The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-15
DOES NOT WANT GUARDIANSHIP
 ~ Burton Desires Office
 No Longer. MORE TIME FOR HIMSELF Southern Men Will Regret His
 Decision. Has Been Chairman of Rivers and Harbors Committee for Tea Years--specniation as to His
 Successor.
By A. J. stofer,

Washington, Aug. 13.--tSpeciaL)-- It seems to be generally understood here and in Ohio that Representative Theodore E. Burton will not care to assume the burdens of the chairman ship Of the Rivers and Harbors com mittee in the next House of Repres- entatives. He could have the place for the asking as Speaker Cannon could not very well go back on man who has served so many years on the committed, and who for the past ten years has been the chairman, and in that capacity, of course, has had more work to do than any four other members of the committee.
 MT. Burton, as has been announced, wants more time to himself He has undertaken to deliver a series of lec- lures at one of the Ohio universities. and he has also been engaged heavily in |. rary work during the recesses of Congress, among the books he has 1abored diligently over being the life of John Sherman.
 Many of the Southern men will re- Eret that Mir. Burton cares no long CT for the chairmanship referred to. He has been fair and reasonable to that section, and even though his par tisanship Is we'll known he has never let political questions cut any figure when 1t e. to allotting money for the proper improvement of the water ways in a portion of the country that does not furnish single electoral vote to the Republican candidates at a Presidential election. MT Burton has made several trips to Alabama and adjoining states within recent years 10 inspect personally the conditions of the rivers. He was particularly in- terested in the Alabama river. It is understood here that even if he does not care for the chairmanship again pressure will be brought to bear upon the representatives of the Cleveland district to retain his membership on the committee during the Sixtieth Congress. His experience is valuable. and during the coming session the duties of the position will not be one- rous, for there. is hardly any prospect of the passage of a river and harbor bill for the next fiscal year. At the second or closing session of the last Congress a liberal bill was passed. fUncle Joe" Cannon and others of the majority, who are keeping close watch on the treasury have all sorts hts if the mere suggestion is advanced that an annual river and harbor bill shouNl be framed and put through. They think once in two years Is often enough to provide funds for the im- proyement of the waterways, and constantly remind the advocates of further liherality that number of com tinuing Improvements or projects are Included each year in the big sundry civil appropriation bill. Speaker Can. non on general principles for thirty years has stubbornly opposed large ap- propriatfons for improving the water ways. His contention has been that millions of dollars are practically thrown away on trying to obtain nav , igation in streams not worthy the attention of the national government, and in proportion to the commerce of stili others he thinks the sums voted are of all reason when the results attained are taken into consideration. Rut the Speaker is known to realize that Congressmen are< determined to have a river and Larbor bill at least every two years. and he and his assist ants in shaping legislation are not powerful enough to stand up against the combination and they have been compelled to yield to the inevitable as gracefully as possible.
 Two Republican members who stood in line for the chairman of the Rivers and Harbors Committee failed to be elected to the Sixtieth Congress They are Capt Dovener of the Wheeling district of West Virginia, and Rep resentative Bishop Of Michigan. The next Republican member of the com mittee in the last House was MT Ach- eson, who represents a district not far From Pittsburg in Pennsylvania But Mir. Acheson, although re-eIected Is not in robust health, is a poor Bpeaker and debater--in fact is seldom pr never heard on the floor. and 1t is not believed he will be made chairman Pfter Mir. Burton takes himself out of line. The next man to Mir Acheson Is Judge Alexander of the Buffaloe dis