Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-21
"POrk" Grabbers
Begin "LOg-RolIing"

Continued from Page Ono
lation becomes effective the budget
habit is striking down "pork.'
Log Rollers in Squabble
The gentlemen who are industriously
working at the Mississippi, Missouri,
Ohio. log gather about in the lobbies.
is it big enough?'' they ask fearfully.
,,,Shall we let in Texas with it's noble
Brazos and its equally worth Trinity ~
Go on, if you let in the Brazos and
the Trinity that will crab the whole
game" exclaimed a highly practical
there is merit in the three rivers, but
there is not water enough in all three of
them to keep the Trinity. Mud creek
Catfish. Paradise and the Chickawitchie
all flowing free.
"a bas Texas" exclaims resi-
dent of Ohio's banks, "conspuez the
Trinity ~ ''If you do that" exclaims
a Louisiana congressman, who knows
French. "the confounded thing will be-
gin to flow again and then they will
want several millions more. Don't !!
Don'tr'
This is the end of the Missouri ="
exclaims a white faced Nebraskan.
Man alive, it is the end of me ~ ex
promise to bring my district SO ,O0O, 900
of river improvements
Time Honored System Totters
And SO a time honored system totters
to its fall, for if the effort now being
made to amend the rivers and harbors
bill ordered by the steering committee
and attach specific appropriations to it
fails. then pork" will go out of the
public buildings bill today. And the
question where the nations millions will
go for public improvements will not be
settled by the necessity of bribing dis
trict to return its congressman or by
the trading of vote for vote, million
for the Brazos, $500,0 for the Tutles
summer resort.
Once congressman is no longer able
to ingratiate himself with his con-
stituents by means of "pork" and per-
haps also private pension bills, he may
have to ingratiate himself by the use of
q little intellect and character, which
means better class of congressman.
In all the anxiety in Washington there
is genuine fear that really worthy pro-
jects will fail of support by the army
engineers. When congressman say
1912, 100000 for rivers and harbors," I"
that means that New York and Boston
harbor will be taken care of, permits
San Francisco and Seattle improve
ments, but allows nothing for the Mis-
sissippi. Missouri. Ohio valleys.
Seab0ard Congressman Satisfied
1t is to be remarked that the seaboard
representatives generally. especially
those interested in the big ports, are
satisfied and favor the steering commit
tee. The Great Lakes congressman,
too. are not for the most part engaged
in rolling the big log that is being got
in the way of the $12 100000 bill. They
are mostly satisfied and confident.
The answer of the proponents of the
scientific river and harbors bill is that
the army engineers can be depended
upon to deal impartially with every
really worthy project. They. II IS said,
will be sufficiently responsible to public
sentiment demanding any river or harbOr
improvements of merit.
But in any case pork is done or
nearly done. The war. the big public
debt. the high income taxes. have made
it impossible to spend the .country's
millions as a matter of political favor
as in the past. If the 'log rollers"
attach their amendment and the Senate
concurs President Wilson is almost sure
to veto the bill. gaining whatever po-
litical advantage comes from saving that
much of the country's money. The pol
itics of the situation is all against the
pork" packers.