Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-12
Rohen McMade.

4 VOOSVI MCV does
WASHINGTON, Feb. lit is ex
pected tina. the river and harbor alp
preparation bill, which passed the
house January Is, after a somewhat
tempestnous voyage, due to attacks
made upon certain of its provisions
by Mr.. Moore OF Pennsylvania. Mt.
Mondell of Wyoming and Mr.. Gala
way of Texas, will be reported to the
senate by the commerce committee
of that body within a few days, con.
sidcration Of the measure. by the com,
mittee, having been begun last We'd
nesday.
1t is doubtful ii any OF the big sus-
ply bills of the government have to
endure more bear-baiting thaa the
river and harbor appropriation hills,
1t always has to run the gauntlet o.
knocks and suspicious and yet no
kind of legislation that comes before
congress is more scpupulousN oeassa>
cred than the river hld hsrsor aparo,
priation bills. the committee looking
at it from all angles, scanuins it and
studying it with an impartial eye IN
order that it may conform, as near
as possible, to the Judgment OF the
most disinterested people in the serV.
ice of the government-the officers Of
the U. S. army.
Sometimes the committee members
let the little storm of criticism blow.
and blow over. But sometines-rarely
t%hough-a member, indignant at the
injustice OF charges. will answer and
so on record with his resentment OF
unjust imputations and that is what a
veteran member of he rivers and har-
bors committee, Representative Ben
G. Humphreys of Mississippi, did the
other day in a notable contribution to
the literature on the subject OF waaer-
ways.
Speaking in he defense OF the com.
nittee. Mr.. Humphreys said:
in the three days the bill has been
under discussion, the rivers and har-
bors committee has been held up 10
the country as a band OF co~nspiraiors,
inspired by no better purpose that a
desire to steal the money out of the
treasury to spend it in our localities
and, as the gentleman from Texas has
expressed it, for the benefit of bar
keepers, grocerymen and contractors
/ would like to 80 into the matter
fully for those gentlemen who are not
handicapped by any information on
the subject, if they wanted light, but
the gentleman from Texas has al
ready declared on this floor, in his
cavalier fashion, I wish no informa-
ton on any item. The whole bill Is
rotten He then charged that the
engineer corps was equally rotten;
that they advocated big appropria.
lions for rivers and harbors in order
to keep at work and save their jobs,
and cites in support of that unique
contention two instances. one in the
Philippines and one in Arizona.
When informed that neither recon-
mendation was that of an army engi-
neer, he declared, Al; engineers look
alike to me- s!s3
IF you tear from the pages of our
history the record of the engineer
corps of the army, you will strike
from it some of the brightest pages
there. There is no higher profession
than that of the engineer, not even
that of a pork-barrel politician or a
statesman. General Wash.
ington was an engineer and engaged
such in the improvement of the
Of this country. Robert E. Lee
was an engineer of the United States
army, and Col. Goethals is one, as
call attention to those names
as an answer to the reckless charges
that these engineers favor river and
Improvements in order to hold
their jobs. Who is so ignorant that
he so believes? These men are West
Point graduates. They are in the
army, and hold their places for life,
but instead OF keeping them idle with
their commands we wisely put them !
In times of peace at work on these !
public works that will promote the
best interests and commercial devel. |
Op.nent of the country" |
C%ostinuing, Mr.. Humphreys said:
"The Mississippi river appropria-
ion has been criticised. ! challenge !
any mar who speaks on that subject
10 quote the platform of his party.