River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-04-09
WASHINGTON LETTER
FROM JAMES A. FREAR, MEMBER OF
CONGRESS, foth DISTRICT

preceding week in discussion q
the notorious pork barrel River and
/ Harbor bill. 1t is a vicious meas.
ure that appropriates $40, 400. 600 il
addition to authorizing projects
which amount to $38,0O0,0 900 more
of which $4,000, 900 is paid out of
this years appropriations. In other
words the bill appropriates directly
and indirectly $4,000, 900 or nearly
one dollar from every man, won an
and child in the country. Wiscon-
>in contributes literally to this
pork barrel because her proportion
If this $4,000, 900, according to
the good roads bill, would amount
to over two million dollars Aside
from several small appropriations
for like harbors, Wisconsin receives
no return for this tremendous sum
of money which is to be poured
into the rivers and harbors all over
the country, without regard to
neces sity or reason
During the debate offered a
score of amendments to strike oul
some of the most fragrant steals,
but every one of them was voted
down by the committee. It was
shown that the Kissimme River,
Florida, went dry eight months in
the year, according to the engi
neers' report, and yet it receives
S44 900, the committee voting down
my amendment Another Florida
river was given 1888 900 for canal
system in order to float oranges TO
market, one of the grossest frauds
in the bill, but the committee held
on to it. Several appropriations
were for harbors for fertilizing fac
tories and other manufacturing in
situations on the Atlantic coast,
a vicious raid on public funds for
private purposes. But these were
only minor items.
Seven million dollars is to be
thrown into the lower Mississippi
next year without any return bene
fit. Two million dollars goes into
the Missouri River although the
engineers report showed the actual
annual business tonnage to be less
than 10 900 tons, or in other words
the Government pays $4,000 tor
FOR Missouri river traffic. A $63,
900, 900 canaliz alton dream on the
Ohio river and a $1OO, 900, 900 intra
coastal canal fraud are among the
pr positions toward which other
items in the bill contribute
Mr.. Humphreys of Mississippi,
who is father of the $275,000,0 900
Mississippi reclama ration scheme by
the Government, said during the
concluding hours of the five days
debate: During the past several
days the gentleman from Wiscon-
sin { Mr.. Frear) has moved to strike
| out numerous items contained in
the bill. | do not say now, and
have not heretofore said and shall
not hereafter say anything in criti-
cism of him for that. | am per.
fectly satisfied he did it because he
believed that by so doing he was
serving his country we'll
That was a generous sentiment
from the strongest man on the com
mittee who secured 100000 fol-
his Mississippi River project out 81
the $43 900, 900 contained in the bill
1t is hard to run up against a com
mittee where the pork has beer
judiciously distributed, but the
light of publicity was let in on some
of the worst examples of how best
to burglarize the Government trea
sury.
The Panama Canal tolls is on
Republican, Progressives and Dem
ocrats are split up so that no one
can determine just how the vote
will stand. 1t is probable tha
President Wilson will secure tn
passage of his bill to repea
that part of the act which now per
mits domestic vessels to go through
free, but it is a lively fight on botf
sides in which Great Britain ani
other countries are given a lam
basting or eulogy according to the
perjudices or preferences of tbs
speaker. The debate lasts fol
twenty hours which with interven
ing business ought TO bring it to