The Republican journal., 1912-05-16
Washington Whisperings.

WASHINGTON, D. c., May Is, 1912.
The river and harbor appropriation bill
which has been under consideration by
the Senate Committee on Commerce for
the past month has been reported to the
upper branch of Congress and will be
taken up Immediately. 1t carries in
round numbers s34, 053, 900, being an in
crease of 81, 791, 900 over the House
measure. The increases are largely due
to the demands of flooded sections of the
country, particularly along the Missis-
sippi and the Missouri, the necessity for
emergency appropriations to strengthen
levees and repair crevasses adding con-
siderably to the amount which the bill
carries. While the bill does not appro-
pirate as large an amount as the National
Rivers and Harbors Congress has stood
for in its resolutions, the officers of the
organization feel encouraged over the
growing sentiment for generous water
way bill making yearly appropriations
for approved projects. Less and less
does the personal side of legislation enter
into the consideration of the measure,
and each project is coming to stand on
its own merits rather than on log-rolling
which marked the bill in years gone by.
Good roads and improved waterways
go hand in hand, Congress having decided
to deal generously with the good roads
movement during the present session of
Congress. In connection with the Ameri-
can Road Congress to be held next fall,
Secretary Wilson has authorized Director
Logan Waller Page of the Office of Good
Roads to give complete exhibit of the
governments work on the public roads
of the country, showing how unimproved
roads hurt the farmer and how improved
roads aid not only the farmer but the
consumer. Four of the biggest associa-
tons of the country interested in public
roads are consolidating their forces in
order to make the next American Road
Congress the biggest affair of its kind in
the history of the movement.
There were 1920, 766,0OO pounds of
butter, valued at s4O5, 900, 900, produced
on farms and in factories in the United
States during the census year 1909, ac-
cording to statement issued by the Cen
sus Bureau. The largest total quantity
was produced by the West North Central
division. Among the States, Wisconsin
ranks first as butter producer, with
Iowa second and Minnesota third, Penn
sylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New
York, Texas and Indiana trailing along
in the order given. One and half billion
pounds of butter, valued at over four
hundred million dollars, is going some
along the butter route.
The memorial exercises in honor of the
late Major A. W. Butt, the Presidents
Aide who was a victim in the Titartic
disaster, held in Washington on Sunday,
brought together the most distinguished
company ever assembled in the Capital
City of the Nation. The exercises were
held under the auspices of local lodge
of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of
which ''Archie" Butt was member and
who lived the principles of Masonry
every day in the year. The exercises
were profoundly impressive, the Presi-
dent finding it difficult to speak of the
sterling qualities of his Aide, who had
grown to be more like a son to him than
a military attache.
PROHIBITION PETITIONS.