Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-02-15

a dozen Republican senators voted for
the Clarke amendment.
There is eagerness in the House this
week for the rivers and harbors appro-
priation bill. 1t has been reported with
a total of s41, 100000, including no new
projects, and the purpose is to make
the money available, or definitely in
prospect, Just as soon as can be. The
likelihood Of that amount OF work Tor
contractors will help some on the gen
eral prosperity issue and also Will
please the many communities where
the money is to be expended.
Our Government Travellers.
Government travellers are in dire
straits for the moment. Congress has
obtained fresh evidence Of officials
PLAYING fast and loose with travel ap-
propriations and there is the very dick
ems to pay. Even the staid old Civil
Service Commission, some OF whose
members, including the chairman, are
among the loftiest and mightiest in all
Washington, has been discovered on
the go whenever the commissioners
could get their hands upon a little pub
lie money. Two Of the commissioners
went to California the past summer at
government expense-a little over $500
in each instance-and now House and
Senate are in big row over giving
the commission a deficiency appropria-
ton Of s600J for travelling expenses.
OF course government officials often
have to travel on official business but
funny things happen. The patriots do
dearly love to travel when Uncle Sam
is footing the bills and it makes little
/ difference by what devious ways the
/ money comes. About one year ago Con-
gress appropriated s2..500,0OO to stamp
out the foot and mouth disease. That
appropriation proved ''fat pickings"
for the department of agriculture and
! everybody down there who had pull
enough obtained travelling expenses
/ for somewhere about something '
One worthy official had his expenses
paid on a trip to Bangor Maine, to at
tend q meeting Of potato growers; an
other went somewhere to inspect Ka-
rakule sheep: another went to assist
in cooperative breeding of poultry at
| Winchester, Va, still another expert
travelled away to inspect removal ted
butter factories and so on to the ex-
tent Of many thousands Of dollars The
strange part Of it is that these expert
were able to get by" the auditor for
the agricultural department. who must
be very uncomfortable just now when
! Congress is gossipring and talking
about these matters
Letting Uncle Sam Pay.
! 1t seems as though the patriots all
have hand out for Uncle Sans mon
ey. Representative Lenroot of Wiscon-
/ sin tells how large numbers of tele-
grams from Arkansas to members of
Congress. asking the government for
relief to the flood sufferers. were sent
collect" ana Arkansas representatives
in Congress stood for" this. The gov
ernor Of Arkansas, one George W.
| Hays, also sent a telegram here col
| lect' in which he asked the government
| to appropriate relief for the Arkansas
people in the flooded districts
| Every little while Senate and House
get after their members who abuse the
| teleeraphic privilege by asking or per-
! mltting the government to pay for pri-
vate kilograms. Somebody-and sever
al of him-must be on guard all the
| time to check these incursions against
the treasury, big and little Further
more it is very unpopular service