New Britain herald., 1916-05-30

southern pine in Georgia or to the dealers in ice in Maine, or to the coal barges of West Virginia Debates With Shafroth. Then MT. Brandegee had the fol- lowing colloquay with the author of ] the amendment:
 MT. Shafroth. Does not the sen- ator from Connecticut think that when the Federal government contrib utes 80 rperacent.@toward an improve | ment, it is doing its full share, and even more?
 MT. Brandegee. MT. President, I am not expert at answering questions evolved from ones inner conscious ness. I do not know what the full share of the government is, but l do ! assume that, if the government were | justified under the commerce clause l of the constitution in deepening the l channels of navigable rivers and of | harbors, it would be justified on the ground that it was of benefit to the general commerce of the country, and not to develop particular little spots in particular rivers and bayous and | remote places. MT. Shafroth. Taxes are levied over the United States, and some DOT tions of the country are not in the slightest degree benefited by the inn provement of a particular place. MT. Brandegee. That is the very
 reason why the government ought to
 pay the whole of it. The taxes are
 laid upon all the people, and ought, therefore, to be expended only for the
 general benefit, and not for local ben eft
 Mr. Shafroth But does not the senator from Connecticut recognize that there are some appropriations in every river and harbor bill that are
 almost entirely and purely of local
 nature?
 MT. Brandegee. I do; and I think
 that is one of the worst vices Tn the
 river and harbor bill.
 MT. Shafroth. But for some rea-
 son we can not eliminate them.
 Mr. Brandegee. We can eliminate them whenever the senate will return to the constitution of the United States, and stop violating it. If we have any authority whatever to take the money collected from all the taxpayers of the country and to spend it on the bank of a particular river, not in order to promote commerce or to regulate commerce, but to save some land for some farmers who hap pen to live in that section-if we have any authority whatever constitution ally to do that, I have never been con- fronted with it.
 I do not, however, want to get side tracked into all these collateral ques- tions beneficial as that might be to senators who have become so accus- toned to straying from the constitu- t1on that they do not know whether part of the time they are out of the COW pasture and many of them do not care.
 What I say is that this prescribes no rule whatever, but leaves it to the Judgment, quarrels, contentious and rival schemes of a lot of conflicting localities and ndividuals-railroad barge captains, and manufacturers who in some way get together and flip a cent or get unanimous consent as to the exact proportion which each one shall pay. I say it will be utterly de- structive of the whole bill, and I doubt if a penny could be spent--
 MT. Shafroth. Does not the sen ator recognize that for years and years there was no such thing as an appropriation by the Federal govern ment for either a harbor Or a river; that there were various persons who contended that there was no author ity in the constitution of the United States to appropriate a single dollar for such a purpose; that the first di- gression with relation to that vas as to public highways; then 1t extended gradually, and as one author states, not until 1883 were there substantial appropriations made for rivers and harbors?
 How did the people improve the delphia, and other places during all of the century preceding that timec They raised the money by contribu- tions, and they had good harbors.
 Mr. Brandegee. MT. President, I can not yield further to the senator from Colorado. I am willing he shall make a speech in his own time, if he so desires; but he has asked me several questions. I simply say those states did it because they de- sired to do it. If it is so, that up to a certain period they thought it was not wise to stretch the constitution, as it has since been stretched, that was their lookout I am not saying that it is advisable to go any further.
 The senator from Colorado states that the people at one time built their own roads. I think they ought to have stuck to that business and not