DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL 387

cal issue, but, unfortunately, it has become a political issue. I have only to
remind you of the vote in the Senate committee to show that. The vote against
reporting it favorably was 12,8 Republicans and 4 Democrats, while the vote for
reporting it favorably, or for voting it out, was 11, and they were all Democrats
What I am unable to understand is the Florida papers coming out quoting
leading Bepublicans of my State to the effect that the Florida cross-State canal
will be plank no. 1 in the State platform this fall, and that if the Democrats
will not put it through Congress during this sesison of Congress, the Republicans
will complete it.
 The CHazMAN. You ought to be pretty safe, then.
 Mr. BSre. No; I will not say how I feel in that respect. I want to be per-
fectly fair about this. I would not say that this was deliberately done up here
by anybody for the purpose of embarrassing us politically down home and, with
the hope of carrying the State, but I do believe the Republicans of Florida
know the temper of our people better than do some of our colleagues in
Congress.
 Now, may I ask my good Republican friends and my Democratic friends to
 read the new work-relief comments of the American Liberty League, in which
 they are commending my colleagues in Congress for slapping the President in
 the face. I am just wondering if it was because Florida, against my appeals,
 and possibly, I might say, against the appeal of the candidate from New York,
 walked out in 1928? Do they think it is a good time to take a'walk now? I
 am wondering why they suddenly became so interested in Florida? Surely you
 would not suspect the Liberty League of only wanting to embarrass our Presi-
 dent. Dense indeed must be the man who does not know the answer.
 Mr. BACON. You cannot put the Liberty League on us.
 Mr. SnAss. I am speaking to the country, not to my colleague. I am trying
 to give the facts.
 Mr. BACON. My information is that most of the Liberty League was for Mr.
 Roosevelt in 1982.
 Mr. Srnss. I think they were. My good friend from New York can't force
 me to make the canal a political issue. I don't believe he will make it
 political.
 Now, on yesterday, another Pennsylvania man, a Republican, a man "Rich" in
 thought and service, took a slap at the canal, and said that the President was
 to be congratulated on his statement saying that if the work was continued
 it would have to come from Congress. Knowing my colleague, I am satisfied
 after he gets all the facts he will not oppose the canal.
 Now, there is no use in arguing with you the technical points, because it has
 been held that this project is in order. The Senate did that by vote. The
 President authorized it, and Congress can continue it
 The CHAIxAN. I do not think there is any question about that.
 Mr. 8mas. Then, Mr. Chairman, we come to this point: I have listened to
 criticisms of the administration because he was spending money on boondoggling
 propositions. They call our cross-State canal a boondoggling proposition, and
 one paper recently said that in spite of the facts that were put before him,
 the President went ahead on this canal and foolishly wasted $5,000,000, and
 then got tired of it, and threw it back to Congress. Franklin D. Roosevelt
 can speak for himself better than any Member of Congress can speak for him,
 but I tell you no man ever gave more serious thought and study to a project
 than he gave to the canal. For more than 2 years he considered and studied
 it and he only gave his endorsement and made the first allotment after every
 angle had been carefully looked into by our able, capable, and forceful Chief of
 Army Engineers, General Markham, but also by boards of outstanding engi-
 neers and geologists nationally known, and their endorsement and approval had
 been given. Now, Mr. Chairman, I regret to make the statement, but with
 some, facts are immaterial, and so far as the President is concerned, he is
 damned if he does and he is damned if he don't Fortunately for the country
 he is a man of courage and vision and the "harpings and biting criticisms" do
 not worry him.
 REPORT OF THE ENGINEIING BOARD BE FLORIDA CANAL

 Now, who was on that board that made the favorable report? The first
 is Edward B. Burwell, mining engineer and geologist, and this is his record:
 Born Lancaster, Va., December 17. 1894; Virginia Polytechnic Institute,
 1913-17, B. S.; assistant in geology, Virginia Polytechnic, 1916-17; first lieu-