The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-04-12

, projects not now considered, whether
on account of the necessity for conser-
vatism in the matter of appropriations
or for other reasons, may be again
presented to the committee and thru
it to Congress.
We have not considered favorably
all the projects that have been here
tofore submitted to Congress or to this
committee. When we began the prep
aration of this bill we found some
thing like 135 new projects awaiting
consideration by the committee and by
Congress, the whole aggregating some
thing like $65,00OO0O OF this number
we have only taken care of fifty-f four
in the pending measure, but the
amount involved is much more than
the aggregate of those remaining,
some eighty-five in number That is
to say, while we have considered ia
vorably only little more than one
third of the relatively recent projects
now before Congress, the amount rec
commended to complete the fifty-four
adopted constitutes nearly two-thirds
of the whole. We have. for instance,
adopted projects the appropriations for
which, however. are small, amounting
to something like $11.000,000. leaving
only about $4,000, 900 now before Con-
gress yet to be considered
In selecting those embraced within
the bill we have been governed en-
tirely by the urgency and relative i'm
| portance of the projects considered
from the standpoint of the commerce,
either present or prospective, to be &C.
commodated. and believe that we have
made few, if any, mistakes. Certain
ly, l may assure this body that the
committee has endeavored to select
wisely, intending, of course. to give
further consideration to the projects
omitted from the present measure in
the preparation of the next bill. In
the consideration of this. as in those
which have preceded it, the commit
Itee on rivers and harbors have treated
each individual project alone upon its
merits without regard to section, To-
cality. or outside pressure of any kind.
And right here 1t may not be i'm
proper to advert to criticisms leveled
and at Congress. not so frequently of
late, however, as in years gone by,
that these bills are pork barrel meas
Il
tiers into their consideration This
| charge; whenever or wherever made,
is strictly unjust and without founda-
ton. No project has ever been adopt
ed within the range of my experience
and observation as a member of the
rivers and harbors committee, cover
ing period of sixteen years, for any
other reason than that of the CONNER
aA "a, - ~
try by the doing of the work called
for in the project considered. Cap
plause). Mr.. Chairman, during this
time We have provided for hundreds of
projects, involving an expenditure of
S32S,000,000 and ranging all the way
from those of greater magnitude. like
the harbors of New York and Boston
and long stretches of river like the
Mississippi and the Ohio. to small
streams and less pretentious harbors:
but whether great or small the only
thought has been the commerce to be
benefited by the money appropriated
or authorized If. incidentally, mem
bers were pleased or constituencies
gratified, so much the better: but
these considerations did not. and have
not, influenced us in the adoption of
projects or in determining the amounts
appropriated therefor. Let me further
say, Mr.. Chairman. that we have done
the best We could in the selection of
the items which have gone into this
bill and in fixing the amounts appro-
priated or authorized, and if there is
anyone who sees. or thinks he sees.
ground for criticism now is the time
10 raise his voice or else hereafter hold
his peace. We trust we are able to de-
lend successfully every item in this
! Dill, and invite the closest scrutiny of
any and all its provisions. (Applause).