members Of
the Pennsylvania delegation over the re-
fusal to authorize survey for a thirty
fiye-foot channel in the Delaware River
Mr.. MOrrell asked Mr.. Burton if he con
s!dered S250,GC0 too large an amount to
keep open channel of thirty-five feet 20
the great city of Philadelphia. Mr.. Bur
ton said IL was very large amount. par
ticularly as the New York channel did /
not cost more than $4,000 a year Mr.
Morrell was quite sure Philadelphia would
be willing. if the channel was dredged to
thirty-five feet, to take the maintenance
Of IL on the hands Of the government. MI
Burton thought the government would .
have no objections TO allowing Philadel-
phia TO maintain the channel.
Regarding the International Waterways .
Commission Mr. Mann said that body,
without consulting any one had under
taken 10 say what should be done with
the water al Chicago: how it should be
handled and no one had ever been given
an opportunity 70 be heard. He was not
willing to have any foreign body deter
mine arbitrarily what American citizens
should have.
Fight for Mississippi River.
Mr.. Bartholdt Of Missouri spoke for
those who favored authorization for the
fourteen-foot channel between St. Louis
and Chicago. He said the committee IN
fairly Disseminated against that project
in favor of a rival route via the Pitts
burg and Lake Erie Canal. and the Ohio.
He charged a combination Of the East I
and South in the committee against the
Middle West
Mr. Graft Of Illinois. gave notice of an
amendment he would offer authorizing
the contracting for fourteen-foot chan
mel from ST. Louis TO Chicago the locks
TO be 50 constructed as TO permit a depth
Of tweuty-one feet. at a cost Of S29. OO0OG.
of which Se0.e0 was appropriated to
begin the work.
Mr. Lawrence. of Massachusetts. a
member of the committee, denied that the
committee WAS opposed 10 a deep water
wy from Chicago TO the Gulf. Had il
bees, he said. no authorization for sur
veE from St Louis down would have been
metr
Er. A0rrcn of Pennsylvania, spoke for
ca tairtF-dvc-foot channel at PHILADELPHIA.
The bill was further discussed by Messrs.
Coudrer, of Missouri; Floyd. of Arkansas.
Moore, OF Pennsylvania. Bannon, OF Ohio.
and Rhodes, of Missouri. and Commits
sioner Larrin3ga. of Porto Rico The
House sdjourned 90 meet to-day
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