The Yale expositor., 1910-01-28
WATERWAY BILL
TO Be REPORTED
Congress, However, Likely to Be
Slow to Sanction Certain
Specific Projects.
RIVALRY AMONG PROMOTERS
Civil Service Commission, Tired OF
Moving, Makes Plea for Permanent
Quarters-Army Affairs in
Good Shape.


Washington. is probable that
the rivers and harbors committee OF
congress will report a bill at TINS
session recommending the appropria-
ton of a good many millions OF ooi-
lars for the Improvement OF the water
ways of the country. 1t is yet mat
ter of great doubt, however, II the
sanction of the committee will be
given to certain specific projects IN
favor of which there has been coun-
try-wide agitation. 1t may be, per-
haps ii is safer to say probably VIII De-
the opinion of the committee that the
recommendation for an appropriation
to begin the digging of deep water
way from the lakes TO the gulf or
from Cape Cod to the Carolinas shall
be put off until the congressional wa
terways commission, which has been
studying the general subject OF com
mercial highway improvements, shall
have turned in it's report.
The friends of the deep waterway
from Chicago to the Eads' jetties are
active in their methods OF promoting
the plan which they have at heart
The same thing hold true OF the men
who want congress to sanction the
ship channel from Cape Cod down
through the coast states TO a point
somewhere in South Carolina OF pos
sibly Georgia. There is an intense
amount of rivalry between the promo
tiers of these two great plans, but the
rivalry is kept under the surface as
much as possible in order that the
promotion efforts may not cause con-
troversy enough to upset the chances
of success of either project.
Other Highway Projects.
The Mississippi valley waterway
and the coast line waterway are not
the only interior commercial high
away plans which have friends In con-
gress The projects which have been
suggested and to a considerable ex-
tent advanced in planning, are numer-
our. The southern states want easier
water communication between differ
ent points, and there are plans for
waterway Improvement in the north
and northwest
When President Taft was in New
Orleans at q meeting of the water
ways congress he said a kindly word
for the general plan of improving the
rivers of the country, but he advised
making haste slowly. AS soon as the
president finished his speech and the
men who are devoting their time and
energies TO paving the way for water
way legislation had had time to digest
the remarks, they met and in effect
made a political issue out of the cam
paign for deeper river channels.
The political aspect of the matter
has to some extent Influenced con-
gress, and representatives from many
districts have been told in effect that
they must use every effort to push
waterway improvements, even If their
plans seem to be antagonistic to the
wishes of the leaders in congress and
of the administration itself.
To Investigate Fully.
Congress always has way of meet
ing demands for work along certain
lines with seeming approval of their
general features, but it also has way
of delaying things so that il can be
given time for survey of the field
and obtaining of an actual knowledge
of the needs of the case. The friends
of the plan for an immediate improve
ment of the waterways say that con-
gress simply seeks a means of post
ponement hoping that some of the de-
mands made will be moderated. Be
this as 1t may, congress appointed a
national waterways commission of
which all the members were either
senators or representatives.
On this waterways commission are
men who are extremely conservative
on the subject and men who have
been insistent that the work should
be begun at once The chairman of
the committee, Senator Theodore Il.
Burton of Ohio. was for some years
prior to his election to the senate
chairman of the house committee on
rivers and harbors. Mr.. Burton knows
all about every harbor and stream in
the United States and 1t is admitted
by the men who think that he is too
conservative that he has a pretty
clear idea of the needs of every To-
cality.
Senator Lorimer of Illinois has been
for many years an active advocate of
a ship channel from Chicago 10 the
Gulf of Mexico. Mr.. Lorimer is impa-
tient of delay. There are other mem
bers of the commission who may be
said To occunv the middle ground an
the matter at stake. IL Is expected
that before long the commission will
make its report
Merit Board Wants Home.
AS the country has been told re-
Gently, 1t is probable that congress
will investigate the entire civil eerv-
ice system of the government with
a view of having both the letter and
spirit of the law apply to promo