The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-06-11
PORK BARREL"
INFLUENCE
II is Powerful in Getting Fed
eral Buildings.
SOME FIGURES
Some Thriving Places Have No Post
Office Buildings, While Other Sleepy
Towns Have Costly Federal
Structures.

Washington, D. c., June iI.--As kisses
go By favor, 50 public buildings 50 BY
apull.1
That is the opinion of treasury de-
partment officials, and they have pre-.
pared statistics to sustain thor posi-
tion.
What Is more, they are trying to form
ulste plan, by means Of which sena.
torial and congressional influence will
not be the only reason ror the expendi-
ture Of public moneys m the construc-
ton Of government buildings They
think that such appropriations should be
based upon the practical necessities Of
the case, rather than upon the possible
number Of votes which the securing Of
the building may bring to the member
who introduced the bill
Just as there is now an effort to bring
the river ard harbor appropriations out
Of the dominion Of politics, and sys-
tematize them 50 a. 20 bring the best
and most lasting effects for the COM
merce Of the country, 20 should there
be, in their opinion. well-dehned pro-
gram governing the erection Of post Of
foes and eourthouses ia the different
states and cities
The department has not progressed far
in outlining It's proposed PLAN nor i
there any promise that If II had, the
members of Congress would willingly
foreqo their annual or biennial scramble
over this pork barl.y Il is the opinion
Of the treasury officials. however, that
something more than the population or
wealth Of a town should be taken into
consideration when passfae upon the
question as to whether it is entitled to
public building.
Other things that should be considered,
according to the treasury men. are The
character Of the business transacted in
each place and the government revenues
collected Thus manufacturing town,
or one IN which there is q thriving reve-
nue-producing business, ought 70 take
precedence over a staid, quiet, residential
town or suburb, even though the latter
can show a preponderahce Of wealth.
Still another item il the question Of
illiterancy in a community, K being obvi-
ous that, where large proportion Of the
inhabitants are uHsble to read Or write,
the postal receipts win not be 50 great
AZ ii a smaller plece, wnere education
IS more widely diffused
Since 1915, the FIRST record Of the con.
struction Of public building BY the
government. there has Seen expended
s26s 2l0 .6s4 in the purchase Of sites and
the erection Of buildings to house the
yarions government Offices throughout
the country. OF this amount, New York
has received 1883 per cents Massaehu.
setts. $40 per cents Pennsylvania, 1921
per cents Ohio, SIS per cent: Illinois,
SAT per cent California, Sis per cent,
and Missouri 485 per cent
Taking TIE wealth and population Of
the several states as a basis for calcula-
tion, there Il, proportionally still due
to New York s5.44l2 PIT Pennsylvania,
81 ,4s8.504; Illinois, Ss,54J G2s Ohio S.
S62 $780, Texas, sS.620,0a0; Iowa, SS,5s7
4s8. and New Jersey, s34s4el8 Indi-
ana. Michigan. Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma are
ali more than s2000000 below their
appropriations upon iris basis. Mis-
souri,, Kentucky Tennessee, North Caro-
lima, Alabama and Mississippi are NIL
more than sl0000o0 below.
On the other hand, Louisiana has re-
ceived Al excess On thar same basis Of
81 .3sl .773: Maine. Sl,l9095l; Colorado,
81 1886 $40; South Carolina ST88.TS6. and
California, s444s63 There * DISPOSE
ton to assign as the reason for these
exeesses the fact that the Democratic
votes Of tile two Louisiana senators gen
orally have been greatly desired BY the
Republican partyi that Senators Hale
land FRYE throughout their long terms
have not overlooked the wants Of their
state Of Maine; that former senator Tel
Ter and Walcott Of Colorado were dis
posed to be Independent att times, and
had to be kept IN good humor that SEN
ator IIllman has emphatieallY demonded
that his state South Carolina. should
have share of che good things going
around; and that Senator Perkins of
California has been member Of one
Of the appropriation committees for q
number Of years.
a list has been prepared showing
232 cities, with 4 population Of more
than 5000 in 1890, which have no post
office buildings and a list of fhe postal
receipts fer The fiscal year 1900 Here
are a few at random from the long
Hist with the receipts collected
santa Barbara, CAL, S44a43f Stam-
ford. Conn. s87 ,395 fbill introduced this
session.; Urbana. M, s2s09l shelby
vile, md. s2S.45l; Waltham Mass,
s54 ss7 Leominster, Mass s32s94; Port
Huron. Mich. S6a,13li East Orange n.
EJ., ss2.s77; Passaic, N il saosd3; New