Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-27

and to arouse bitter enmities. | have
steadfastly refused to permit minor
questions Of patronage to distracting
attention from the larger problems
which face the American people.
We have II navy yards of the first
and second class, while England, with
a navy twice as large as ours, has but
six. Yet we do not possess a single
navy yard where we could at one time
dock q squadron or fleet. In the de-
bate on the naval appropriation bill of
1909 this question Of the multiplicity
of petty navy bases was raised by a
member of the senate from one Of the
Rocky mountain states. In answer to
the criticisms thus projected, a men,
ber of the senate from South Carolina
frankly sald ut comes with bad
grace from men on that side who have
been getting their share of chicks and
eggs from the national government to
get up and cautiously criticise the rest
of us, who are only doing the same
thing"
This policy Of piecemeal appropria.
tions encourages extravaganza and the
adoption of injudicious and wasteful
projects merely for the purpose of
spending money in the greatest posi-
BILE number Of districts. When you
give small appropriations to a large
number of items 1t is an invitation to
every congressman who has a harbor,
creek well developed spring, to
come in and ask for ar appropriation
in these bills. 1t is a very simple mat
ter to some to congress and secure
100000 on a project that will cost
million or two millions. One hundred
thousand is not regarded as a very
large sum. 1t is considered that one
congressional district ought to have
that much recognition Of the fact that
it is on the map, and that its member
is active in congress. When the $780,
900 is appropriated, it is very easy to
come to Washington again and say,
What! Will congress, after it his COM
mitted itself to this great project, al
though costing a million dollars or
more, drop it after $1OO 600 has been
spent and let the money expended be
buried in the sea?"
In this way have seen the most un-
warranted and eXtrayagant enterprises
undertaken-apparently not so much
to improve our waterways as to put
the governments money into circua-
ton in the various congressional dis
tricts, in order to improve the chances
of the different members of congress
for reelection.
Tho Red river in Louisiana, Arkan-
sas and Texas is another example of
ill-adyised Improvements. The govern
ment has expended about $3,000,0OO on
that stream, For the year 1911 traffic
over this stretch of AIS miles below
Fulton harbor, aside from the saw logs
which could be iloated without any i'm
provements, was 10 tons of grain, 16
tons Of provisions 2G tons of fish, and
10 tons Of ice. In all, 62 tons were
carried on these 47G miles of river The
river and harbor bill of 1912 carries
an appropriation Of $4,000 for this
stretch Of the Red river. That is at
the rate of $SOG for every ton of mer-
chandlse or grain carried on that riv-
er the preceding year. The amount
expended Is practically eight times as
much as all the value of the merchan-
disc and freight carried. Two years
ago it was S3j tons, but it dropped to
G2 tons in 1911.
Magnificent public buildings are
erected in small towns and inaccessl.
BILE country seats not because they are
needed, not because the public service
will suffer from lack of them--but be-
cause a congressman feels that he
should bring home something to his
district from the public treasury ia
show his constituents that he is alive
to their welfare and is alert at Wash.
ington. Political benefits rather than
governmental necessities are the mo.
tives uppermost in framing these bills
Let me cite the instances of few un.
justified public buildings scattered
here and there through the country
Statesyille ~ c., with a population o.
less than 5000, boasts public building
which together with the lot cost $77,
1877. Biloxi, Miss, is proud Of the mu
nifcence Of i government which hai
expended $4,000 for a public building
in that city of 5000 souls. Aberdeen
: in that same state, can boast of the eff
ficiency of its representative in con
gress who secured from the publi
vaults the sum of $7S,763 for It's pub
lie building. Aberdeen Is a delightful
southern village Of about 1000 inhabi
tants.
Pierre. S. D. Is tYnicAl. There ar