The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-13
NO SPARE CASH FOR
IVERSANDHARBORS
Congress Is Not Expected to
Make Any Appropriations
Next Year.
MONEY FOR DEFENCE

UAsHiSGroS, Sept. 1e.-Simultane-
,,,s,y with the discovery by the Ma
,opa, Rivers and Harbors Congress
,Na, Government engineers lave re
onmended the abandonment of h ex-
,srs.ye Missouri River ani Arkansas
River Improvement projects comes an
,,narent.y authentic announcement that
congress will make no attempt TO pass
river and harbor appropriation bill
,s,t year because of an expected heavy
a-at, on the Treasury by a more am
.y.ous military and hawai- programme.
Led by the Chamber OF Commerce.
., ,ra;e delegation OF Kansas City Cit
,,ers is coming to Washington early in
October 70 protest before the Board Of
r,rtreers for Rivers AND Harbors
against the decision OF Col Deakyne. the
army engineer stationed at Kansas
CITY who condemned the Missouri
river as a profitable investment for
Government funds.
A new movement has been inaugu-
rated 10 relieve the Army Corps OF En-
rneers OF the authority to sanction OF
Slsapproye river improvement and place
1. in the hands OF a commission OF
practical business mem" This move
ment is led by Senator Jim Reed
q, Missouri and those advocating il
Including some eighteen House members
.xpec, that the commission member:
vii be so practical as to realize eN'
astly why they hold their jobs and In
dorse any Improvement project thai ha:
a grain Of FEASIBILITY in II.
Congressmen Depressed.
Such Is the state of Affairs at present
The outlook is depressing for the pori
barrel Congressman. The best they
now hope for is that the country in TIT
coming year may forget Its hostility (,
useless river Improvement and then tn
old log rollins can again.
The Indications are that the arm!
Engineers Will adopt n policy of eNamin
Ing the economic ~ well as the en-
cheering phases OF a project whe
reporting on its ~practicability. In tn
las, two sessions OF Congress IN
p5rk barrel advocates have had thei
chief weapon in the many favorble re
ports by the engineers OF. undertaking
denounced by such opponents OF unwis
waterway appropriations as former Sen
ator Burton Of Ohio. Senator Kenyon @
Iowa. Representative Frear OF wisconsl
and others,
Senator Burton frequently asserted
debate that the engineers. In reportin
favorab.y upon 5 many useless work.
wera carried away by their attitude
being the servants of Congress-, in III
belize that Congress desired favorabi
reports. The inference nov is that III
engineers have heard the popular col
demratiln Of the pork barre. and ar
read to demand heavy on
river as a prerequisite to its improve
rent. Measured by such a standar
few u the existing river projects can
continued.
The present trouble with the po-
barrel quota has been caused by Sectio
IS OF the river and harbor appropris
'0r law Of last March. This law Wa
written by Senator Burton after he Ia
Glbus,ered the $50 900. 900 Senate bi
to death. In addition 20 cutting the al
p~ropr.ation to 5000, 600 Mr.. Burtc
selected what ne considered TO be Il
eight most expensive and useless inlar
river Improvement projects previous
authorized by Congress. on many
which large sums of money had alreat
been spent. He reopened the enti
Question OF their practicability as
business proposition. on the theory tn
,A.re Is no use throwing good mon'
after bad.