The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-16
WILL JAM "PORK"
BILL THROUGH
Measure Carries sss ,ooo, 900 for Buildings
and Many Small Towns Will
Receive Benefit.

Washington, Dec. l6.--Throwing TO the
winds all prediction promises OF re-
trenchment and in defiance OF the urgent
warnings of Secretary of the Treasury
McAdoo, Democratic leaders of the House
have determined to jam through Congress
| the $3s000,000 pork barrel' public build
ing bill, branded by opponents of the
measure as "the most infamous and in
defensible ever formulated"
To the end that the deed might be
done quickly, these leaders are planning,
it is said, to invoke gag rule" so that
debate will be eliminated. No attempt
has been made to consult the president
by those in charge of the measure, and
so far as can be learned the president
has taken no stand in the matter. Now
of gloom over the Democratic cloakroom
by suggesting that Mr.. Wilson may veto
the bill, but the principal supporters OF
the measure do not lose their composure.
They are confident, they say, that the
bill will become law.
Never, say opponents of the measure,
was there more obvious purpose to use
the public treasury to further political
fortunes of members of Congress. and in
the framing of the bill the melon has
been cut in large and generous portions.
Towns, villages and hamlets that one can
hardly locate on the map, are taken care
postofiices. No impression whatsoever
appears to have been made on the minds
of the trainers of the measure by Secre-
tary MeAdoo's complaint that the super
vsing architects office is several years
behind in its efforts to keep pace with
annual building appropriations OF Con-
gress. or that these buildings are being
completed at the rate of one every four
days. Still less do the Democrats in
Congress appear to have been impressed
with Mr.. McAdoo's warning that, if this
and other ''pork barrel" bills 20 through,
Congress win have to authorize bond
issue or lay new taxes to make up the
deficit in the treasury.
Congress, or at least the Democratic
part of that body, is not concerning it
self at all regarding the difficulties of
the supervising architect, for the bill as
it stands proposes to abolish that office
and create an entirely new and independ-
ent bureau the sole duties of which will
be to turn out plans for public buildings
as fast as Congress provides money for
their erection.
Passing over the fact that the bill
makes no provision for the erection OF
buildings in Washington, where the gov
eminent, because of lack of adequate
room, is compelled annually to pay $780,
IN, a fu lie mt
that detailed examina ton OF the meas
ure shows in luminous fashion the ex-
tent to which politics rather than public
welfare has dictated its provisions.
For example, the bill carries an appro-
priation OF $4,000 for the erection of
postoffice in Lewisburg, W. Va. Lewis
burg, according to the last census, boast
ed of a population of S03 persons. At
present it has postoflice building which
the government rents at a cost of $40,
against the sum of Sl,l00, which repre-
sents ) per cent interest on $4,000. The
gross receipts of the Lewisburg postoffice
for 1915 amount to just $S,0l7.37.
Then there is Hazard, KY, which
boasts of a population of 537 men, wom
en- and children and is to get $4,000
postoffce. The annual receipts from the
Hazard office, which is at present in quar-
tiers rented by the government for $3.50,
amounted last year to $4,4SS.35. Elko,
New, with 1877 residents, is to get
$50 900 postoffiee Blackfoot, Idaho, with
a population of 2,20>, is to get $65000
structure; Bowling's Green, Mo-, Speaker
Clark's home town, with l,5S5 inhabi-
tants, will get $4,000 structure; Clear
water, Fla, with LII persons, will get
$4,000 structure.