Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-06-20
WATERWAY MEASURE
NOT PORK BARREL
SAY FRIENDS
Zone of the FaireSt Appropria-
tons Ever Granted by Con-
gfeSs' Declares Senator Nell
som Alexander Defends Bill,
Morning journal Bureau,
613 Munsey building.


Washington, -, g., June a.
The incidental reference of Sen-
ator Burton of Ohio. to the river aud
harbor appropriation bill as a Pork
Barrel because it happened to have
POS congressional districts represent
ed in the distribution OF the funds
provided for river and harbor III
proVcments. called forth Il character
istic expression from Senator Nelson,
who said Of the bill: II regard it
as one of the fairest ever passed by
congress. In my fifteen years on the
commerce committee of the senate,
ana having in that time TO deal with
the rivers aud harbors Of the couu-
try, and a conference on a numi'cr ~
the bills in that period, | believe The
measure Just become u law as the
most equitable end best distributed
that congress has ever passed. No up-
preparation Is included In the bill not
fully warranted and Justified
Chairman Alexander of the rivers
and harbors committee equally as en-
phatic said that the manner in which
the bill was made up dissipates the
Pork Barrel myth or the 40T items
in the bill when II left the house l3S
or about onc-third, were for main-
tenance: as many more for c%ontiuu-
lnS N0IkN ulIfduN htlutl MtN anu az
many more for new work. II was
Colonel Alexander's idea that the am
nual appropriation for postoffice. .nd
post roads would be as much entitled
20 the designation Of a Pork Barrel
as the rivers and harbors bill. because
the varied appropriations carried In
the measure benefited every section
Of the United States.
1T is quite likely that the distr-cts
OF three-fourths of the members OF
the house arc benefited by the rivers
and harbors bill as they always have
in former bills for how could &. oll
be framed as to provide for tho "a
terways of the country as not TO bene-
fit Il great majority of the congress
sional districts. The Mississippi val
ley alone embraces p Of the 4d states,
represented by 226 congressman. most
Of whom are deeply Interested In he
Improvement OF the Mississippi river
and its great tributaries. There Is not
Il state in the union. unless 1t be Ne
vada. Utah, Colorado or Wyoming,
which is not directly Interested to "
greater or less degree in waterway
Improvement. The character of the
project which make up the river and
harbor bill said Mr.. AleXancrl. Ill
Eliminates and dissipates the Pork
Barrel myth.
senator Nelson ~disavowed any hos
tility To Senator Burton which had
been intimated on the floor OF the sem
ate during the conference on the river
ana harbor bill, in which the senior
senator from the Lone star state took
occasion to relate that he had ad sis-
ed Senator burton not TO go to the N2-.
per branch Of CONGRESS because he
..A.tIJ mt ha t.arnlfffaI IA panlta "a NVu-
bill according to his own Tx
ing, and would be punished because
of his knowledge Of the waterways Of
The United States, And Senator Ball
ey further went on to say that the
of the committee of the sem
to appropriate money for Il con
tinuance of the National Waterways(
association of which the junior sem
ator from Ohio Is chairman. was proof
of the assertion.
Senator Nelson took occasion tc
deny this outright ana he did nv
lnincc words in making the denial,
either. There was no disposition |
on the part of the commit |
on or on the part Of the
in the senate to reflect on
SO far as to offer q compromise |
20 have created q commission Of army |
engineers. civilian engineers ana
comprehensive plan by which
waterways should be improved |
But Senator Burton would not accept |
his compromise. And IN this con-
] want to say that outside Of
Burton no other member of the
waterways commission. and It consists
II seven senator's inc five reprcsN,i-
atives, ever asked the committee ~
conference to continue the commits
ion. And now while on This subject
t Is Q wen known fact That Senator
Burton added in the commerce COM
of which he is q momber, ST.
100, 900 over aud above what tho
had provided for the Ohio river
n continuing the contracts and $3.50
In cash and the committee stood
~ him for the increase. on the face
" II that seems to me to disaprove the
tatnment of hostility 10 senator Bur-
on"
The bill os finally adopted Is the
BEGINNING of a yearly budget for rive
and harbors as urged for mann
ears by the National Rivers and Har-
'Ors Congress which IL is most --n.
conceded has done yeoman ser
ice in bringing this condition about