Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-02-28
River and Harbor Bill Oh
Rough Road.
Senate Prone to Economic
UaduIy in That Regard.
Senator Frye Steering the Bill
Favorable Report on 81. croix.


Washington, d. c., Feb. 27.--(Spe-
cial. )-SenatOr Frye of Maine is now
trying his hand at getting river and
harbor appropriation bill approved at
the north end of the Capitol. There
was much frowning among the lead
ers,. when the House framed up and
passed bill that carried $40.000.OO0.
They did not object to the bill on
principle. AS a matter of fact
Representative Alexander the House
had made the river and
harbor bill about half the amount such
measures generally carry, but that
stead of biennial bills hereafter. But
the leaders are strongly advocating
economy this year, in the hope of re-
ducing the annual expenditures ma
terially below the billion dollar mark
For that reason the river and har-
Dor bill was especially unacceptable
to them. They have talked over plans
for defeating the bill, in the hope that
the appropriations would be deferred
till next year. Senator Frye, as chair
man Of the commerce committee, has
not been at all in sympathy with that
proposition. He believes in river and
harbor appropriations, because they
assure improvements that facilitate
and extend commerce and he would
not have those improvements sacri-
feed or delayed.
None the less he has quite a difficult
task on hand. Senators always have
numerous projects Of their own, which
they want to load upon a river and
harbor bill. With the freedom of de-
bate allowed in the Senate, it is diff
ficult to resist these river and harbor
requests. If they are refused the
Senator may go upon the floor and
make interminable trouble for the bill,
The policy accordingly has been to
keep the amendments in committee
down to minimum and also to keep
off just as many as possible in the
Senate and then weed them out in
conference.
Senator Frye is well aware that if
the bill is overloaded this year, there
will be double danger of its defeat.
If the Senate swells the total there
will be tremendous efforts to prevent
its coming out of conference, or, if it
gets out of conference, it may come 50
late that a few fractions Senators, or
Senators who have no highways of
commerce in their states, will talk it
to death.
Senator Frye is proceeding slowly
with the consideration of the bill in
his commerce committee and probably
will not bring it out for d week or ten
days. once the bill is reported to the
Senate Mr.. Frye will call it up as
soon as possible and probably will be
able to get it passed some afternoon.
Then only his problem of conference
will remain ahead of him. The Sena-
tor has been through many Of those
tussles in conference and is always
loath to enter upon another. In re-
cent years he has sometimes given the
work over to others and refused to go
upon the conference committee. In
view of the Importance Of the bill this
year and the known efforts to kill it
in conference, Senator Frye may ac-
cept the Craftsmanship of the confer
ence on the part of the Senate.
The army engineers are, behind hand
this year with quite a number of sur
veys and reports. which is one reason
why the commerce committee will not
hasten about closing out the bill
Representative Guernsey OF the 4th
Maine district has just gotten a ia
vorable report on n s234,000 project
for the improvement of the st. Croix
river. In the amount of government
money which it is proposed to expend,
if not in the commerce that will ulti-
matcly be affected. it is the most inn
portant river and harbor project now
pending in Maine. Mr.. Guernsey wants
the ST. Croix item upon the current
bill and Senator Frye will help him to
get it there and to hold it in the bill
during conference. There will prob
ably be much discussion over the
item. because of an opinion expressed
in official quarters. that Canada
should pay for a proportion of the i'm
ACCOMPLISHMENTS with the
Canadian commerce upon the river.
This is estimated to be about one
fifth of the whole.
Senator Hale of Maine is sceptical
about the ability of Congress to keep
the appropriations below the billion
dollar mark at this session. AS
chairman of appropriations. he keeps
in very close touch with all the bills
that in any manner call for appropria-
tons from the National Treasury.
He has been using the pruning hook
ever since Congress assembled and
has accomplished much toward econ
omy on the big supply budgets, but
expenses are piling up from so many
other sources that he Ndespairs of
keeping the total down.
The role of an advocate of economy
in Senate or House is tlrankless one.
as the senior Maine Senator well
knows. Such an advocate only gets
disliked, for the Congressman
who pet projects for appropriations
are cut off or curtailed, have only I'M
kind words for the Senator or Repre-
sentative who was responsible there
for. As all the members Of the House
come up for re- election in the autumn,