The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-27
PORK CAUSE OF
TIFF At FORUM
Speakers in Angry Debate
Over Legislative Methods
of Rivers Congress.
MOTIVES QUESTIONED
Frear Makes Charges of Dishonesty,
Secretary Thompson Answers, and
Representative Details Spe-
cihc Instance.

Representative Frear. OF Wisconsin. yes
te-dsy launched charge of dishonest
motives against the National Rivers and
Harbors Congress. The charge was made
at the Grover Cleveland Community
Forum in the Public Library. A heated
argument ensued between the speaker
and s. A. Thompson, secretary-treasurer
of the congress, when the latter uttered
a vigorous denial of the charges and as
serted Mr.. Frear uttered only a halt-truth
in quoting an address by the former sec
rotary OF the congress-.
The argument, in which both men dis
played temper, was brought to sudden
close when Representative Frear charged
Secretary Thompson personally with hav-
ing signed a letter written TO a lumber
firm in Michigan asking the firm to Sc
cure the support of their Representatives
to $50 900 pork barrel appropria
ton bill. Thirty-two millions of this bill
was stricken out when proven to be
waste" he stated.
Mr.. Thompson made no reply to this
charge or to a challenge to a debate
issued by member Of Congress.
Scores Citisens and Organizations.
The controversy startled the several
hundred persons who had gathered for
the forum, by the direct charges Of half
truths and insinuations made by the
speakers.
Carrying out his text Of Pork, or Hon
est LEGISLATION" Representative Frear
scored the motives of citizens and or
ganizations asking support for enormous
appropriations for streams that do not
carry one-tenth the commerce of the Po-
tomac River. He cited numerous occa-
sions where, he said. Representatives have
been forced to support bills carrying mil
lions where only a few thousand were
needed for righteous projects. This he
called shameful waste. Continuing. he
said:
The question Of honest legislation is
that which concerns the waste, rather
than unwise legislation. 1t is difficult
to stop the waste on account Of the
method OF Taxation, the income or i'm
position Of which the people know moth
ing. They do not stop to think that an
appropriation of $50.O0I00O means just
that much of the peoples money.
The people are to blame for the
waste, for the members do what their
constituents demand Of them.
I'm the appropriation for sS9, 0o0, 900,
killed last week, the Board of Trade OF
New York demanded the support of the
New York delegation because the bill
carried an appropriation of 10000 10
remove Diamond Shoals. The bill car
ried, also an appropriation of more than
IS, 10000 for a river over which there
there never has been or ever can be one
! tenth of the commerce of the Potomac
River, and an item of 100000 for a
stream for which the engineers have rec
commended that artesian wells be sunk
| to furnish II with water.
Then the; Argument Began.
The people, regardless Of the fact
that 1t may carry two hundred bad items
1
/ passed II it carries a few thousand for
them
The argument with Mr.. Thompson was
precipitated when the speaker, in com.
| pleting his address, quoted from the
| record part OF a speech by the former
secretary OF the National Rivers and
Harbors Congress, Capt. ]. T. Ellison,
as follows:
I'VE send Congressman here to legis-
late for the nation theoretically, but &C
tually to get all he can for us, and If he
does not get our share and then some,
we do our best to replace him."
AS the speaker concluded, Mr.. Thomp-
son leaped to his feet and demanded
recognition, but President Driscoll re-
fused to grant the floor until the con-
clusion of remarks by Mrs. Benton Mac
Kaye, who was on the program to open
the discussion. AS Mrs. MacKaye start
ed to speak, Representative Frear stat
ed that he had an engagement and lef,
the hall
On gaining the floor, Mr.. Thompson
though no names had been mentioned by
Representative Frear, stated that the re-
marks of the speaker, which were only
! half-truths, had been directed toward his
predecessor and personal friend, Capt
Ellison. Continuing he said:
why did the speaker stop with half
/
paragraph Of the address by Capt. Eli
son."
| Without explaining the remainder Of
| the speech, Mr.. Thompson launched into
a rapidly spoken address in which he re-
| futed the statements of Representative
Frear in bitter language. He then enter
ed into a discussion of the relatively low
comparative rates OF water transporta'
ton to railroad transportation.
Frear Answers Thompson.
! Representative Frear was caught as he
was leaving the building and informed
| that a vigorous denial OF his statement.
was being made on the floor He quick
ly returned, and hardly had Mr. Thomp.
son concluded when he gained the ros-
trum and without waiting for recognition
| asserted:
The people Of this country are being
swindled every year through these waste
full alleged river and harbor appropria-
tions. 1 can prove and have written
into the records every fact that 1 have
stated, and there has been no dispute
Of them or can there be any dispute.
Il also can show a letter signed by
| the gentleman CMr. thompson written
to the Central Lumber Company, OF
Hudson, Mich, asking them to get their
| Congressman to support a pork barrel
bill for $63, 1000, co.,
IT think It Is known that have never
refused to meet any one on any terms
and would be glad Of a chance to meet
the gentleman at any time, either in
debate Of thirty minutes allowance for
each, or otherwise.
81 also can state and prove that one
half of the contributions made, when So
licited by the National Rivers and Har-
bors Congress, for the upkeep and con-
tinusnce Of its work, was paid to the
collectors who secured these contribu-
tons"
Thompson Does Not Reply.
A breathless silence ensued as the ex.
cited member OF Congress stepped from
the rostrum. Mr.. Frear waited for sew
eral minutes for an answer, but Mr..
Thompson remained in his seat.
Mrs. La Toilette, wife of Senator La