Evening journal., 1914-09-03
Peoples Column
RILL STILL in DANGER.

JOOhNAA4'
Sir-Every friend of waterways
should fully realize the fact that the
1914 River and Harbor bill Will not
be out of danger until 1t has actually
become a law. Responding to an in
quiry from Senator Penrose, Senator
Kern, leader of the Senate majority,
recently said:
"Mr. President. In answer to the
Senator from Pennsylvania, l Will |
say that it was announced some time /
ago authoritatively and correctly that /
the majority had determined that the |
river and harbor bill should be dis /
posed of before the adjournment OF |
the present session. There has been I
no change in that determination"
You will note that the agreement |
was not that the bill should be passed, (
hut that it should be disposed Of, |
which is a very different matter. Il !
is very evident that the group OF
Senators who have been conducting !
the filibuster against the bill intend !
to continue their opposition. And
in private conversation Senator Kern
strongly emphasized the statement
that has already been repeatedly
made from this Office. viz:
THE PASSAGE OF THE RIVER
AND HARBOR BILL DEPENDS ABB
ANCE OF A QUORUM BOTH IN THE
SENATE AND THE HOUSE
Do not make the mistake Of sup
| posing that the House has nothing
more 10 do with the matter. Many
/ amendments have been made to the
/ bill as passed by the House, which
] a NoN he's
PASSED by the Senate, shall be sent
to conference. and the report OF the
conference committee must receive
ar affirmative vote, both In the House
and the Senate. before the bill will
be finally passed.
WEAKNESS from the almost con-
tinuous sessions during the past two
years, the near approach of the fall
campaign, and many other reasons
make it entirely natural that Sena-
tors and members should be anxious
to leave Washington as soon as the
Trust bills and emergency legislation
made necessary by the war in Eur
ope shall be disposed Of. Nothing
but the pressure of public opinion
will insure the maintenance of
quorum until the River and Harbor
bill is passed. That pressure must
be exerted and the quorum main
tanned, for the failure Of the bill
would be nothing short OF a national
disaster.
The disaster does not lie wholly IN
the future-it has already begun.
Since 1910 It has been the avowed
policy of the Government 20 pass a
River and Harbor bill every year, and
!
every one concerned with river and
harbor work has acted accordingly.
Already, thousands of men have been
thrown out of employment and mil
lions Of dollars worth Of costly equip
ment, belonging to contractors
and the Government. Is rustlng IN
idleness. In some cases no funds are
J available for Office expenses or for
? the payment of watchmen to prevent
5 boats and dredges from being swept
away by storms and floods.
Every day of delay in the passage
of the bill will add to the idle equip
ment and to the thousands of men
= thrown out Of employment, and If the
e bill is defeated the disaster will be
r complete. And it must be remem-
r bered that the contractors and work
- men directly engaged in river and
! harbor work are not the only ones
who will be affected. Those who
furnish the iron, steel. lumber, ce-
r ment, and other supplies used in
river and harbor work, and the work
! men employed by them, will also suf-
} fer. Water transportation lines can
not operate because channel i'm
provements are not completed and
: mines cannot be operated because
! they cannot secure transportation.
Worse than all else, there are thou
sands of people who might have been
4 made secure. who will live in dread
of the coming of the time of floods.
knowing that destruction of their
property is certain and that they may
even lose their lives
Thus far those who have conducted
( the filibuster have made only general
charges instead of specific criticisms.
4 (See statement of Senator Ransdell
which is sent you under another
4 cover). They, and certain news
a papers and periodicals which have
! approved their course, seem to want
not to eliminate the Objectionable
items but to defeat the bill as a
& whole. II should be remembered that
q il is ten times as easy to defeat bill
a az the short session of Congress as
at the long session. II the bill oil
1914 is defeated, there is little hope
for one next year.
Z Petitions, memorials, and resolu.
tions adopted by commercial organi
cations are all effective means of In.
fiuencing Senators and Representa-.
t'yes. but the most effective method
is a flood Of genuinely personal let.
ters and kilograms from their con.
stituents Duplicated letters anC
kilograms in identical language will
rot answer-in fact do harm rather
than good-but no member of either
the House or the Senate VIII fail tC
reed hundreds or thousands Of let
tors and kilograms which are evident
~ written by those whose names are
signed thereto.
You are earnestly requested to give
i publicity to this appeal and TO urge
your readers to write to the Senators
and Representatives from your state
asking that they pledge themselves
not only to vote for the bill but tc
work for its passage and especially
to remain in Washington and hely
maintain a quorum until the bill I.
passed. ENOUGH PERSONAL LET
TIERS WILL MAKE THE PASSAGE
Y OF THE BILL AN ABSOLUTE GER
- ~ rNrrrU