The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-18
Demands of Constituents

DemdHQS OI SOnStltuentS
 In tlis mepbers of Congress-they free ly admit il is private conversation-are Eerely yielding to the demands of their constituents. Development of waterways and public buildings appropriations by Congress are the greatest menace to economy, beside them the insignificant question of mileage amounts to absolute ly nothing. Questions of votes in sup port of these measures to insure their passage through Congress, it. has been said make the real needful work of the government toward development of water ways actually cost double what it should because of the money wasted on work un- lie cessary in sections of the country where the work is not needed for navigation and to aid commerce. but is needed to insure the sufficient number of votes to pass the appropriatiors.
 Members of Congress who annually cap italize the mileage question and will delay the passage of the appropriation bill car rying that item for weeks in a vain at tempt to reduce the appropriation for that item, thereby saving the governmental successful-whieh they never are-$100,000 perhaps-will vote for an appropriation of s500,000 or more to dredge or build locks and dams in some stream in their dis tricts that would have hard work in float, ing a boat that could carry the appro- prlaton in silver dollars
 Representatives Underwood and F'itz- gerald had to finally come to the rescue of the legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill The House leader himself has always consistently stood for actual expenses for members of Con- gress in the matter of mileage. He real ized that the House must have it's an nual spasm over the question of economy on this bill He left them to wrangle over it for a couple of weeks. and seeing no end to the controversy, he quietly stepped in and told the House that the bill must be passed, ample opportunity had been given them, but a great appropriation bill must not be held up for weeks over one little item. The House took it's medicine like little men and voted to accept the Senate amendment having thus reversed itself on the question of mileage not less than three times.
 All Accept the Money
 There are, of course. many gentlemen in the House who do not believe that it is right for the government to pay 20 cents a mile for their transportation to Washington They are not so absolutely convinced however that this is not right, that they have refrained in large num- bers from accepting the 20 cents per mile So far as is known no one has turned down the money. It has been designated as graft. robbery of the peo- pie, and all that by excited members on the floor. but as Representative Mann said, they usually take the money. More- over. the same gentlemen who get so ex- cited over this robbery of the public treasury remain away from their post of duty in the House for weeks and weeks at a time, but take pay for all the time they are away despite a rule to the con- trary on the statutes.
 Representative Fitzgerald of New York who has carefully studied the question of appropriations-bein the head of the great appropriation committee of the House. is firmly convinced that Congress can never control properly the appropria- tions along the lines of economy de- manded by the democratic party in it's platform declarations until a new sys- tenn of appropriations is adopted by the House. A plan suggested by MT. Shirley of Kentucky. MT. Fitzgerald of New York, and MT. Underwood, for budget committee. was turned down over a year ago by a caucus of democrats, the first real defeat of a matter that was close to the heart of the present leader of the ma jority. However. MT. Fitzgerald is de- termined to continue the fight for some such plan. Until he gets it through all most any Congressman will admit that Congress will continue to spend all the money the treasury collects and then some-if not checked