The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-01-26
NEWS AT NATIONS
CAPITAL

WASHINGTON, jan. 20. - Unless
the move is halted before it gains
any considerable Roadway, there is
likelihood of congress changing the
policy which allows the reclamation
service to spend many millions of
dollars without the lawmaking body
having direct control of the expendi-
lures. On the surface this appears
to be a perfectly reasonable thing,
but underneath is a desire on the
part of certain members to add an
other "pork barrel' from which the
hungry of both legislative folds can
feed. This may be a mere suspicion,
and the members of the house com
mittee on arid lands may have a
p~raiseworthy object in view in de-
string to annex the reclamation serv-
ice, but when it is understood that
this service projects involving some
$S5, 200, 900, then the matter takes
on a different phase. Maybe the
arid lands committee has no intention
of making this recommendation to
congress, and perhaps a recent state
ment by Representative Englebright.
of California, a member of this com
mittee, that he thought congress
might be disposed to alter it's policy
handed out to scare the heads of the
reclamation bureau; but anyway,
the impression has gone out that the
situation relative to the reclamation
fund presages the opening of a third
"pork barrel,' the other two being
the rivers and harbors and the pub
lie buildings bill.
Aside from the ordinary objec-
tions to so large a fund being dis
bursed by a bureau not responsible to
congress, little jealousies have
cropped up from time to time because
projects in the west have claimed
the major portion of the reclamation
fund, amounting to about $42 900 900
appropriated up to date. The south
has had certain demands for irriga-
ton and reclamation, but Director
Frederick H. Newell, of the recla-
nation service following the judg
ment of his expert engineers in the
field, has elected TO spend the money
to reclaim arid lands in Arizona,
New Mexico, Idaho, Nevada, Cali
~fornia, Colorado and Washington. An
attempt was made some time ago to
divert some of the fund to reclaim
parts of Dismal swamp in Virginia
and other similar projects in the
south, but it failed when it was whis-
pered around in congress that certain
interest were trying to raid the
land owners, actuated solely by self
fund" This may have been an
adroit move to keep the work going
in another field, but at any rate it
put a quietus on the Dismal swamp
proposition, and since then many
thousands of acres in the west have
been brought within reach of set
tiers, who really don't care a rap who
conducts the work as long as it is
conducted honestly and well.
When Congress created the Reclana-
ton Service, it was expressly provided
that the work was to be supervised by
the Secretary of Interior, who was
made responsible for the good conduct
of tn bureau and for the proper expen-
diture of the fund. This was done pre-
sumably to take the reclamation service
out of the reach of those with axes
to grind or pet projects to promote q.
Federal expense. The present arrange
ment has not only worked with entire
satisfaction. but projects involving
nearly $50, 900, 900 have been handled
by its engineers without the slightest
suspicion of graft.
1t is reasonable to suppose that IT
the move to give Congress control OF
the service is opposed, it will be on the
ground that any other arrangement
than the present one will greatly ham
per the success of the governments
general reclamation policy. To begin,
Congress could hardly hold itself re-
sponcible for the successful conduct OF
reclamation projects, no more than IL
would for the skillful completion OF 4
bridge or waterway project by the War
Department. There are no expert en-
gineers in Congress qualified to pass
Judgment on such work, and the crit
icism of members who felt sighted
would serve to further embarrass the
situation.
According to the act of Congress ere
ating this service, all the money appro-
priated for this purpose must be paid
back to the government, and to do TINS
.a.lors ON ;rrioated lands are required