Year: 1876

WASHINGTON, July II, 1876.
THE RIvKR AND HARBoR BILL-PRooREss OF


THE ANNUAL JOB IN THE sENArE-How THE


ITEMS FOR uxIMpoRrANT IMPROVEMENTS ARE


MANIPULATED.


Tho Senate was busy all day with the River and
Harbor BILL which annual job may yet fail entirely
Mr.. Hereford, chairman OF tho House Committee on
Commerce, usually able legislator, appears to
have lost his head IN preparing this bill II seems to
have been madc up the theory OF asking every
Dor OF the House what little job he would like to put in
for his particular district, and framing bill which
includes everybody's pet enterprise and makes
a division among them all Of gross sum
previously determined In the general dis
trbution Mr.. Hereford, naturally did not
forget hts own State. 1t should be understood that
this way Of framing his bill is not original with Mr..
Hereford. II has been a not uncommon practice in
the House for many years. but it is totally indeiens-
BILE, for all tho plans for internal improvements are
made by army engineers capable men, who furnish,
also, estimate of the cost Of the work These gentle
men sufficiently LIBERAL as is tho way of their pro-
lesson but any they bring skill and experience
to it, and this year they were asked to revise their
estimates and reduce them to the lowest practicable
amount Accordingly they sent in a supplementary
report. in which great number Of new projects or
enterprises OF little importance left out
for the year, while important undertakings like
tho improvement at He'll Gate were cut down some
what but not stopped. Tho House, however, seems to
have paid attention to these sensible reports Of the
engineers but to have gono on the principle OF getting
as many votes for tho bill possible by putting in
many Jobs were offered.


II should be understood also that members rcluc
tant oppose appropriation for their districts
matter whether it Is needed or not, because to do
would raise outcry at home, and there are on the
present bill not a few such jobs, of which the
members in private heartily ashamed. When
the bill got into conference committee most
OF these jobs cut out aud large appro-
priations made for important works; but as
appeared again in the Senate members Of the
House and appealed to their Senators to put
them back and as Senators also mortal and like TO
be popular almost every job got back again into the BILL
and this, in spite of the opposition Of few, chief
among them Senator Conkiing who vigorously but
vainly opposed this small jobbipg To-day however,
there a change the temper of the Senate and
the bill has again slashed to pieces and may be
recommted for new revision. II would be sensible.
in tha; case frame the latest reports of tho
engineers leaving out every new enterprise and every
one which, according to their testimony, wait But
the best th'ag that could happen would be the total
defeat of the bill II the democrats in this inter-
nal Improvement jobbing Will get severe check. unless
they false to their traditions


THE SURVEYS AND SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS


AUTHORIZED BY THE oovERNMENT-THEIR


COMPILATION By THE STATE DEPARTMENT


PROPOSED.


General GARFIELD has introduced a Joint resolution,
which II is hoped pass directing the Secretary Of
State to to be compiled and publisheda brief
hnory OF all the surveys aud scientific expeditions
naval and land, authorized by the government
during the century just closed The volume is
tain not more than 500 octave pages and the ap-
propriatcd Tor the publication is only $74O0 II tho
book well done-as It s likely to be If the State De-
partment has charge OF lit will be very valuable
and interesting rssune and will show our gov.
ernment has done great and extremely valuable
OF work IN this direction, only land but sea
and in foreign parts.