The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-26
THE WHEREFORE Of
THE PORK BARREL
NEEDED TO HELP CONGRESsMEN
TO SQUARE THINGS" WITH
THEIR CoNsTITUENCfEs.
CONDUCIVE TO WASTE
UNDERWOOD AND DEMOCRATIC MA
JORITY FROWN ON RECOMMEN-
DATION OF HOUSE COMMIT
TEE on PUBLIC GROUNDS.

g. w ASFt tNSIoN, jyec. 90 Ht
pork barrel" one of our most fav-
ored legislative institutions, is about
to confound the economy-loving
Democrats of the House of Repre-
sentatives A Democratic caucus may
! have to be called to set things Alright.
! for the House Committee on Public
| Buildings and Grounds is determined
! that there shall he barrel, and
| Representative Underwood and some
! OF the other leaders have said moth
/ ing doing"
/ 1t is, of course. a matter of re-
/ cent news that the committee has
i determined there shall be a pork
! barrel" The new dispatches. however,
| do not explain the why and where
| fore That the milkman In Omaha
! may know the ms and out of legisla-
! tive procedure at the national capi-
! tai II is necessary to explain that
| the pork barrel has made and un-
| made statesmen for many years.
Presidents have vetoed pork
! barrel bills and the bills have been
! passed over the veto, II is case
! Of self-defense for the average mem
Der of Congress. who must make
| good or see his seat rudely jerked
| from under him.
Case of Self Preservation.
| Hence IL was case of self-pre-
seryation when the members of the
/ Public Buildings Committee met the
/ other day and voted there shall be
public building bill, despite the adj
! vice Of Leader Underwood and 9TH
| ers.
! The mix-up between the Demo
/ cratic leader and the committee IL
! that the ma iority of the House Is out
fer an econ omy record, and pork
to $4,000. 600 are not conducive 10
retrenehment in expenditures There
are two classes of these bills. and
| they have played part up on Cap
stol Hill almost ever since the foun-
| dation of the government. One spe-
cies Is the rivers and harbors ap-
| nropriation bills providing for the
Improvement of various streams In
all parts of the United states. The
| other IS the public buildings bill
| which provides that a postotflce shall
ne built at Squash Center or In New
York city, as the case may he. Every
appropriation bill contains. more or
legs. certain so-called pork barrel
Items, bur the great killing Is done
| IN the rivers and harbors apprepria-
tons and the public buildings appro-
priations.
The plight of the members Of tee
House Public Buildings Committee
,nay be realized when one recalls
;hat members of the House are elect
cd by the people. and that an ex-
| 3cting constituency is demanding ae-
tlon at this end of the line,
The Hon. Jahe Peterson. for In
stance, persuades the people OF Z
| congressional district in sovereign
state that he Is best qualified to b.
your congressman. He arrives n
! the Capitol uses about SIX months
n learning the ropes and then grad
uallv "tumbles' to the fact that the
legislator who makes the greatest hi
s he who gets the most for his dis
lict.
Same Old Stand.
About this time the new mem ner'
| haar from the various towns in tht
district Our postoffice Is in fearfn
shape; the building Is antiquatad ane
$ an esesore TO the town and a dis
grace To the United States govern
. nent," an expeetant constituehcN
writes. We ought 10 have a build
|. ing that costs 500, 600 but we coulf
manage with $4,000 approprta
ton.
Mr.. Peterson Immediately gets bus
and introduces bill providing tina
I the sum of $4,000, not otherWis'
appropriated out Of the treasury
shall he appropriated for the cree
I ZION Of Il Federal building in th'
(. town OF Podunk" No sooner is thi
done than another town is heare
= from, and SO on. BY the time tn
member has been In the House fey
months he has introduced bills call
ing for appropriations OF seFefa
hundred thousand dollars.
Something more than three hun
: Gred members are introducing bill
similar to that dropped in the hop
per by the Honorable Jahe Peterson
All of these bills go 10 the lious
committee on public buildings an
grounds, each member OF which ha
troubles or his own, To say nothfn
: Of the opportunities of scores of hi
colleagues who are all wrought Il
over the public question.
} I've just got to get that builatn
in Podunk, or my congressional caree
is ended" SAYS a member. A simifa
tale ia told by dozens Of others an
all roads in the big House office build
ing lead to the committee room g
The House committee on puhli
buildings and grounds
The same argument applies wit
. respect TO improvements OF rivers an
harbors. There is a demand for In
!. deepening or almost every creek /
| the United States and appropriation
} are asked for every stream frof
| Goose pond to the great MISSISSIPPI
The money must be spent or man
q brilliant congressional career wi
be blighted at its very start.
What is the committee on publ
, ! buildings or the committee on river
: and harhors to do? There is but on
, answer--appropriate Its an inter
7 change of courtesies between mem
bsrs. matter OF You tickle me an
> IN tickle you
Committee In Corner.
? That Is exactly what has been don
/ ~, tn, ponrapepilS committee