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About The Alliance-independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1892-1894 | View Entire Issue (July 21, 1892)
) THE ALLIANCE-INDEPENDENT. It wm AND whirs Congressman Kem Discusses the Eiver And Harbor Appropriation Bill. The Character and History of the Bill Briefly Stated Mr. Kem Gives His own Record on the Measure. An Interesting Letter. Washington, d. C , July 7, 1892. I cheerfully respond to your request that I write a short article on the mucb abusod, littlo-understood river and har bor bill. I think it is a very important subject and one which should bo more thoroughly discussed and generally understood by tho people. If I can throw any light on the subject or in crease popular interest in it, I shall feel that I have accomplished my chief object in writing this article. In tho first place lot me say that no measure has passed this house which has been more persistently misrepre sented by tho press than this river and harbor bill. In view of this fact, I feel that I owo it to my constituents to state why I supported this bill. In tho discussion of this subject, there are two questions to bo considered: 1st. Is tho appropriation of money by tho general government for tho im provement of rivers and harbors, in ao cord with sound principles and wise policy? 2nd. Was this particular bill doserving of support? If tho first question is answered in the negative, it is useless to discuss the 'second. Of all tho powers exercised by congress under tho constitution, there is nono more important than tho con trol and improvement of our harbors and rivers. The rivers aro the nation "al highways of internal commerce. They belong to the whole people. Any person who has a suitablo craft may enter them withsut money and without prico. They are the only tracks of commerco vpon which tho monopolist has not laid his greedy fingers. They aro tho only rCal lines of transporta tion with which the railroads have to compete. But for tho action of the government in building canals, and keeping tho channels of our rivers open for navigation, we. would bo wholly at the mercy of tho railroad corporations, and the cost of getting our produce to tho seaboard would bo greatly enhanced. Water transportation is the cheapest in the world, and every year millions of tons are carried on tho natural and artificial waterways of the country. If the general government did not control and improve our rivers, and harbors, it would have to be left either to private corporations, or to tho vari ous states. The former is not to be thought of, and tho. latter would prove very unsuccessful and unsatisfactory. Therefore if our rivers and harbors are to be improved at all it must be done by the general government. The principle and policy of govern ment control over the rivers and har bors of the nation have been endorsed and defended by nearly every Ameri can statesman of any note. I certainly believe no independent will question the principle involved. An independent who advocates govern ment ownership of railroads would make himself ridiculous by opposing government control and improvement of rivers and harbors. It appeared to mc a matter of impor tance that tho representatives of the new party should put themselves on record as favoring the principle of the river and harbor bill, if they could without compromising themselves by voting for a bad bill. A majority of the Alliance members held the same view, and eupported the bill which passed tho house Juno 10th. Tho next question to be determined is: Was that bill worthy of support? Was tho amount it carried excessive? This we can only determine by condi tions and comparisons. Tho statements made by the press that the bill as pass ed by the house June 10th aggregated more by millions than the one passed by tho flst congress, is a most flagrant violation of tho truth, as will be shown by tho report of the committee having tho bi'l in charge. This report shows tho bill to carry in the aggregate a? it left the house, $21,200,975, whilo the river and harbor bill of tho previous session carried $24,981,29"), making a difference in favor of tho present bill of $3,090,320. Tho government en gineers had favorab'y recommended to tho committee having charge of this bill, projects for river and harbor im provement, tho estimated cost of which exceeded sixty-nine millions of dollars, But the committee reported a bill carrying less than one-third that amount. It is true that tho bill I am discus sing provides for the making of con tracts requiring future appropriations which exceed those provided for in the previous bill. But it provides for a period running three times as long as tho contracts provided for in tho pre vious bill. By extending theso con tracts, it is claimed and demonstrated by government experts that thore will bo a saving of about four millions. Taking this into account, this bill for tho present fiscal year carried in the neighborhood of seven and one half millions less than the bill for the last fiscal year carried. Regarding the details of tho bill, I will say that it is not within the power of any living man to become acquaint ed with the whole territory covered by such a bill sufficiently to judge of the merit or demerit, of all the proposed improvements. The members of tho house committee having charge of the present bill spent nearly all their time for three months. They had before them the reports of the government engineers regarding tho feasibility and merit of the various projects. They called witnesses and took a groat amount of testimony re garding each particular project. In the discussion of the. measure in the houso not a particle of evidence was introduced to show that there were any steals embodied In the bill If there had been a particle of evidence to that effect, I should have opposed the bill. I believed the appropria'ion was larger than it ought to, but I was powerless to reduce it. But inasmuch su I felt sure a large majority of the improvements provided for were meri torious, and a failure to pass the bill would occasion a loss of millions to the government in the case of improve ments that are under way, but not fin ished, I voted for the bill with some