Graham guardian., 1916-02-25
new COMMITTEE
MAY Be RESULT.
Continued from Page One)

SCilSl al "Nll may bC ~ 'llINANb
Congress can lawfully appropriate
money to that extent.
For example, take the money
that has been spent in the recIama-
ton of arid land. Congress has said
that since the benefits conferred
are to large extent local in their
character the government can not
properly make the irrigation works
free gift to the settlers whose lands
are thus made valuable 1t does,
however. promote the general well
fare of the whole country to have
the deserts and waste places changed
into cultivated fields, and, there
fore, the Federal Government can,
under the Constitution, loan the
money necessary to construct canals
and reservoirs without interest
And so it appears to me that
there could be no doubt about the
constitutionality of an act which
provided that the Federal Govern
ment might loan money to land
owners along a nOnnaYigabIe stream
for the purpose of controlling the
floods that are now destroying their
farms Certainly those who receive
the major portion of the benefit
should pay the larger share Of the
cost, but to the extent that all Of
our people are benefited the Gov
ernment of the United States should
also pay its share.
Aside from promoting the general
welfare, the Federal Government
has further interest in the control
of floods on nonnavigahle streams.
A flood rarely occurs that it does
not interrupt traffic on the railroads.
thus interfering with interstate
commerce. Every argument that
can be made for appropriations in
behalf of commerce on navigabIe
streams applies with equal, if not
greater, force to the safeguarding
of commerce by rail.
There is still another reason
why our Government has an in
terest in food control everywhere
Congress has power to establish
post Offices and post roads, yet there
is not a destructive flood on any
stream that does not interfere with
the delivery of the mails.
In order to arrive at practical
working basis for determining what
interest the Federal Government
has in the control of floods on any
stream, and thus measuring the APP
preparations that can be legitimateIy
made, it seems to me that this new
committee must adopt a rule, SINH
lar to the rule now in force respect
ing appropriations by the Commit
tee on Rivers and Harbors, that no
new project shall be undertaken
until after an investigation has first
been made by a board of engineers.
The government engineers should
be required to make findings in
their report which shall include the
following subjects:
First, A plan for the control of
floods on the stream and the esti
mated cost thereof.
Second. The proportionate inter-
est that the United States has in
the project, taking into considera-
ton the general welfare, interfer-
ence with interstate commerce, the
delivery of the mails, and so forth.
Third. The proportionate share
of the cost of flood protection works
that should be paid by the riparian
owners whose lands would be bene-
fitted. ... ..:
With this data, prepared by COM
petent engineers. available for con-
sideration, the committee and the
Congress could act intelligently in
making appropriations for flood con-
troll.
| realize that there is no greater
economic question before this Con-
gress than the adoption of a proper
policy for food control, a question
that affects not only the material
welfare but the very lives of our
citizens. 1t is the bounden and
solemn duty of this Government to
promote the safety, happiness and
prosperity of our people by every
act of legislation, within constitu-
tional limits, which Congress may
deem conducive 20 these ends. |
know only too we'll that the machin-
cry of this great Government moves
with exasperating slowness, but |
believe that the establishment of
this committee will hasten the day
when real and substantial relief can
be given to those who now suffer
from the devastation wrought by
floods. Applause
For Sale