Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-09-21

will be embodied In a positive statute.
One Of the great hlndrances to the
s11ccess Of Improvement OF waterways
has been the delay incident 10 the com
pletton Of each project. That has
grown out Of tho method pursued in
framing river and harbor appropria
ton bills"
Present System Haphazard.
Tho president then reviewed. In n
round about way, the improvements
that are planned. investigated and
finally ordered or rejected. and con-
tinued:
Each project comes before congress
either rejected or approved, and 1t Is
left to committee to determine which
of those approved shall be taken and
which shall be passed by or delayed. 1t
is the rule fairly we'll observed by the
committee on harbors and rivers that
no project which has not received the
approval OF a board of engineers shall
be appropriated for and adopted. AS
these water improvements are to
be carried on In upwards OF two thirds
Of thee congressional districts, it can be
readily understood what pressure
comes from their representatives in
congress to have every project that is
approved appropriated for. The con-
sequence ie that in the desire to salts
fy the claims Of all, the amount avail
able for current revenues is divided up
and apportioned between all the vari
Gus enterprises that have received the
approval Of the engineers. That is done
with very little regard to the COM
parative merits of the different i'm
proyements, and it has a tendency to
delay every Improvement a number Of
years beyond a timew hen it might
be made profitable by early compile
ton"
Wants Methods Changed.
The president wanted this method
changed so that improvements will be
made in the order of their Importance.
as recommended by the engineers.
ut is doubtful how far. by executive
order, I can go in directing the engi-
neers to make recommended tions in
forming congress as to the relative i'm
portance of projects adopted and en-
tered upon. I think / have gone as far
as I can in this matter, and l shall
ask congress for more power at its next
session."
He favored ending the "piecemeal"
system Of dividing the spoils among
the districts, and of centering all ener-
SS Sa4lo CoP1C11 VI LILO government
the completion first Of one of the great
plans and then another and then an
other
AS a country we are all in favor Of
the most effective and economical ex-
penditure for the development Of our
waterways, but as members Of dis
trict and as representatives of dis
tricts we are selfshly insistent upon
our shares Of public appropriations
each year. however much that division
Of spoil impedes the adoption of the
effective and economical improvement
Of our water transportation.
Do Away With Pork Barrel.
1t is the duty Of the majority and
minority to legislate always for the
benefit of the whole people. he declar-
ed. and he frowned on the enactments
that look to selfish explorations Of
less than the whole at the expense Of
the whole. Days OF the pork barrel
should be numbered, he declared, and
the country is rouse1 against corporate
or corrupt control of legislative agen
cies, but It is doubtful whether the
constituencies as yet are able to per-
ceive the higher obligation on the part
Of themselves and their Representatives
rot to use their votes in combination
to appropriate to a part that which be-
longs to the whole.