The Fight Against the Federal 'Pork Barrel'
Progressive candidate M. A. Peacock slams Congressman LaFollette’s vote on reclamation funding, warning it invites corruption into the Northwest's irrigation projects.
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M. A. Peacock, of North Yakima, progressive candidate for congress from the fourth district, spent several days last week in Kennewick and the surrounding territory. Mr. Peacock is a finely educated man and a vigorous campaigner. A graduate of Oberlin College and Syracuse University, he is currently a fruit grower and livestock breeder in the Moxee Valley. Peacock took aim at Congressman LaFollette’s vote on the Underwood Amendment to the Reclamation Act, calling it a step toward the 'pork barrel' system. Peacock argues that the amendment removes the reclamation service from the oversight of professional engineers and subjects it to congressional log-rolling and trading. He warned that this could allow failing private irrigation projects to be bailed out by the federal government at taxpayer expense, while legitimate projects face funding uncertainty due to the annual appropriation cycle.
“The 'pork barrel' is one of the most vile institutions that has taken a place in our national government, and every possible effort should be made by our national legislators to prevent the creation of new 'pork barrels.'”
Peacock’s critique of the 'pork barrel' system reflects a perennial tension in the American West: the struggle between technocratic, long-term resource management and the political volatility of federal funding. This debate over how Washington State water projects are prioritized remains a central, often contentious, issue in modern state politics.
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