The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-08-05
WASHINGTON.
TIE PRESIDENT S VETO-A LEI
TURE ON ECONOMY.
Ga.yr,sa 10 Reduce the RIVE ard Harbor ApPIe-
pciation one-Half-Loa Rolling Md1oHs
Described How the Message Was
Received.

Gsayr,ss Ia Reduce the Rivef ard Haraor ApgI'
pgtstion 0nc-HaF- Lo.; Rolling Met1oas
Described How the Message Vas
Received.
WASHINGTON. August 1.-The veto o.
the river and harhor bill reached Inc
Capitol about i.2j o'clock this afternoon
As Mr.. PluGcn, the President private
see, etary, who always delivers messages
tn Congress. entered ON the floor oi Tue
House there was a great curiosity on Iie
part of me.nherS TO know the coiilents "i
the message that lie had. lie Declined,
however. to state The message was I'M
'ncdiateiy real, the most careful aIteh-
ton being given to it. When the SEN
tcucc was reached i'll which the iresl-
dent says. THUS, as the bill becomes
moie objectionable. the more support 1t
receives, the members generally broke
out in hearty laugh, Mr.. Cox. OF New
York. enjoying it very much. DIT. Cox
. as probably the iIappiest man on the
floor. He has opposed on principle the
passage Of river and harbor bills and
similar measures during his long service
in Congress. When Representative
from Ohio in the Thirty-tifth Congress
he FOUGHT all such measures, ;tnt! he has
never let up since. AS soon as the mes
sage was read the IIonse adjourned. The
committee on commerce will report some
kind of bill to avoid the objections
laid down by the President. Of course
a vote will have to be taken Oh the veto.
but there are but few who think the bill
can get 3 t.yu-t birds TGta, The veto was
n great surprise TO many senators and
members. who had teleGraphcd to friends
that the bill would be signed.
The House committee on commerce
has uuanim"usIy agreed to report 4 reso-
luton recommending the passage of the
bill outstanding the veto
THE. PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
The following is the fnlI texf of the
veto message;
Ia tie Uoda2 pf RfprfSeh'atjees;-IIay-
ing watched with much interest The pro-
gress of House bill No. G2422, entitled
An act making appropriations for tie
construction, repair and preservation of
certain works on rivers and harhgrs. an!
for other purposes" and having. since it
was received, carefully examined it.
after mature consideration | am con-
strained to return it herewith to the
House of Representatives, in which it
originated, without Tty signature, and
with my objections 10 its ra5saga
Many of the appropriations IN the bill
are clearly for the general welfare and
most benetcent in their characters. Two
Of the objects for which E;Gl.s.Gl is
made were by lilo considered so import
ant that | felt it my duty to direct to
them the attention of Congress. In nv
annual message in December last urged
the vital Importance Of legislation for
the reclamation Of the r2arsaas suJ ,ur
the establishment or the harbor tires
along the Potomac front. In April last
by special message, | recommended an
appropriation for the improyeme., al me
Mississippi lsiveg. Il is not necessary
that SLY that when my signature would |
make the bill appropliating for these and |
other valuable national objects a law. it
is with great reluctance and only untlar
Il sensp Qt tpty that | Wi.hAoia il. My !
principal objection to The bill is that it !
contains appropriations for purposes ..st !
for the common defence .. general well !
fare AMI which do not promote com
merce among the States. These proyi- |
Sions, on the contrary. are entirely for
the benefit of the particular localities III I
which it is nrratfuse,i 10 make the i'm
prove n4enrS. / fegard such appropria-
ton Of the Pablo money as beyond the
powers given by the Copgt;.a,ion to
Congress ap4 thu PRECEDENT, feel the
more bound 10 withhold my signature
from the bill because Of the peculiar
evils which maniicstIy result from this
iniractien Of the Constitution. Appro-
priations of this nature, to be devoted
purely to local objects, ten.; Il, 81 IN
crease il na.apet AMI ~ atuoVpt. AS
the citi4eas Of one STATE tud that money
to raise WHICH they in common with
the Whole country are taEel--is TO be
expended H.. local Improvements in an
other State, they demand similar bene
fits for themselves, and it is not unnatu-
raj that they should seek to indemnify
themselves for such use of the public
funds by securing appropriations for sim.
liar improvements in their owE :.s;gaU9T-
hood. t.4te, 80 RE iii, yeq3me$ more
ohiee.n .iapte, i secures more support.
This result is inTaFiaula, and necessarily
follows a neglect TO ohserye tie t'oasti-
tntlopal limitations IMPOSED upon the
Ia " making p1W2t,
Tie appropriations for river and har-
Dor improvements have, under the intlu-
ences to which have alluded, increased
year by year, out of proportion to the
progress of the country, great as that Las
been. In 1870 the aggre@.:2...>i s.ppfopria-
lion was S3.@,1. not. il .o7i, SG,G4S, 511.-
10; IN 1885, s. 5iS,, 800; and in 1881 Sill
10 l.. BOO, while by the present act there is
appropriated us, i,3,SF;,, While ;eeiing
very Disposition ~ leave 81 sno iagisla-
.ure the responsibility Of determining
"hat amount sLouli be appropriated for
he purposes OF the bill, SO long as the
appropriations are confilIed to objects in
Heated by the grant of power | cannot
Escape the conclusion that as ? "@.,,, Of
ne law-making MOVE Il ~ suSetnment
he . a;.t ..e-u,ves upon HE to withhold
ny signature from the bill containing ,
appropriations which i'll my opinion
,reaty exceed in amount the needs Of
he country for the present ETs,,,, year
t being the l,,ssaa.s2 ~ H;Gvsae money for |
hese purposes Ey aiitqll appropriation J
ills, tile President is III effect directed :
o expend so large an aMoEnt ii money |
within so brief . period tnat the expen-
Iitu.a cannot be made economically and
dvantageously.
The extravagant expenditure of public i
money is an evil not to be measured by ,
he value of that money to the people
rho are taxed for it. They .Gstaip
reater injury 70 re q2.4c,aEe.ng effect :,
roAuset. among Hose who are entrusted
nth official duty through all the ramiti I
atoms CT government. These objections ,
ould be removed and every constitu '
onal purpose readily obtained should
ongress enact that one-half only of the !
ugregate amount provided for in the
i'll he appropriated for expenditure ,,,lr- $
70 the fiscal year, an;,, ,.,,.y .ne sum so z
p"ro,.,...,au oe expended only for such v
biects named i'll the bill as the Secre- {
lry of War, under the direction of the Ii
resident, shall determine. provided that
no case shall the expenditure g., any c
le ,,s:pasa .,xu,eI .ne sum now desig- !;
,ted by the bill for that purpose. | It
ell authorized to make this suggestion
,cause of the duty imposed upon the
resident by the constitution to recon- y
end to the consideration of Congress =
oh measures as he shall irdre aeces- r
ry ard s1y.di.e2 ;,ra ,.ecaassss It is my a
rnest desi.e that the public works 0
hieh are iii progress shall suffer no in
~. Congress will also convene again
four months, when this whole subject i,
III be open for their consideration. !.
CHESTER \. ARTHUR. l.
Executive Mansion, August /, 1889. r.
41assSa oVef INC teso. IS
" AsiIINuTON. Aug. 2.-Thc House Il
ok the bit in its teeth to day. and made o
ont work of the presidential veto Of the p
rer and harl,or bill. rassin.: 1t over the d
T., La. n .-.u OF 100 To ~ -IAn nn.ra =