Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-27
Will Decide on River and Har-
Dor Improvements.
NO MORE "P0RK BARRELS
Policy Agreed Upon After Confer.
ence With the President.
ANNUAL BILLS ARE FAVORED
Speaker Optimistic az to Republican
Success-Senators and REPRE-
sentatives See Taft.

The greatest pork barrel Of Congress-
is to disappear as such and in the future
| is to be an appropriation bill for Amer
lean rivers and harbors based upon sci.
entif1c knowledge, commercial impor-
lance and the exigencies and necessities
or each particular case. The big and lit.
tie pieces of pork will not be grabbed
for in blindfolded fashion, with the best
going to the mightiest. and the power be-
hind the throne in the future will be the
Engineer Corps of the army.
That. in brief. Is the decision reached
today by President Taft, Representative
Alexander chairman Of the rivers and
harbors committee. and Senator Nelson
of the Senate, which handles the rivel
and harbor bill in that body. Messrs
Alexander and Nelson are in thorough
harmony with the Presidents views as
to future river and harbor bills, it
being largely upon their information
and statements that the President re-
Gently announced that he would never
sign another pork" bill, made up along
old time methods.
Mr.. Alexander has for years fought
for a systematic. methodical bill, hav-
ing as it's basis exact, expert informa-
tion furnished by the engineers of the
army. The last bill. signed Saturday
by the President, was, as near as pos
sible under the circumstances, fash
toned by Mr.. Alexander upon these
ideas. and but for this the President
would have vetoed the measure out
right.
Favors Annual Appropriation.
The policy agreed upon, too. is that
there will be annual river and harbor
bills hereafter and not triennial ones, as
In the last few years. The annual bills
will reach nothing like the eighty-six-
million-dollar bill passed three years ago.
and will provide for various projects in
accordance with their relative impor.
lance, upon recommendations made by the
Engineer Corps. which will be set to
work at once upon request Of the con-
gressional committee handling these bills.
The engineers will be expected to re-
port in detail upon each project, showing
whether money Is or is not needed for
any fiscal year, how much is needed.
etc. While these reports and recon-
mendations will not be final with the
committee of Congress. the understand
ing is that eventually the engineers will
be given responsibility practically ap-
preaching their responsibilities in the
building of the Panama canal.
After the conference the congressional
visitors gave their views.
Views of MT. Alexander.
Mr.. Alexander. speaking for himself
and Senator Nelson, said:
The President wants an elimination OF
unimportant projects, even though here
tofore approved by the engineering de-
partment. and the systematic completion
Of the more important projects. The act
OF 1910 endeavors to prepare the way fol
this reform. In which Senator Nelson and
are in hearty accord. The bill omitted
several projects that ought to be aban-
doned. and 1t has fixed a time for COM
plotting the most important improvements
= "The President fully approves these
features of the bill. 1t also has prepared
size. not to exceed SIS. 100000 or $4,000,
O0O. which is the only way of overcoming
the present so-called piecemeal policy.
Had we increased the bill to $50. O0O, 600
the amount carried in the act Of 1907. we
could practically have completed most OF
the projects and thus avoided the drib-
bling policy which we inherited from for
mer bills. But had this been done II
would have destroyed our chance for an
annual bill which. after our long expe-
rience, is the only way to reform the ex-
listing system.
Heretofore engineers estimates of the
amounts needed have been mere guesses,
because the date o. the next bill was un-
certain.
1t might be two. three or even four
years of. But with an annual bill once
established the board Of engineers. by
indicating the amount of money actually
needed for each project each year. can
practically select the projects first to be
improved, fix the time for their compile
ton and indicate those projects which
should be abandoned. II the engineers
recommend no appropriation for q project
there will be nothing before Congress to
justify an appropriations; likewise, IL a
large appropriation for an important
project be recommended Congress would
be justified In making it.
1.-The same Is true II engineers recon-.
mend the time in which an important
project shall be completed. In other
words, the board of engineers itself can
indirectly become the competent body
of experts of which the President speaks
in his message. who should pass upon
the relative merits Of the various prof.
ects and recommend the order in which
they should be begun and completed
Reason for "Dribbling."
This is the purpose of the annual bill.
and our reason for continuing the So
called 'dribbling process in the bill of
1910 was simply to make an annual bill
a necessity. When the views Of Senator
Nelson and myself were placed before
the President this morning he fully ap-
proved them. and said that he would
communicate with the chief of engineers
and direct him to cooperate In the re-
form thus outlined"
Speaker Cannon is very optimistic as to
republican prospects next November; is
uncOncerned about his own political fu-
ture; Is willing to leave that to the re-
publican party; may or may not be a
candidate for Speaker again. and doesn't
feel that the world hinges upon his living
or dying or upon his being again elected
or defeated for Congress or once more
made Speaker.
Mr.. Cannon was among the throng of
congressional callers at the White House
today. The crowd was so great he did
not wait to see the chief executive and
went away. Running the gantlet Of ques.
lions Of newspaper men. the Speaker dis
coursed with emphasis and interest.
I'm all my life never saw q situation
so full Of promise to the republican
party" asserted the Speaker. 1T has
u