re luctance. In a speech on the sundry civil bill, which was published in the Alliance Independent not long ago, I referred to the charges made after tho passage of the measuro, to the effect that it contained stca's, and declared my opin ion that a heroic remedy should be ap plied to prevent the possibility of any steals being embodied in future bills, and to restore the popular confidence in such legislation. And the remedy I proposed was that the house "should absolutely refuse to pass any appropri ation bills until they had been thor oughly investigated' and all possible steals eliminated. I am convinced that only such heroic treatment will ever cure tho evil, and I am ready.to apply it. Yesterday, July Gth, tho river and harbor bill came back to tho house for final action after passing through the hands of a conference committee of the houso and senate. The conference added to the amount carried under the time contract feature of the bill from six to twelve millions, according to dif ferent estimates. Hence I, voted against its final passage, as did every independent voting, with one excep tion. Thes'i are the facts in regard to the character and history of this bill, as plainly as I can state them in a brief newspaper article. As I said in the beginning I write this article in tho hope of adding to tho popular knowledge of the subject, and for the especial information of the people I represent whose right and duty it'is to inquiro into the record made by their representative. Yours for success in the coming campaign, O. M. Kem. Condolence. Eureka Alliance, N o. 2029, Ceda County sends resolutions of condolence on tho death of a member, S'ster Oliver, and extends sympathy to the bereaved family. Signed, II A. Irwin, II. C. Thomas, J. L. Grant. OUR CAMPAIGN SONGS FOR THE People's Party. NEW WORDS WEDDED TO NEW HARMONIES. The Voice of the Industrial Classes. Powerfully voicing our rights and wrongs, our needs and demands. Melting and mirthful, sarcastic and truthful, flashing and forceful. Our national leaders aro welcoming the "Songs of the People" most heartily and declare "Music more than any thing else will sweep victory to our door." "With glee clubs formed all over the west and south, I would have no doubt as to the outcomo of this present con test," says B. O. Flower, the editor of the Arena. Our ' Songs of tho People" aro to bo reviewed in the August number of this great magazine. They are pronounced admirable' by our great literateur and party leader, Bon. Ignatius Donnelly. At our recent national convention they were sold and carried into all the states, from Maine to California. Hon. James G. Field, our candidate for vice-president, says of them: "They aro indeed the voice of the people's party and industrial classes. They contain I he pure gospel ef industrial salvation and are calculated to mova tho people mightily." Order at once and awaken enthusiasm with these songs of freedom. Addi tional songs will soon be ready, includ. ing "limothy Hat seed," "The Money Power Arraigned," "A Politician Here You See," etc. The Workers' Battle Hymn of Freedom 25 Right Shall Reign 25 The Weakest Must Go to the Wall. .35 The Taxpayers Settle the Bills 35 Sons of America 35 Get Off the Earth 35 The Flag of Liberty 35 The Coal Baron's Song 35 Truth's xppronching Triumph 30 God Save the People 30 We Have the Tariff Yet 35 The Alarm Beat '35 The Millennium Army 55 That 'Honest Dollar' " I35 Losses and Lies 35 Address all orders to the Alliance Publishing Company, Lincoln, Ne braska. - Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Disease Are very common in this climate. The general all around doctor, is not pre pared to treat these cases. If he is in terested in his patients, as he should bo, he would advise them to consalt a specialist in this line of work. Among those who treat all forms of catarrhal diseases of the eyes, ears, nose and throat, none are more successful than Drs. Moore and Dennis, Catarrh Spe cialists of Lincoln Neb. Graduates of the best medical colleges in America they are thoroughly prepared to treat all cases of polypus of the nose, obstructed breathing, deafness, sore eyes, chronic cold of the head, hay fever, asthma and bronchial and lung troubles, all results of nasal catarrh. Come and see us. A consultation will cost you nothing. Several hundred people have been suc cessfully treated in Lincoln during the past year. All classes, trades and pro fessions, ladies and children are repre sented by those who have been, or are being cured by our treatment. Diss. Moore & Dennis Office Cor. O & 10th Sts. Get up a club under our cam paign offer. Agent3 wanted, to sell the People's Party Badges, in gold and silk. Send 10 cents for sample and term s. Circu lars free. Big money and quick sales. Address Geo. Bignell, 61G-3ind street, Denver, Colo. Patented. 6 5t WANTED: Reliable men to sell our choice varieties of nursery stock; outfit free. Address, Allen Nuhseky Co , Rochester N. Y. A. J, RIGBY k CO., REAL ESTATE, Loans, Law and Collections. J, L. MACK, Alt'y & Mg'r. 1025 0 Street, Lincoln, Neb. MONEY AT LOWEST RATES, On City and Farm property. Make your loans or renewals through us and save all necessary delay and red tape. If 3Tou desire to sell, buy or exchange property of any kind list it with us and get the best service. Collections of any kind made any.whero in the United States. Special bargains in western and other land. City property to exchange for farms. CUSMNGHAM & MARY Attorneys. Room 35 Richard's Bi'k, Lincoln, Neb. -ARMERS ALLIANCE. EMBLEM PIH V'-rtikl.UofA"' H1l ii , T. EEciLii nm Complete, G5e. Lodge Seals. f.UKDEtt NEW AND EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT. '"or ivgnim we furnish a neiuly printed rihhou nd frinco, which otn bo attached to the Kmblr-iu in during lodsje services, showing each oflicer i h ho regular order, with name mid number of tho vliiance. Aficrlolge scrviets the pin inny lc .etached aud woi n hs nn ovev dnv Km! lem Tin. THE BRADLEY M Mi. CO., Tort Worth Ten?. The UIDLAW BALE-TIE CO. MANUFACTURERS OF ADJUSTABLE WIRE BALE-TIES. Headquarters for this Class off Goods WRITE FOR PRICES. Station A Kansas City, Mo. FENCING RuPESELVAfiE TP Ti XT T UTTr Fniftktftld, TTOTH WIM FE3CK C0,.CUIC3Q A