The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-10-08
TAKES Mr..
LAF0LLETTE TO TASK
Progressive Says Congressman
is Supporter of Pork Barrel
in National House

! N. A. Peacock, of North Yakima,
progressive candidate for congress
from the fourth district, spent several
days last week in Kennewick and the
surrounding territory. Mr.. Peacock
is finely educated, clean cut man, of
| excellent personality. He is vigor
GUS campaigner and his visit here has
undoubtedly gained him many friends
among the voters Of the valley.
In educational training, Mr.. Pea
cock eminently measures up to con-
| gressional qualifications. He is B.
A. graduate of Oberlin College and a
post graduate of Syracuse Univer-
sity. At the present time he is en-
gagged in fruit growing, hay and grain
raising and the breeding Of mulefoot
ley, 3h miles from North Yakima.
He is A years of age and has three
sons, the oldest of which is in school
in the east.
Mr.. Peacock has made a careful
study Of irrigation problems and the
effect which national legislation has
upon home building in the reclama-
ton areas in the northwest. In this
connection he takes Congressman
LaFollette to task and claims that by
his voice and vote on the Underwood
Amendment he aligned himself
with the "pork barrel" crowd in con-
gress and disqualified himself for
longer representing the people OF this
district.
In explanation of this measure, Mr..
Peacock said:
"Article 16, known as the Under
wood Amendment of the Reclamation
Act, in effect puts the reclamation
service on the same basis as all pork
barrel" appropriations, such as public
ments, etc., and makes the expendi-
ture Of the reclamation fund subject
to log rolling and trading of influence
by congressman instead of consid-
GRAFTON of the merits of the various
projects proposed.
Heretofore the reclamation fund
has been apportioned by the Secre-
tary of the Interior on reports made
by the various engineers of the rec
lamation service through the direc-
tors office. These reports were in
detail as to the feasibility of the pro-
ject, the probability Of paying back
the expenditures required and the de-
STABILITY and necessity of the pro-
posed development. This removed
reclamation work from politics, and
made possible the efficient work
which has been done.
Method is Dangerous
"Under the present law for which
Mr.. LaFollette voted, and it is sig
nificant fact that of all the men rep
resenting the Northwest, Mr.. LaFol-
lette stood alone, estimates will be
made by the various engineers of the
service or the money needed on each
project. These estimates will be used
by the secretary of the interior in
making up his annual report of ap-
preparations needed. This report will
go into the book Of appropriations
printed by the secretary of the treas
! ury and will go before the committee
on appropriations of the house of
representatives in congress. This
committee has the power to follow
the recommendation Of the secre-
tary, or entertain any new PROPOSE
ton which may be presented by any
one, or entirely disregard the repre-
sensations made by the secretary, as
they see fit. The great danger in
this method lies in the fact that pri-
vate interests who have attempted to
failures financially as is the case in
many of the Carey Act projects may,
by working up sufficient local senti-
ment, get the congressman back of
the scheme to have the United States
take over the project, which in itself
may be q rank failure, and appropri-
ate sufficient money to- buy out the
private interests at par and thus
spend public money for the purpose
Of assisting influential financial in
terests to unload and save them from
some infeasible and improperly in
vestigated reclamation projects. If
the Congressman has sufficient influ-
ence or sufficient trading power, he
may succeed either in getting the ap-
| nronriation hv nuttinO his scheme IN