The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-14
Money Bag Republicans Have Little Belief That Congress Will Indorse Resolutions Of Aa9allianS
DEAJj i)CK EXISTS OVER
 APPR (, TAXATION QUESTION
Believed In Washington That
 Alabama Will Have To Be Satisfied With Data Given
 By Independent Engineers
WARRINGTON BUREAU l
 THE AGE -HERALD Washington, ID. O., Sept. I3

NsNublieAns who hold the money 'g5aSs dt not hold out hope that Con xrsss in she next session will re- ADo6s taS Srasbly to the resolution of ei,e A,asAna legislatrge calling on tas mstiSaal government to ascertain , &oa tn@ Alabama government. by a sgsraral survey of all navigabls sNtgeama iu that state. their potential wstsT 1earer.
 Rapsase atatfvs Madden, chairman ag tha committee on appropriations. waaa Info med of the resolution. re- 1ifad wisb smile, but not an enig- p5saral smile. It seemed to indicate 8 NtSkncii nation on the part of MT. Madden to favor a response by Con- SFsss m tue way the Alabama legis- lstN would have Congress respond. Et aFewise seemed to imply that MT. MSSden held that Alabama sAould undertake the work for itself.
 It is reEarded as a safe presump- ton lhat the Alabama legislature can cbtai, without an act of Con- sssss slt data in the hands of the gcvernine tt corps of engineers relat- ing to Ala oama rivers. That data Is extensive and while not in every re-
 pacs rA ! date, it is of great value. v Eg9as to the Tennessee, the Ala haiaa the Coosa, the Warrior, the 2 sla 5 aas, and the Tallapoosa.
 It is regarded as certain, however, that Congress would never auBhor- ize the expenditure Of money Tor uew survey of all the rivers of Ala bama when, in the present, survey of not even one of those rivers is regarded by Congress as necessary from the standpoint of the federal government.
 DeadIocked Appropriations.
 Appropriations for rivers and har- bors are favored by 8 majority of the members of Congress, but are op- posed, by militant minority, by the budget commission and by the ad-
 Becarse of the belief that the gov ernment was unnecessarily burdened as a result of one member of Con- gress cooperating with another to the end that the rivers in the dis tricts of both might be improved with federal money. a scheme was devised some years ago as result of which the engineers do not ASK for an appropriation for any particu- lar project.
 Instructed to hold their estimate down to the minimum. the engineers, the last two years, have asked Tor 2. lump appropriation of approximately s40,000,000. It was regarded a s prop able by the engineers that win that amount, they could care for projects already completed. The idea of un- dertaking new projects was not al all considered. ,
 The budget commission. in botf Ysears. reduced the estimates of the engineers from $40.000.o00 to s27 ,ooo,- { 900. Advocates of a system of nm proved rivers and harbors In Con xress, however. were able, both years, to secure appropriations n excess of the budget commission Limitations.
 ! No New Projects.
 But in neither year were congress- men able to secure an appropriation for any particular river or harbor, or project The appropriations were Jumped, and the engineers expend- ed the money, almost without excep- tion, in maintaining projects aiready completed. No new work of out standing character was undertaken;
 1t is pointed out that because of the precedents thus set, it would be Impossible to include In the nex' , rivers and harbors bill an item car rying a fixed sum flor the survey of all Alabama rivers for determlna- tion of their navigabie and water power possibilities"
 It is agreed that it would be ex- ceedingly difficult to secure the pas ditional srm for the survey ever were the survey not referred to py name. It is believed here that. Ala isbama will have to be satisfied With data. already collected by the engi- neers. That data could be secured by any member of the Alabama deie- { gation without rxn act Of congress