Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-01
RIVER AND HARBOR BILL UP
Charge that Committee DIFFERENTIATED
Against Middle west.

CharEe that Committee Dtscrimihateu
Against Middle West.
WASHINGTON, Jan 31.-The river and
harbor appropriation bill occupied practic-
ally all the time of the house today. After
a short colloquy over the division Of time
and the paternal advice of the speaker to
allow the chairman of the committee Of the
whole CMr Currier of New Hampshire) to
control the general debate. the debate was
begun by Mr.. Burton of Ohio, chairman of
the rivers and harbors committee. Other
speeches were made by Messrs. Bartholdt
Of Missouri, Ransdell of Louisiana, Snapp
Of Illinois, Lawrence OF Massachusetts,,
Caudrey of Missouri, Morrel and Moore Of
Pennsylvania Bannon OF Ohio, Rhodes Of
Mississippi and the resident commissioner
of Porto Rico, Julio Tarrinago. Mr.. Bar
tholdt charged that the committee in draft
ing the measure Disseminated against the
middle west in favor Of the east and south.
The house today went into committee of
the whole for consideration of the rivers
and harbors appropriation bill.
Chairman Burton. In making the opening
statement said it was the largest rivers
and harbors bill ever presented to congress,
and the best
New projects" said Mr.. Burton. ARE
not adopted unless provision IL made for
completion"
In providing for the completion of new
projects radical departure is made In the
bill from former methods. 1T has been
thought best" Mr. Burton remarked, Ito
undertake no new Improvement unless the
whole amount required for its completion,
whether the project involves large or small
expense is appropriated or authorized"
In the discussion of the rivers and har-
bors bill of 1902, Mr.. Burton said there had
been a popular Misrepresentation to the eff
feet that very large amount of money
had been appropriated for rivers and creeks
of trivial Importance, but 1t was shown
that by the act of that year only $4i7,OO
had been appropriated for small streams.
Speaking of the Hennepin canal Mr..
Burton traced the agitation in favor of
1t to the popular feeling, but he doubted
If 1t would be Of the advantage anticipated.
Mr.. Graf of Illinois suggested that pos
sibly the popularity had been due to the
former chairman Of the rivers and harbors
committee, General d. b. Henderson, who
represented that locality in congress and
he suggested that possibly location was the
| dominating influence against 1t today. To
this Mr.. Burton replied that it would prob
ably be a good thing IL the present chair
mans dominating influence" could be de-
veloped to the prevention OF Objectionable
! projects which brought him a round of
applause.
Representative Bartholdt of Missouri, one
| Of the champions OF a fourteen-foot channel
| between st, Louis and Chicago, which the
committee refused to include in the bill,
| followed Mr.. Burton. He charged that the
committee, under the influence of it's chair
man CMr. Burton), had unfairly dscrim-
| mated against that project in favor of the
rival route from the lakes to the Missis-
sippi by way of the Pittsburg & Lake
Erie canal and the Ohio. Mr.. Bartholdt
asserted that there was a combination Of
the east and the south In the committee
| against the middle west.
Mr.. Ransdell OF Louisiana said the rail-
roads were beginning to realize that waters
must be improved to relieve the freight
congestion which is alarming the public.
The result, he said, is a decided change
in the attitude of the railways toward
waterway Improvement. He spoke OF the
recommendation OF President j. ]. Hill of
the Great Northern railway, that flfteen-
foot waterway be provided from Chicago
to the gulf, and said that the far
sightedness of that railroad official was
thoroughly well known.