The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-12-29
CLARK OF FLORIDA
MENDS HIS FENCES
With Federal Court Houses
StreWn all Over His
State"

g in the Brooklyn Eagle of Decembe
e. goth from its special Washington bu
II reau correspondent,
IS The story deals with the publ
:, building pork barrel system, or omni
: bus style Of making appropriation
: for public buildings, and is devoted t.
= censure Of Congressman Frank Clarl
= Of Florida as head Of the House Com
mittee on Public Buildings anC
Grounds. We quote two paragraphs
of The Eagles Washington article, az
follows:
"The head of the House Committee
} on Public Buildings and Grounds is
, Representative Frank Clark of Flor
ida, who has served six terms in Con-
: gress and who is known as one of the
most consistent supporters of the om-
nibus style of legislation. when appro-
priations affecting practically all the
States are concerned. Mr.. Clark has
made more than one speech in defense
of pork. He has flibustered against
House business when Florida has been
denied what he thinks the winter re-
sort State is entitled to. Yet Florida
has done mighty well, when it comes
to public buildings. 1t can make al
most any Northern State look fool
ish, considering the business of get
ting money out of the Treasury on
per capita basis.
"There has been no public buildings
bill since 1913, but Mr.. Clark and his
salubrious State are not discouraged.
The Public Buildings Committee lost
no time at the present session in
bringing out the old bill of the last
session with amendments here and
in the total amount-S35 100000 in
round figures. 1t is not to be under
stood that all of this money is devoted |
to Florida or other Southern States. |
A very large part of it is allotted to
Northern States. But when the whole |
proposition is considered on per cap
ita basis, the South never gets left
out in the cold. Almost invariably it
gets the best of it. Omnibus bills,
both as to public buildings and rivers
and harbors, are peculiarly successful
in Congress, because they are built up
on a basis that includes something for
every Congressional dis
trict in the country, thereby enlisting
support"
So greatly worried was The Brook
lyn Eagle over this bit of news from
its Washington correspondent, that on
the following day it contained prom
inent editorial under the caption,
"Mr. Frank Clark. 'Getter.'" The
following is the full text of the edi-
torial:
Representative Frank Clark of
the Second District of Florida,
which has a population, exclu-
sive of tourists, of approximately
100000, is chairman of the House
Committee on Public Buildings
and Grounds. He is otherwise
distinguished, as The Eagles Wash
ington correspondent pointed out
yesterday, as "getter' of appro-
priations. Florida has ten Fed
eral courthouses costing nearly
$2.000,000; California has four,
Ohio five, Illinois six. Nine Flor
ida villages, with population of
$4,000, split S500000 of Federal
money in 1913. Mariana, with
nearly 1000 persons, landed
$4,000 building.
This by way of introducing the
man who is largely responsible
for the Buildings Bill, asking for
nearly $4O,000,OOO, now before the !
House. Mr.. Clark has denounced |
the "carping critics. who would |
deny his committee the right to
distribute pork in such liberal
fashion. 1t seems, however, that |
the committee and Mr.. Clark have |
at last overdone the thing. The |
number of "carping critics" is in |
creasing. They include few
members of the House, not few |
Senators, and Secretary of the |
Treasury McAdoo. That last |
name offers a CLEAN of hope. |
Should the House bill manage to |
get through the Senate and reach
the President he is expected to |
veto it.
But we must come back to Mr.. \
Clark, the "getter." He must
not be too severely condemned.
Environment has lot to do with
the spirit of getting. Florida is
full of environment. In fact, it
has more of it to the square mile
than anv State in the Union.
Cynics have said that Florida's
population is equally divided be-
tween those with the money and
those after it. When there is -
scarcity of the former. the latter +
seem to increase. 1t is an endless
chain. What the East Coast
system takes from the rich it
must defend against the on
slaught of politicians whose ca
gerness may account for the fact
that the State Legislature meets =
biennially and sessions are limited -
to sixty days. What is more nat .
ural than that Florida's represen- |;
tatives in Congress should make
most of a limitless opportunity?
Fortunately Mr.. Clark is indebted
r his office. not to California. or
hio, or Illinois, but to the people of |
e Second Florida district, who in /
cad of condemning him for his ac- L