The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-02-18


get 1t disposed OF and go On with other
| business of the senate. 1t Is very i'm
| portant that we should dispense with
/ all discussion that can reasonably be
dispensed with and proceed especially
with the enactment of the supply bills
and we have not any time TO lose. ]
promise to take but very few mo-
ments. I am in favor of the measure
/ and in favor Of the bill az reported by
/ the committee, and I hope it will be
| passed.
/ II rose more particularly to make
some reference to the closing remark
of the senator from Wisconsin (Mr.
LenrooD. I scarcely feel that those
| remarks ought to be allowed TO stand
without comment and to pass I'M
noticed.
THE senator took occasion to re-
fer to the position sfof the south IN
reference TO legislation. and the rep
resentatives of the sotuh. both In the
house and the senate, he stated, were
devoid of that proper sense of respon
Sibiity in matters Of legislation. He
went on further to say that these rep
resentatives Of the south both in the
Of any appropriation so long they
got their share of it.
II am disappointed in that sort OF
4 statement being made here by the
senator from Wisconsin. can under
stand how something of that sort
might he said on the stump in me
heat Of political campaign. for nc
litical purposes. but statement COM
ing like that goes beyond all hounds
Of propriety or justice and is wholly
unwarranted
Il can not help feeling, frankness
conpels me to say it, an utter con-
ar
ate life who would array one section
Of this country against another, or
the people of one section against the
people of another section. I have
never classed the senator from Wis
consin among those who would 10
shat and | do not now. think he
proba bly, allowed his zeal in the ar
gument he was making to go further
tnat he really feels himself he was
justified IN going. | want to retain
that respect which have always en-
terta ined for the senator. and I pro-
pose to 10 so if be Will allow me- but
! can not permit Va statement Of that
sort to stand without some protest
Without going into, any detailed dis
ctssion of that matter or that idea
would like TO put this inquiry: What
proportion of this billion dollars that
goes TO the wheatt growers of the
country goes to the }south?''
With the permission Of the sena
tor from Florida,Y interposed Senator
Robinson. of Arkansas. Il desire >
say that it is inesonceivable to me that
2 member of this body would make
such 4 statement unless he had the
deliberate purpose 10 insult large
number of members OF this body"
Mr.. President replied Senator
Fletchcr. i do not think the senator
from Wisconsin intended that I d.
think that his observa tons were sucl
that they ought to be responded -
anil such as were unwa rranted ~
reference to the illustration which he
n'2de in submitting those remarks, to-
Wit the river and harhor bill He said
that was an illustration Of the atti-
tlde of the South,s representatives
here. evidently meaning to saw thai
50 long as that bin carried appropria
lions which were satisfactory to the
south there was limit to the other
apnropria tions the representatives
from the south would favor and til {
might be carried in it. according to
their view. without regard to the
merits Of the different items and pro
3ectS involved in the appropriations.
nat - not fair statement to make
II II not the fault of the south. It i,
not the fault of southern representa-
tives; il is not a subject about which |
they should be criticized that there |
lies south of us the great Gulf IF |
Mexico. the Mediterranean Of thu |
western world. and on its borders ar, |
harbors and ports anequalled in any |
country. According to the great law |
or nature. water runs down hill and |
therefore rivers pour into the Gulf |
oi Mexico. and they happen to run |
the south. According to that /
law Of nature water flows to the
South Atlantic, and therefore the
navigable rivers of the country ara
largely found in that portion OF the |
country and it is inevitable if you arc |
gong 70 improve the rivers and har- |
'orS Of tile country you must go where |
he rivers and harbors are
1t therefore follows that there ara /,
provisions in the river and harbor bin
which apDertain to rivers and harbors
md ports which lie In the south but
my one can take the river and har-
1or bill and the items Of approDria
ion and readily see-T will venture ~
'aE-that more than three -foilrths ~ /
he amount carried by that bill is spent
Y other portions Of the country than
n the south, mainly in the north and
EAST. It is not true that the south gets {
Is undue proportion or even its iust
md proper proportion OF the aDpro- 7
-iations carried by that bill and cor. {
AMY It is not true that there Is an.,
disposition TO Vote unlimited appro- Is
0rIatlons in that any other bill nv
lie representatives of the south IN
condition that they get what may be
i