Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-04
ARMY ENGINEERS LOSEFAVOR
Military Directors of Reclamation
Projects Opposed by Senate.
BILL FOR INCREASE DEFEATED
Measures Providing for Enlargement
of Signal Corps, Dental Surgeons
Staff and other Departments
Suffer Same Fate.
(From a staff correspondent.l }

NfrOm a starr COrreSpOndent.)
WASHINGTON, July S.--(Special Tele-
gram.)-The proposition to increase the
corps of engineers of the army was de-
feated in the senate by Senator Bailey
The announcement by the Texan that he
would filibuster against the passage of
the bill and would hold the senate in ses-
sion all GUNNER II necessary to encompass
the defeat or Withdrawal of the bill caused
hasty abandonment of the measure by
its friends.
1t was proposed TO increase the corps by
the addition of sixty engineers ana at an
additional salary expense to the govern
ment OF Sg5gOoo a year. In time this sal
airy increase would amount TO $4,000 a
year. with the certainty of heavy in
crease in the retired" pay charge. The
chief engineer of the corps and the secre-
tary of war recommended the increase in
the membership of the corps because of
the great amount of work placed on the
corps by the river and harbors improve
ment bill passed at the session just ended.
But It was asserted at the capitol during
consideration of the bill that the real rea-
son for its introduction and for the in
| fluence brought to bear to secure it's
passage was a desire to put army en-
| gineers in charge of the reclamation work,
thereby displacing Frederick H. Newell,
| director of the reclamation service, and
Arthur P. Davis the chief engineer. Be-
! hind this move, it was asserted, is Secre-
| tary of the Interior Ballinger, who would
| get rid of these two men on the ground
they are too friendly with Clifford Pinchot;
therefore unfriendly to him. The reclama-
tion service is a bureau under the Depart
ment of the Interior.
| While Secretary Ballinger's friends made
emphatic denials to this charge, the sus-
! picion held fast that there existed elements
! Of truth in it. The statement was made
that If Mr.. Ballinger desired to get rid of
the directing heads of the reclamation
work he could do so openly and need not
have recourse to artifice or subterfuge.
| This may or may not be correct. Public
sentiment plays an important part in the
| game of politics, as evidenced in the re-
movai and appointment of public officials,
and the public is not disposed to look with
! favor on the removal of competent and
valuable officials simply to satisfy the per-
sonal grudge or dislike of some other Of
ficial. 1t is the opinion of those COM
petent to Judge that the heads Of the recla-
nation service have made good.
Editorial Comment.
There was an editorial in a recent issue OF
! the Outlook-Colonel Roosevelts official
mouthpiece-dealing with this subject that
| caused comment and is considered sig
nificant. I'VE see no reason" says the
Outlook, "for subjecting the reclamation
service to the burden of instructing mill
tary engineers in the subject of hydraulic
| engineering when the government not only
| can get hydraulic engineers from civil
ranks. but has already created an organi-
| cation particularly adapted to the business
OF irrigation. We hope that the provision
to enable the president to designate mil
itary engineer for the reclamation service
will not become a law. If 1t does, we
hone that the president will not avail him
self of the authority therein granted, but
will rather give to the present director o
the service the support to which the worl
he has so we'll done has entitled him."
This phase of the question did not pro-
woke Senator Bailey's hostility to the prop
osition TO increase the membership of th'
, | corps OF engineers His was a persona
fight He objects TO the military engineers
passing on the commercial value of
waterways Improvement. He recommends
, the Improvement of a river in Texas. Tn
military engineers prevented the appropri
alton and authorization for the improve
ment by reporting that the improvement
was not justified from a commercial poin
of view Senator Bailey contends that 1
should be the duty Of the military engi
neers TO pass only on the engineering prob
lens Of proposed waterways improve
ment leaving to others the right to pass oi
the commercial worth or necessity of tn
project. Restricting the activities of tn
military engineers to purely engineering
problems, Senator Bailey holds that the en-
gineers corps is sufficiently large for al
practical purposes. There are now in tn
, engineer corps 1888 officers. In addition L
these military officers, thers are employe,
, on the Tsl rivers and harbors projects 30
, civilian engineers who work under the mil
itary engineers. IL was stated by the chic
(Continued on Second PaRe)