Bisbee daily review., 1908-12-10
CONGRESS IS
 FIGHTING THE
 PORK BARREL
Rivers and Harbors Should No Longer Be the Vehicle Of Plunder for Different Sec tions of the Country.

WASHINGTON. D. C., Dec. With upwards of 200 delegates in attend ance, coming from nearly every state and territory of the union, the fifth annual convention Of the National Rivers and Harbors congress was opened here today. The chief purpose of the gathering fs to urge the gov ernment to make provision annually for river and, harbor work and carry it forward on a systematic scale, in- stead of leaving tfle river and harbor bill as a pork barrep' measure with which to dump few millions into con gressional districts where it will do the most good on tbe eve Of an cleo ton.
 President Joseph E. Ransdell Of Louisiana called the gathering to or der The business sessions of the convention win continue three days and papers and addresses will be pre- scented covering practically every phase of the subject by men familiar with the problem of inland water ways. An elaborate program of en- tertainment has been arranged for
 TRe congress will discuss water way projects and tarbor improve ments in all parts of the country. Particular attention will be given, however, to the plans for deepening and improving the Chic and Mississ- ippi rivers for commercial nayigationss Another leading subject of discussion, will be the Development of the pro- posed inside passage along the Atlan- tic coast, so that w5rships. scattered at different Atlantic stations, could run under shelter io rendezvous.
 Foremost among the scheduled speakers at the congress are Andrew Carnegie, Ambassador Bryce of Great Britain, who S5iIl present a review of the waterways and canals of the Unit ed Kingdom and their relation to trade and commerce; Ambassador Nabuco of Brazil, Major J-,a. Ockerson of the Mississippi river commission, Govern or w. F. FreaT of Hawaiii Secretary of the Interior Garfield, Horace Mo Fariand, president of the National Civic Federation; Governor N B. Broward of Florida, who is president of the National Drainage association; Admiral c. M. Chester, who was a delegate to the international water ways congress recently held in St, Petersburg, and President Samnel Gompers of the American Federation of Labor, who will discuss 'Labor's Interest in Waterways Development"
 The initial session today was given over largely to welcoming the guests and organization. When this had been accomplished Secretary J. F. El- lison proceeded to read the official call for the gathering. The call was in part as follows:
 "The improvements of the water ways of the nation, which this nation al convention win advocate and dis cuss, means increased and ,cheapened transportation facilities for the pro ducer and the congumer. and there Is no question before tie American peo- tied but these do not affect the har- pie more worthy Of their serious thought and consideration than the proper development and utilization of these natural and economic channels of trade transportation.
 "The National Rivers and Harbors congress advocates policy, not a pro ject;s it represents no particular sec. sfeh of-pre5eets. bfR is the direct rep resentative of alfrs,ctions that have a meritorious claim for the improve ment of river, a lake, a harbor or a. canal. A