Evening star., 1928-04-25
FLOOD CONTROL
BILL MOVES ON
Revised Measure Sent Back
to Senate After House
Gives It's Approval.

! day retraced It's legislative steps TO the
/ Senate for action by that body on a
number OF revisions effected by the
! House.
! The fate of the measure, however, in
! this new stage of its congressional jour
ncy was subordinated to the interest
manifest from all sides as to the views
| of President Coolidge over the changes
approved by the House.
| The return of the bill to the other
end of the Capitol came about as re-
| suit OF the House passing the measure
| late Yesterday by vote Of 254 to 90,
| The Senate. several weeks ago. started
| the bill on its legislative career by the
unusual vote of 70 to 0.
Conferences Bring Notifications.
But in the interim between the orig
! inal Senate action and that yesterday
by the House many developments were
! injected into the situation and at one
time last week the House adopted the
exceptional procedure Of deferring con-
Sidcration of the bill to enable con-
tinuance of informal conferences out
side the House chamber in an effort
TO revise the measure to meet obJec-
tions raised by the White House.
These conferences. conducted be-
tween House administration leaders
and members of the House fiood-con-
troll committee, brought about several
notifications of the measure. and to-
day considerable doubt existed in the
minds Of members of the two opposing
camps over whether these reviSions
would satisfy the President
On the final vote in the House 86
Republicans, l67 Democrats and one
Ta.,x Nrt~, 4yN
port of the bill while 85 Republicans,
3 Democrats, Farmer-Labor and
Socialist joined in opposition.
The supporting group include such
administration stalwarts as Chairman
Madden of the appropriations commit
tee and Chairman Smell of the rules
committee. both Of whom until almost
the last minute had joined with other
Republican leaders In "a strenuous effort
to change provisions TO meet the Presi-
dents views.
Veto May Alter Votes.
The House vote exceeded by more
than score the number that would be
necessary to override presidential
veto. but If that should be forthcoming.
1t is doubtful If the measure again could
muster the same strength in view OF
announced White House opposition.
1t Is believed that last-minute at
tempts to substitute a compromise flood
bin for the Senate measure more closely
indicated the actual number OF votes
that the Senate measure could muster
on second showdown. The effort 10
carry the substitution was made by
Representative FTear. Republican, Wis
consin. and was defeated 206 to 139.
AS returned to the Senate. where the
measure originated, two points appar-
entity stood out as the cruX Of the df-
ference that has developed between the
White House and Congress on the Mis-
sissippi food problem.
One of these is a provision that the
Federal Government. instead Of the
States. should shoulder the cost of
levee rights OF way along the proposed
Spillways and fioodways and also as
sumo the cost Of damages that might
result from construction Of the New
Madrid riverbank floodway in Missouri,
and the Bonnet Carre spiilway at New
Orleans.
Madden Changes Stand.
Chairman Reid Of the food control
committee successfully maintained that
the Federal Government bear the cost
and Mr.. Madden, after bitterly opposing
the proposal. yesterday said that III
view Of later information regarding
the project he would change his stand.
This he did with the prediction that
the President would do likewise.
The second major point in contro-
yersy was over the compensation for
damages that might result from the
construction Of the spiilways and food
ways Representative Tiison OF Con-
necticut. the Republican leader. sought
unsuccessfuily to provide that compen-
sati0n for any prospective damages to
land owners be obtained through the
Federal courts.
Mr. Reid also successfully held ont
for the Federal Government buying
fiowage rights over the proposed spill
way and foodway areas
As the bill now stands. the Federal
Government would be called upon 10
hear the entire cost OF controlling the
floods In the lower Mississippi Valley,
except for the ieyee foundations along
the big stream proper.
Provides Parallel spiIIways.
The authorized engineering project
perhaps the greatest ever TO be attempt
cd by the United States provides for I'M
creasing the height and width Of all the
rivers leyees and the building Of arti-
ficial diversion channels nearly parallel
ing the entire 400-mile course OF the
Mississippi from Cape Girardieu, Mo-
10 the gulf
Designed 10 protect against a food
one-f0urth greater than the disastrous
! 927 innndation. the provisions for flood
works include the construction OF
river bank fioodway from Cairo Ill. 10
New Madrid, Mo. a floodway through
the Ten8as Basin In Arkansas and
Louisiana. fioodWay through the
AtcnaIalaYa Basin In Louisiana to the
gulf. and spillway north OF New Or
leans st EOnset Carre.
Aside from controlling lower valley
waters, the measure, through another
House amendment, provides for flood
control surveys and an investigation OF
the possibilities Of reservoirs for stem
ming the floods on the big streams
tributaries Whenever feasible, projects
for flood control then would be reported
To the President for the tributaries, in
ciuding the Missouri. Illinois, Ohio, Red,
ANra atsA