New-York tribune., 1916-07-14
A Test of Nationalism.

Congress has just sent scandalous S42,-
100000 river and harbor appropriation
bill to President Wilson for his approval.
His action on this indefensible measure
will be thorough test of the sincerity of
the doctrine of nationalism which he has
been recently preaching.
Congress is full of "pork" hunters.
Their attitude toward legislation is paro-
chial, not national. They seek some i'm
mediate advantage for a constituent, or
for a group of constituents, on the theory
that services of this sort will strengthen
their chances of reelection. They put a
very narrow local interest ahead of the
interest of the country as a whole, even
ahead of the interest of their own con-
stituents as citizens of the nation and as
Federal taxpayers.
Thus most Senators and Representatives,
think that their own fortunes are secured
when they get through private pension
bills, draw a public building or river and
harbor appropriation out of the grab-bag,
or domicile new Federal activity of some
sort in their states or districts. So long
as each gets his own piece of "pork," he
cares not how much other "pork" is car
ried away by his fellow spoilsmen.
The pork" hunters excuse themselves
on the ground that the public back home
expects them to dig as deep as possible
into the barrel. In the Senate the other
day Mr.. Shafroth, of Colorado, put this
question to his colleague, Mr.. Thomas: 81
will ask the Senator if it is not generally
recognized as a fact that the first thing
that is asked of Senator or Representative
when he returns from a session of Con-
gress is, How much did you get for us?'
And in state legislation it is, How much
did you save for us?'"
There may be some force in such an
apology for the pork" hunting habit Rep
resentatives and Senators may be to a cer-
tain extent the victims of a low and vicious
view Of their functions-a view which
they, in turn, have done their best to pop
ularize with their constituents. They do,
of course, represent small divisions of the
nation and have the excuse of many years
of bad example for giving most of their
thought to the welfare of the minor parts
and little or nothing of it to the welfare of
the whole.
But the President represents the ma
ton, one and indivisible. His first care
should be for the entity of which he is the
spokesman. His point Of view must be ma
tional, not parochial An abomnation like
the river and harbor act which Congress
has just passed represents waste for the
country in it's totality, whatever petty
profit it may represent to the few locali-
ties which are unduly favored by it.
The system of appropriations by Con-
gress for individual river and harbor prof.
ects is irrational and demoralizing. River
and harbor improvement should be con-
fded to an expert board, able to coordinate
the work and to make every dollar invested
return full value. Under the present hap
hazard system of legislative direction most
of the millions expended have been dead
loss, so far as any permanent benefit to
the country as a whole is concerned.
1t is time to discard this outworn and
puerile system. The people are sick and
tired of it. II is one of the most fragrant
examples of the ineficiency with which
our Federal government is being admin
istered
Mr.. Wilson should veto the act and give
notice that he will never sign any river