The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1910-07-01
ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS
MANN'S WHITE SLAVE BILL WAS
PASSED.
Taft Signs Waterway Bill, But Crit
icIses It for Providing Inadequate-
Iy for So Many Projects.

Washington. Both houses of con-
gress adjourned Saturday without day.
An important message from the presl-
dent, stating he had signed the rivers
aud harbors bill but would never again
sign a similar one, enlivened the pro-
ceedings in the senate. The president
said the river and harbor improve
ments should be made in accordance
with approved syst ms, such as was
not followed in the bill, but he signed
the bill in order that important i'm
provements would not be delayed.
The Appalachian forest reserve bill
the senate agreed to pass over until
Feb. Is next. The senate adopted the
Mann white slave" bill, previously
passed by the house, which will pre-
vent shipping of women and girls from
one state to another for immoral pur-
poses; receded from its amendment to
the sundry civil bill, providing for
tests of structural steel, and the con.
ference report on the bill was adopted
In both houses.
The house and senate adopted joint
resolutions appropriating 100000 for
protection of property along the lower
Colorado River.
Both houses agreed to the general
deficiency bill; the house agreed to
the pensions appropriation bill, pass
ed by the senate, carrying $156,0OO,-
600; adopted the conference report Of
the campaign publicity bill, providing
for publication of campaign funds af-
ter elections, and adopted the confer
ence report on the $2O,OO0,OO0 issue of
certificates of Indebtedness to aid in
reclamation projects.
In a special message to congress
announcing that he had approved the
rivers and harbors bill, President Taft,
after enumerating the more important
provisions, said in comment:
Indeed, it may be said that a great
majority of the projects named in the
bill are meritorious, and that money
expended in their completion will not
be wasted.
"The chief defect in the bill is the
large number of projects appropriated
for and the uneconomical method Of
carrying on these projects by the ap-
preparation of sums small in cOmpari-
son to the amounts required to effect
completion.
'The figures convincingly establish
the fact that this bill makes made
quate provisions for too many pro-
jects. The total of the bill, $57,OOO,-
600, is not unduly large, but the policy
of small appropriations with a great
many different enterprises, without
provision for their completion, is I'M
wise.
"The projects under way are in ur-
gent need of further appropriation for
maintenance and continuance and
there is great and justified pressure
for many of the new projects provided
for in the bill, 1t has been made clear
to me that the failure of the bill thus
late in the session would seriously
embarrass the constructing engineers.
do not think, therefore, the defects
of the bill, which have pointed out,
will justify the postponement of all
this important work. But l do think
that in the preparation of the propos.
ed future yearly bills congress should
adopt the reforms above suggested
and that failure to do so would JUS
tify Withholding executive approval,
even though a rivers and harbors bill
fail"