The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-17
All Appropriation Bills VIII Be
 Trimmed Heavily
PLEA FOR WATERWAYS BILL
J. F. Ellison of Cincinnati Believes That Congress Will Heed Signs of the Times and Provide
 For Waterways.
By PATTERSON sTEALEY.

By WA EhSON SI BAILEY e Washington, January 6.-(Special) The usual prediction as to the failure of the appropriation bills is rife at the capitol owing to the backwardness of the House and Senate to frame the great supply measures. While it is true that the controversy between the Whites Touse and capitol has wasted many islative day there is little doubt that noon of March will see Uncle Sam with enough money in his pockets to pay expenses for the next fiscal year. Republican policies will prevent his making a splurge, but he will manage to hold his end up. Of the II regular bills only two have passed the House, the Legislative, ex- ecutive and judicial and the District of Columbia. The naval bill was re- ported to the House today and the pen sions bill was reported Wednesday.
 The agriculture, army, diplomatic, for tifcations, general deficiency, Indian, military academy postoftice, sundry civil and urgent deficiency bills are still in committee, but most of them are in such shape as to insure tho cir report to the House in sufficient time to pass that body and go through the Senate before adjournment.
 There will be both a rivers and har- bors and a public buildings bill this year. The latter will be pork bar rel without the pork.
 The committee will bring in a bill but instead of making appropriations to gladden. the hearts of representatives and their constituents it will merely make minor additions and corrections to the present law.
 The rivers and harbors bill will de- pend almost entirely upon the Senate.
 The measure which will be reported to the House will carry a very small amount It is stated by Senate lead CTS that a considerable increase will defeat it or cause a presidential veto. In commenting upon the decision for small river and harbor bill, J. F. Ellison of Cincinnati, O., secretary of the National Rivers and Harbors con gross. said "The decision brings out one potent fact that the representa- tive party of which I am a member is to call special session of Congress in March next, to carry out one of the pledges of the platform upon which MT. Taft was elected, namely the re- vision of the tariff.
 "The same platform which pledged my party to such revision also pledged the party in positive and unequivocal words to a systematic and comprehensive plan to improve the water ways of the coun- try. Quoting directly from the platform the following language Is used:
 " The future duty equally imperative is to enter upon a systematic improve ment upon large and comprehensive plan just to all portions of the country on the water ways harbors and great lakes, whose natural adaptability to tho increasing traffic of the land is one of the greatest gifts of a benign providence.'
 There is in certain sections of the coun- try a demand for revision of the tariff, but from all sections of the country there is a united demand from the manufac- turer, the producer, the merchant and the consumer for the nations highways and gateways.
 This has been evidenced by a string of waterway conventions held last year in every state of the union eliminating In the great convention held by the Ma tional Rivers and Harbors Congress in Washington last month, at which every one of the 46 states and the territories were represented. The delegates were sent to express the sentiment of their particular section of the country to the nations lawmakers, their demand that party pledges as expressed in their party platform be carried out and waterway policy adopted that would improve the water highways of the country.
 If this aroused public interest is indic- atve of public conviction should not the extra session of Congress devote as much attention in carrying out party pledges, of Wata ways as to the revision of the tariff
 "The demand for this comes from no section but from the entire nation, and if the new administration and the in- coming Congress desire to redeem the pledges made to the nation in the re- publican platform decisive action should not be much longer delayed