Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-08-01
RIVER AND HARBORBILL.
The President Still Undecided as to
His Course.
The Matter Said to Have Been Settled BY
the Cabinet but the Result Not Made
PubGe-Patents to West Virgin
ians-Asbbil's Mistake
POINTS, PERSONAL AND POLITICAL.
Special Dispatch TO the Register.

Special Dispatch 10 the Register.
WASHINGTON, July 31.-Contrary to ex-
pectation, President Arthur did not take
any action in regard to the River and Har-
Dor bill, to-day. 1t is generally believed,
however, that he will do so tomorrow.
Naturally certain Senators and Represen.
tatives who have for eight months been
log-rolling in order to secure slice of the
river and Harbor Bill have been Wis.,
iting the White House to-day, and with un-
seemly persIstency imploring Arthur to
sign it. 1t is proper for Senators and Rep
reSentatiyes to respond to invitations ex-
tended to them by the President, who has
desired to obtain from them information
regarding certain features OF the bill, but
there are some who Of their own accord and
for their own purposes have been lobbying
industriously to secure the signing OF the
measure.
There is one feature of the River and
HarboF Bill which does not appear to be
generally understood. 1t is not regular
Appropriation Bill.
The regular appropriation bills passed by
Congress at this session provide specifically
that the money therein appropriated for
the support OF the army. the navy. the pos
tai service, &c, for the fiscal year 1888; but
the River and Harbor Bill, as passed by
Congress, has no fiscal year limitations
whatever. 1t does not provide that the
sums are appropriated for constructing,
continuing, or repairing such and such
works during the fiscal year 1888. The en-
acting clause provides that the following
sums of money be and are hereby appro-
priated to be paid out OF any money in the
treasury not otherwise appropriated, and
to be expended under the direction OF the
Secretary of War for the construction, CON-
pletion, repair and preservation of the
public works hereinafter named
IL has been asserted that the President
and cabinet have objected to the bill on the
ground that it appropriates
Larger sum of Money
than ought to be or can be judiCiously eS'
pended during any one fiscal year, and that
this is one of the reasons why the PreSi-
dent is inclined to veto it; but veto with
out any other basis than that would be an
absurdity, because there is in the
bill no mandatory provision requir.
in the Secretary OF War to spend
all, or even the greater part, or, for that
matter, even dollar during the current
fiscal year on the works authorized by the
bill. The expenditure OF the money can
be extended over two years. 1t is the con.
slant practice of the engineer department.
to refrain from expending appropriations
in cases where the undertaking OF a given
work authorized by Congress would not be
justified owing TO the
Inadequacy of the Amount APprO-
priated.
The engineers often report that to spend
such and such a sum in beginning an i'm
provement would be unwiSe and virtual
waste of money, and they recommend de
lay until Congress shall have increased the
amount or give the work up altogether.
Hence it is that some of those Senators and
Representatives who voted against the
River and Harbor Bill are frank to say that
under the circumstances the President can
not sustain himself in a veto unless he dis
tinctly declares that he is opposed to
authorizing the expenditure of money in
attempting to make unimportantand local
streams navigable. They say that for him
TO veto the bill and recommend
A Horizontal Reduction
of the amounts appropriated or the grant
ing OF power TO the executive to select
from the bill those proposed improvements
on which expenditures of money should
be made would be very inadequate reason
for a veto, because it would not be propo-
Sitlon to eliminate from the bill the fea-
lures declared to be vicious. The forth
coming action of the President is looked
forward to with much curiosity, not only
by those who are more or less personally
interested in the bill, but by those who
are deSirous of seeing whether the Presi-
dent i prompted by mere political con-
sideratiOns or by sincere wish TO do what
he can To reform river and harbor lcgiSla-
tiOn.