The Sentinel=record., 1914-07-19
CLARKE FIGHT FOR
 APPROPRIATION
RECORD SHOWS SENATOR KEN TON HELPED AND SENATOR
 BURTON OPPOSED.
excerpts From the Congressional heeord Which will Prove of Inter. est to Those Who Would Know ot work to Help Hot Springs.

Ae III behalf of the Hot Springs appropriation item, how Senator Bur. ton opposed, and how Senator Ken yoh' who had been here helped Sen a'or Clarke, will be read with inter- eSt particularly the following ex- cerpts:
 The next amendment of the Com miItee on Appropriations was. on page III, after line 9, to insert:
 Hot Springs Reservation. Hot springs, Ark: For labor and ma. terial required in the installation of drainage system in the city of Hot springs to care for storm waters rom the mountains of the Hot Springs Reservation, $237,S4O, to be expended under the direction of the secretary of the Interior and in ac- cordance with plans described in House Document No. 129S, Sixty second Congress, third session.
 MT Burton. Mir. Prsident, do not think we ought to adopt that amend ment without some explanation of it. As it reads here it lc:
 For labor and material required in the installation of a drainage system in the city of Hot Springs to care for storm waters from the mountains of the Hot Springs Reservation, S237 7S40-
 And so forth. Why should the Federal Government pay for that?
 MT. Clarke of Arkansas. Mir. Pres ident, that improvement is one which is shown to be necessary by an en- gineering examination that was made under the authority of an act of Con. gress. It is well known that about 1000 acres of the area of Hot Springs is government property. Two mountains that make a valley on which a considerable part of the town is built are the property of the United States. The government owns a vast amount of property there. All the bathhouse sites Tn the town are the property of the United States. This has been evolved as an expert determination of what the right Of ownership in that place de wolves upon the national government. It is all worked out in a very elabor- ate document by board of engineers appointed for that purpose. The item passed the Senate at the last session, but by reason of the size of the bill or something else it was left out in conference. It is a wellrecog- nized necessity in that locality, and it has been duly estimated for. It has run the gauntlet of all the in- spections to which items of this kind are usually subjecte"
 Mir. Burton. l should like to have the item passed over until l can ex- anime this document.
 Mir. Clarke of Arkansas. It de. bends altogether on whether or not we are likely to get through with the bill tonight
 Mir. Martin of Virginia. We hope to finish the bill tonight. I do not think the Senator will make any in allowing the amendment to be agreed to.
 Mir. Clarke of Arkansas. It is not a new item. It is one that has pass ed the Senate heretofore.
 Mir Burton. It seems to me very singular contention that the owner ship of property adjacent to city should impose upon the government the obligation of providing drain age system for the city
 MT. Clarke of Arkansas. It is more than the mere ownership of property adjacent to it. It is the ownership of the city itself, nearly , thousad acres-90O acres and traction.
 Mir. Gallinger. I will ask the Sen ltor from Arkansas whether there is my report which would show whether or not this experiment in government ownership is profitable?
 MT. Clarke of Arkansas. This one las not been profitable up to the time, but it ought to be in he near future. It is one of the great institutions of this country. md I feel confident that it's opera ions will show a net profit in favor ,f the government at an early date. it has not yielded a net profit, but it is making progress in hat direction.
 MT. Gallinger. As I understand, he hotel rights and bath rights and everything of that kind are sold to private parties; are they?
 MT. Clarke of Arkansas. That was rue 20 years ago. At that time the lotel leases were made for rather lominal prices; but the importance if the resort has become so well ,nown now that these sites are ex- eedingly valuable and they bring -ery high rents. I think from this inc forward it will be a self-sus- aiming proposition.
 Mir. Gallinger. did not make the nquiry with any feeling of hostility f all.