Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-03
TIE RIVER AND. KaRBoR Bull.

inc Seso ny naJoriLie5 SO large as 20 HUI
cate the existence of a very decided breach |
between the executive and the legislative
departments of the Government. The
grounds upon which the President vetoed
the bill are certainly strong, He pointed
out that the appropriations made under it
were in many cases for purely local i'm.
provements, aad tina. therefore these ap.
preparations were in violation of the con-
s.itutional limitation upon congressional
action He also held that so large an
amount YVES appropriated that it would be
impossible 60 expend it economically within
the time. Bat apparently the passage of
the hundred million. dollars Pension bill
has completely demoralz. Congress as to
financial proportions, and though the River
and Harbor bill provides for five times
any previous expenditure for similar
purposes, the vigor and promptness with
which it has been passed over the Execu.
tive veto show that the majority in both
houses regarded it as . popular measure
In considering the causes which have led
to this large appropriation, it can do no
good to denounce Congress for those
causes must be sought far away from the
present measure, and they belong to the
political system which is unfortunately &C.
cepted by both parties. In the first place,
it is perfectly evident that Congress has
been tempted to extravaganza by the ex.
istence OF large surplus revenue. The
existence of this great surplus revenue is
due to the maintenance of scheme of tax.
alton which never could have had any other
justification than the war of the rebellion,
and which ought 10 have been abandoned
long ago. The ever-inereasing rapacity of
the protected classes, however, and the OPP
| Grafton Of the natural law which always
tends to the extension of the protective
| system, have baffisd every effort to reduce
the tariff So the revenue has been kept
up far beyond the necessities Of the Gov.
eminent, and as treasure has accumulated
the temptation to employ it for semi polit
ical purposes has been steadily growing
| also.
| And here we are brought to note a
feature OF our political system which has
always tended to promote Congressional
extravaganza. 1t has been the habit of
the constituencies of all Congressman to
demand OF them Governmental aid for
local advantage. There is not Con.
| gressiohal District in the Union which has
not always had its pet projects of this kind.
Now it is Postoffice or Custom. house
that is required. Again it is some river
improvement. Wherever there is stream
that will float a saw.log there has at some
time been an endeavor to secure Con-
| gressional assistance. Nor is it fair to
say that all these efforts are made by spec
ulators aud adventursrs. 1t is on the con-
| trary notorious that whenever Congress
man comes before his constituents for
reelection, the local press at once proceeds
to Judge him by his record, and in dis.
cussing that record he is almost invariably
Endorsed or condemned according to what
he has done for his district. His constitu.
ents do as fact approve his action when
ever he gets an appropriation to be ex-
| pended among them. And they do not
care whether some other district is injured
by what they obtain. The consequences is
that every Congressman must be perpetu-
ally on the watch to obtain good things for
his own constituency, and it follows that
few members of Congress are in position
to resist extravaganza OF this kind.
In the present River and Harbor bill we
have merely fragrant illustration of a
process which has been going on for the best
part of a century. Until recently the
Treasury was empty, and therefore Con.
| gressmen had good excuse for being
moderate in their demands. But for many
years these bills have VIGOROUSLY con-
tanned appropriationssas extravagant and
as unconstitutional as anything in the last
one, and for many years they have provoked
the same kind of criticism. 1t happens this
year that there is great deal of surplus
revenue, and for that reason Congressman
have been encouraged to make a raid
upon the Treasury. But when they
passed the bill over the President s
veto they knew very we'll that this
Extravaganza was not likely to injure them
in the eyes of their constituents, and while
those Democrats who did not vote to over.
ride the veto will of course try to make
political capital out of the vote, we do not
believe that they will succeed, because as a
matter of fact Congress has in passing the
bill only ebeyed the popular will.
Nor is it possible to show that any great
evil is to result from the enactment of the
measure, unless we assume that the pub.
/ lie have always been OPPOSED to similar ap.
preparations. The surplus revenue, whose
presencs in the treasury has led to this
raid, was in great part taken from the PEG.
ple by very inequitable and injurious
methods OF taxation. So much of it as
the River and HARDER bill covers will now
be returned to them in indirect ways, and
in the process OF redistribution a great
number of local benefits will be conferred.
The system which has produced this mode
of employing the public funds is no doubt
bad one, and may easily result in danger
GUS attractions Of the Constitution. But it
must be kept in mind that the people have
sustained these methods, aud that they
4
have steadily refused to take any steps for
the introduction Of safer and better ones.
And since they alone are in danger of in.
jury, and since they have refused to BE-
lieve that they are being injured, they
must bear the responsibility, and they
must not undertake to shuttle it off en- to
the shoulders of their agents and repre-
sentatives. As good way as any to OBJ
tain clear view of the situation is to in.
quire what would be the popularity of a
Congressman who refused to solicit any
local aid for his district, on the ground
that such demands were prejudicial to the
national welfare Is it not certain that a
Congressman who should take this position
would be retired at the end OF his first
term?
As regards the action of the President,
it was what his position called for. He is
free from the local difficulties and en-.
tauglements which render it impossible
for members of Congress to act independ.
entity on such a question. 1t is his duty
to represent what he believes to be the
general interest, and from his standpoint
the River and Harbor bill certainly de-
served to be vetoed. But the Congress
sioual position is after all that which is
most in harmony with the existing politi.