The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-08-02
TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
THE VETO,
Of the River and Harbar APP
Precipitation Bill.

Washington, 1.-tOllOWlng Is the
| full text OF the Presidents message
vetoing the river and harbor bill:
To the House Of Representatives:
Having watched with much in.
terest the progress of the House
bill. number 6,242, entitled "an act
making an appropriation for the
construction, repair and pres
ervation of certain works on
rivers and harbOrS. and fol-
other purposes. Having, since
it was received, carefully eX-
amined,it and after matuI &c ,nSider.
alton, am constrained to return it
herewith to the House of Represen.
tatives, in which it originated, with.
out my signature, and with my OBJ
jectiOns to its passage. Many APP
preparations in the bill are clearly
for the general welfare and most
beneficial in their character. Two
of the objects for which provision is
made, were by me considered so i'm.
pOrtant, l felt it my duty to direct
them to the attentiOn of CongI esq
in my annual message in De.
cember last, when l urged
the vital importance of legisla.
ton for the reclamation of marshes
and for the establishment of harbor
lines along the Potomac front. In
April last, by special message,
recommended appropriations for the
improvement of the Mississippi
river. 1t is not necessary that L say
when my signature would make the
bill and the appropriations for these
and other valuable national objects
law, it is with great reluctance
and only under sense of duty that
withhold it. Ny principal OBJ
lection to the bill is that it
contains appropriations for pur-
poses not for tie common defense
or general welfare, land which are not
to promote commerce among the
states. These provisions, on the
contrary, are entirely for the
benefit of particular localities in
which it Is proposed 70 make
the improvements, l regard such
appropriations of public money as
beyond the powers given by the
Constitution to Congress and the
President. I feel more bound to
withhold my signature from the
bill because of the peculiar ends
which manifestlyresult from this
infraction of the Constitution in ap-
preparations of this nature, to be de-
voted purely to local objects, tend
ing to increase them in number and
amounts. l find that money, to raise
which all, in common with the whole
country, are taxed, to be expended
for local improvements in another
state, results in the demand for SINH,
laI benefits for other states; and il
is not unnatural that they should
seek to indemnify themselves fo
such public funds by securing ap-
proDriatiOns for similar improve.
ments in their own neighberhOod
Thus, as the bill becomes more OBJ
jectionable, it secures more support
ilhis result invariably and neces-
sarily follows a neglect to observe
the constitutional limitations i'm
posed upon the law-making power
Appropriations for river and harboI
improvements have, under the in
fuences to which l have alluded,
increased year by year, out of pro-
portion with the progress Of the
country, great as that has been
In 1870 the aggregate appropriation
was 1915, 900; in 1875, $6,664,S51
in 1880, SS,976,5OO, and in 1881, ST., ,.
451 $50, while by the present act
there is appropriated S1S,743,S75'
While feeling every disposition tC
leave to the legislature the response
bility of determining what amount
should be appropriated for the pur
pose Of the bill, so long IS the ap
Preparations are confined to the OBJ
iects indicated by their grant Of
power, l cannot escape the conclus'
ion that, as a part Of the law-making
power OF government, a duty de-
wolves upon me to with
hold my signature from the
bill containing appropriations
which, in my opinion, greatly ex-
ceed in amount the needs of the
country, for the present fiscal year.
It being the usage to provide money
for these purposes by annual appro-
priation bills, the President is, IN
effect, directed to expend so large
an amount of money within SO
brief a period that the expenditure
cannot economically and advantage
ously be made. Public money is an
evil not to be measured by the value
of that money to the people who
are taxed for it. They sustain
greateriinjury by the demorallza-
ton of the effect produced UPON
those who are intruSted with the
official duty through all the ramIn-
cations of government. 1hestt
objections could be removed ano
every constitutional purpose readily
obtained should Congress enact thal
one-half only of the aggregate
Iamount provided for in the bill o.
annronriated for expenditures dur
lin the fiscal year, and that the sun
SO appropriated be expended only
for such objects as are named IN Gnt
hin. as the secretary Of wars undel
the direction of the President, shal
determine; provided that IN no case
shall the expenditure for any one
purpose exceed the sum now deslg
mated by the bill for that purpose
| I feel authorized to make this sug
Igestion because Of the duty imposed
1DO,, +bo President nv the cOnStlLu