The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-01-26
HARRORS SUFFER WHILE
 REPUBLICANS WASTE MONEY

Washington. January 35.=t Especially
 Confident that Chairman Kennedy of
 the House rivers and harbors committee
 would make good his promise that in
 March, 1921, following the present pres
 idential year new rivers and harbors
 bill, adequate in every particular would
 be prepared and passed. the republican partisans stood steadfastly by their guns and enacted the skeleton bill, carrying appropriations of f2,400,000,
 under the terms of which rivers and
 harbors of the country for one year
 must suffer.
 It was an interesting fight. The dem- ocrats whooped throughout two long
 days against the playing of politics and
 "dangerous economy" but the repub- licans, secure in their majority and in
 the promise of the committee chairman, whooped back defiantly in terms ex-
 pressive of the necessity of economiz- ing by eliminating the pork barrel" When Representative Small of North
 Carolina, former chairman. of the com
 mittee, offered his substitute carrying
 s195o0,o00, the republicans rushed to
 the battle and des stroyed it by a strictly
 party vote. The small bill provided
 money sufficient to care for and extend
 wherever necessary the projects in the
 south, from the Carolinas to Texas, as
 we'll as the projects in other sections.
 When various amendments to the origi-
 nal bill were offered. including one by
 Representative McDuffie of Alabama.
 who asked for s25. 900. 900, the, chorus of
 Noes" resounded through the chamber
 with the force of Kansas tornado.
 1t was cut and dried and packed. The
 republicans are economizing in this par
 ticular, and in refraining from report
 ing public buildings bill. but spending | I,,,o lrar ;c
 smelling" committees all over the the United States And in the Senate they are rallying to the Senator Ken yon so-called "Americanization' bill under the terms of which the federal government, by an expenditure of some $S5.0o0,000. would take charge of the education of aliens and illiterates in the several states of the union.
 Against this bill, Senators Williams and Harrison of Mississippi have vigor- ously inveighed Senator Harrison thought it well enough, according to his lights to permit the several states to continue to educate their own. He said much about the federal government in truding upon the rights of the states and pictured situation in which the government forced all negroes between the ages of 16 and 50. who cannot read from the fields into the school rooms. senator Williams explained that when Japan, referring to treaty clauses protested against the action of Califor-
 mia in cludlng Japanese children ! from schools prepared for white. pupils I the United States declareds it's inability | to rectify conditions as education was a matter relegated to the states.
 | But with this bill a law" said Sen ator Williams the federal government 1 will have no other recourse than tc | force the schools of California to open l their doors to Japanese. And what will Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Flor | ida say when England Or France speaking for natives of their colonies residing in those states. insist that they 1 be educated just as the white children of those states are educated"
 | Irrespective of these fine points scored by Senator Williams, the fac, remains that the republicans. while say 1 ing and advertising that fact in one l particular, are spending and saying nothing concerning such expenditure in 1 the other. Senator Harrison. after pointing out such facts. safd:iA
 We have builded up great mer- chant marine, and for political reasons we permit that marine to become use less by suffering the deterioration of our harbors and water fronts. It is yet l to be seen whether the American people will tolerate, much less reward. such economy based on such false statesman ship"