The Washington times., 1912-03-22
Hog ROLLERS"
| THREATENED BY
4 LEA AND KENYON
senatorial "Getters League"
and Back-Scratchers
Il Greatly Alarmed.
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III Continued from First Page)
big enough to serve as hotel for the
entire population of the town. 1t has
been calculated that If a like amount
We're expended for postoffice buildings
Tor all the urban population of the
eountry-say, G0,O00,00O pcople-the total
would be S16,0l4,O00,OOO. 1t would pay for
the civil war about three times, and
leave enough TO wipe out the present
natipnHl debt.
But the Wyoming investigators found
that Sundance and the other towns
lately in the public eye are not the
only testimonials to the Influence of
the veteran delegation from that State.
fore made for Wyoming postoffices:
Lander, population, 1,S12; $15700O.
sCasper, population, 2639; $4,000.
pGPqato9 S?sS e I'D ZOO
only
Cody, population, 1882; 5000 for site
only.
Green River, population, 1885, 5000
Qor site only. -
The claim Of Senator Warren's per-
sonal organ that northern and central
Wyoming have had over 21O00,OO0 OF
Federal appropriations is being looked
up; tnquiring people want to know
where il. came from and how it was
spent. There will be investigation at
the War Department of the efforts of
military authorities to get Fort D. A.
Russell Abandoned; which efforts were
hot pushed 1ar because OF the pOtenIlhl-
ity OF the Wyoming Senator There will
be investigation of other military posts
IN the State. which are not needed now
on account OF Indians. and are regard
ed as Of doubtful availability to repel
japanese invasion Of California or
Washington.
~ "Back Scratching"
But the alarming feature in the whole
situation is the threat of trying to
adott measures to end log-roliing. The
ban Of "you scratch my back and I'll
scratch yours has summarized Sena-
tlrial statesmanship in the matter of
appropriations for many wears. Militarw
JioHGys have gone &c army pests all
over creltion-eXc2pt where they are
needed. mostly-on tho theory that the
DELEGATIONS must have a slice. The arnir
authorities have for years and wears
hern trying desperately to get lot OF
little posts abandoned,so that they could
eoIlentratG the iroops S, in 6rlsa%e M hotta p9sts
trimming, InancuvcrinE in larger bodies
and the like.
Nothing Inins; Nebraska and WON
ing, and South Dakota, and Montana
bad Just as many Senators as any'other
state, and the army posts SUCK.
When Congressman @ 1,H,. Hell Of Iowa low wa was
n,ittea he star ted an army rost at DcS
Moines. his homH town. and got a
fallion or two for it. pess Mones di1n,t
need Des Moines: but 'Iull needed the
money and he got it. and it proved that
lie wasa good and efficient Congress
Liar, which he WA, too, in the matter
OF getting, for he was one Of the most
eminen. Eettcrs that ever got-Sena-
Senators are the prize getters. Its a
niatt"r of courtesy with them, and
thoy're awful shocked at the La
Ke1ynn Gold Dust Twins infantile iIii;r,c COM
The idea OF anv Senator looking up
sunddace's population! ,..,.
The great danger Is that legislation
might be put on a merit basis. That
would be something unheard of here
tofore;- no money for a Senator! No
onIy oop expenditures for really meritori-
Gus projects!
Aldrich's Estimate
Senator Aldrich, who was quite a log
roller himself in a modest, self-effaclng
way, once told the Senate that he
guessed business methods applied to the
Government would save $500, 100000 a
year. Report is that the Tennessee
Iowa Gold busters are looking into
that allegation, and preparing to IL
Illuminate and elaborate the Rhode Is
land economists theory with some data
about what could be saved if logroll-
tg in. appropriation measures were
1.-THE notion is to standardize appro-
pliations, after a fashion. That is, to
provide that an army post. for instance,
need of one, where It costs thousands
Of wasted money to transport troops to
and from it. and where it would keep
the soldiers as far as possible away
from any real need for their services.
Then postoffice buildings would be
placed In towns that really needed
them; the amount to be proportioned
TO the size of the town and the postal
receipts.
ttunkor creek would not get $4,000 ap-
proprlation for dredging, merely because
congressman a 70 for
re-eleCtion, unless, incidentally 1t could
be shown that there had been some
Visible water in the creek within four
years.
b And so on. There Is nobody so rash
as yet to suggest that tariff schedules
might also be made on some other than
the loS-rollnG plan; but even that is
legarded as a possible development of
the system that the gilded infants have
promulgated.
Before the pending trouble in tie
Senate over the public building ques-
ton Is over. caused by the efforts Of
Senators Lea and Kenyon to halt the
passage of bills for wyoming and Utah
Tor towns of insignfcant size. the SEN
ate may be forced to the adoption of
some fixed rule With respect to passage
of public building bills.
In the House committee public build
tRg projects are not considered unless
The locality has 5000 inhabitants an6
the postal receipts amount to $4,000 o.
more While some latitude is allowed
and consideration Is given to varying
circumstances. yet the House adhercS
pretty Closely to the rule. The Senate
has no rule at all and the question
whether Senator gets public build
ing bin through depends on his stand
Ing and influence.
This phase Of the public building queg-
lion VIII be considered when the Senate
plunges into the debate over the bills
Tor Sundance, Newcastle, and The
mopolis Wyo., and for ST. George.
Utah. o.
May Stop Practice.
In other words, out of the considcra-
tion of few individual cases is likely
to come serious consideration of put
Ting stop TO the practice which has
long prevailed by adopting a minimum
standard of requirements as the House
has done. Such a rule would tend to
economy and put a stop to numerous
abuses.
1t was declared today that while the
town of Sundsnce, Wwo., may not get
2 public building, it is likely to get as
much free advertising before the de-
bate is over as II it had expended tens
Il Al MI