The Yale expositor., 1910-04-15


tions since Col. George w. Goethals
and Lieut.. Coils David Du B. Gaillard
and William l.. Sibert were ordered
south to take charge nearly three
years ago.
William Howard Taft was secretary
of war when the last civilian chief left
the Panama canal service. President
Roosevelt sent for his secretary Of war
and talked matters over. The en-
gineer corps of the army stood ready
and willing to go to the isthmus to
take the entire responsibility of the
work ana agree that ii should be done
as we'll under army as under civilian
auspices.
The result was that Col George w.
Goethals was selected to go to the
isthmus to take charge of the canal.
He was consulted as to his assistants,
and he chose Gaillard and Sibert, who
were then majors, but who since have
been promoted to the rank of lieu
tenant colonel. After the army en-.
gineers had been in the isthmus for
some little time and had looked over
the ground they said that the canal
could be completed by the year 1915.
Their time limit estimate was scoffed
at by civilians, but the work has gone
ahead in way to prove that the pre-
dictions of the army officers were
based on reason and thorough knowl-
edge of conditions.
Chance for Water Ways.
1t seems to have been finally de-
termined by congress that an annual
river and harbor bill is necessary to
so improve the inland water ways
that eventually they may be in condi-
tion to act as proper auxiliaries to
the railroads in carrying the rapidly
increasing commerce between the
states of the Union. If an annual APP
preparation bill for the water ways is
made, the water Improvement meas
ures will no longer be looked on as
the public buildings bill always has
been looked on, as pork barrel
measure"
The term pork barrel" was first ap-
piled to the public buildings bill by
man who was not a member of con-
gress, but the name caught and to-
day there are few senators and repre-
sentatives who. speaking privately
about appropriations for public build
ings do not use the expression as
though it were one not only of current
but of perfectly proper use. In the
past appropriations for rivers and har-
bors largely have been extremely loca!
in their nature, and for this reason ii
always has seemed to congress to be
necessary that every member who had
any kind of a sheet of water in his
district should be given recognition in
the bill.
Public Building Methods.
The same conditions held in regard
to public buildings measures If a rep
resentative in congress succeeded in
getting from the government an ap-
preparation for a new federal court
house. a customs house, or a postof-
fee, it stood as stock in trade for him
when he sought reelection. 1t is per-
fectly true that there are towns in the
United States which have public build
ings entirely too big and too costly for
the volume of business transacted
within their walls. 1t is also perfectly
true that in the past appropriations
have been made for the improvement
of harbors which seldom float a ship.
and for the Improvement of parts of
rivers where the whistle of steam.
boat seldom is heard.
In order to escape concerted
strength of opposition to public build
ings and rivers and harbors measures,
it has been the custom in the past for
the majority in congress to give just
about as much recognition in these
appropriation bills to the requests of
minority members as to the requests
of the majority members. This ap-
pears to be perfectly fair proposition
on its face, but frequently conces-
sions were made to the minority sim
ply to offset concessions made to the
service did not justify making at all
Learned Much From Europe.
Not long ago the congressional COM
mittee which was appointed to study
the waterways subject. returned from
Europe. 1t had acquired many new
views on the subject of internal COM
merce.
1t was the agitation on behalf OF
the deep water ways from the lakes
to the gulf that was responsible for
the appointment of the congressional
commission. The middle west started
on a campaign for 14foot channel
from the lakes down through the state
of Illinois, and thence down the
Mississippi to the gulf. Theodore E
Burton of Ohio, now the United States
senator elected to succeed Joseph B.
Foraker, was one OF the men who be-
lieved that the Mississippi valley over
estimated the value of the 14-foot
channel down the river. For a long
time Mr.. Burton was chairman OF the
house committee on rivers and har-
bors and he exercised tremendous
influence. He was able to check the
tide of demand for great appropria-
tions, and for bond issues on behalf OF
interior water ways. Finally the pres
c,tra hapama eo efronQ that tho wbolo