The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-12-20


snrhg sell qualified to write con-
eHrnine legislation for waterways. He
haa represented the first Florida dis
tfiet Is congress since 1895 and is
chairman 81 the committee on Rivers
and Harhora. Of which be has been a
member since 1896 National Wa
ter0aya Magazine
The Improvement OF the harbors
and nat.eable waterways of the coun-
try IS the federal government, al
though attended with many Difficult
tles ia the earlier years of the re-
public has nevertheless been carried
an with a marked degree of success.
The obstacles in the way of this class
~ work during the first decades of
our history were largely the result OF
political conditions and the construc-
tion placed upon the federal constitu-
ton BY many OF our leading states
men.
The strict constructionist of that
instrument could for a long time
md therein no warrant Tor the ex-
pendlture OF money by the general
government on rivers and harbors, no
matter what the necessities demand
ing their improvement. Few in those
earlier days thought of looking to the
commerce clause of the constitution
for any such power. In fact many,
including prominent jurists of that
period. regarded that provision as
only furnishing authority for the pro-
mitigation of rules by which inter-
state commerce might be regulated.
construction by the federal govern
ment of post roads, whether intra or
interstate. and early in our history as
a nation we were more inclined to
enter upon that line of governmental
activity than TO improve our naviga-
BILE waters
To be sure, this sentiment against
the participation by the government
in the improvement of rivers and har-
bors was not unanimous, but was suf-
ficiently strong to confine congress
ton, mainly the granting of author
ity, to make such improvements, to
individuals or to the states. Gradu-
ally, however, and following the de-
IL Al.
tiously charging and extending the
scope of the commerce clause in the
constitution as at fist understood,
this sentiment underwent a change,
and as early as 1916 congress began
to appropriate for river and harbor
improvement; doing so, however, in
termittently and sparingly for many
years.
II was not until the formation OF
the rivers and harbors committee
in 1883, that the national law making
body seriously entered upon that
class of work. Down to that time
only sl25,147022.3 had been appro
priated, bills for which had been re
ported mainly by the committee on
commerce, now the interstate and
foreign commerce committee, though
thirteen had been prepared and sub
mitted by the committee on ways
and means, and three by the commit.
tee on the whole house, without ref
erence 10 any special or STANDING
committee.
Since the formation of the rivers
and harbors committee, a period OF
only Twenty-Five years, little over
$575.000,00 has been appropriated for
the Improvement of our harbors and
inland waterways. the whole aggre.
eating a little upward of $700,000,000
OF this, s1S6,576, 1921 have been for
the Atlantic coast harbors and water
ways; sG6,429 S0317 for the gulf and
Its waterways, exclusive of the Mis-
Eissippi river: $53.2S1, S2136 for the
Pacific and its rivers; S131 ,557, 941 20
for the Great Lakes basin, and s270,-
69I.l73.77 for the Mississippi river
system. while about $5,500,000 have
been for the Hudson Bay basin, Alas
ka. Porto Rico, Hawaii, and for mis-
cellaneous purposes.
The total number of improvements
for which the aggregate has been ap-
propriated is slightly in excess of
flye hundred and thirty. Now, $780,
ooo.ooo is large su mfor any coun-
try TO eNpend on it's harbors, rivers
and canals and it proclaims the fact
that the federal government has not
neglected our navigable waters.
Nor have the results been disap-
pointing, whether we consider the
physical work accomplished or the
benefits accruing to commerce. The
most OF the projects undertaken have
been carried to completion, resulting
in marked Improvement of the navi-