National Republican., 1883-02-22

o rther suggest to oongress the advisability
,t ,eparate appropriation bills for separate
'ivcb and harbor works; so that both as to
'oul 'ressional votes and executive approval or
lsatfpproval, each measure may stand or fall.
It Is n hardly necessary for this committee TO
'ay F7that such method of legislation while
,dm r,able in theory, would become absurd in
orac Ntice 1t is absolutely impracticable The
Pres idont himself admits in the mes
'agcW that the objection as to its i'm
prac ticability may be well founded" and
Lhcn proceeds to submit to congress an
= alt crnativeproposition," by which he thinks
The Ind sought may perhaps be moro effect
nallI gained" by amendment of the constitu-
-ion TO enable the executive TO disapprove
any R tcm or items Of q bill appropriating
mon ~. Even were such an amendment
prac cable it would still, in the opinion of
man n, be almost as unwise and dangerous and
mad wnissable as the executive suggestion
mad in the veto message aforesaid that con-
gres appropriate n certain lump sum for tho
rive and harbors and leave it TO the dis
crvl Non of the President, within certain limits
of ~ lount only, to expcnd the same on such
worl rs he should see fit.
II cmains only for the committee to alludo
TO tI Int part of the answer of the secretary of
war o tho house resolution of inquiry as to
rivcIW and harbor expenditures termed by him
" EN Niibit A." The first clause Of the resolu-
ton lsked the secretary of war whether there
were any works in the last river and harbor
act N no benefit to commerce and navigation,
and # so, to name them and the sums appro.
priai I'D therefor the second clause asked him
whot Hner any of the moneys so appropriated
have been or are being expended for such
worl IS. His answer TO both Is given in "Ex-
bibit i A" aforesaid, which processes to be n
sat Hslactory answer TO the inquiries Of tho
hons 3" 1t there appears that, in his iudg.
meni there were in that act ninety
one II objects improperly appropriated for
and upon the face Of the answer
IL vii i be seen that believing them TO be i'm.
prop Ir objects he has permitted the oxpendi-
turo pf money ON all but thirty-Rve of them.
The Committee does not propose TO discuss the
qucs ion Of whether the secretary of war, or
the n resident, both or either of them, has the
righth to refrain from spending money appro.
priat I'D by congress in an act which declares
that Uhe sums of money therein appropriated
are Ito be expended "--not held up--but to
be cN pended under the direction Of the secre-
tary bJf war for" certain definite and specific
ohirC s, to wit "the construction, repair and
prcsc ovation Of the public works hereinafter
namuN."
Tn secretary evidently believes he has that
right or he would not have exercised IL in
the irty-five instances he gives. SO believ.
ing d so exercising that supposed right in
thirt five cases, why did he not exercise it
Us ~ lt OlntI my -SlN WOTkb WHICH ne also
COnsi ers improper objects of appropriation ?
If h had not the right to withhold at all,
why Nas he withheld any2 If he has the right
TO wi VhhOld, why did he not withhold more
Mn committee present rs an appendix to
their Report n number of cases from this list
of Ill nnety-one items alleged to be improper
work or objects giving the sccretarys state
mcnt Df objection on the one side and on the
otherN he reports of engineers, and, as an ex-
amplCV of their method of reply, the following
in relV renee to Oldtown creek, Miss, Is given
in full
Objt tion OF the secretary OF war. This creek
| runs ito the Tombgbec river aner meandernp
thirty Uniles in direct distance Of twelve miles
| The Cd mated cost Of the propo cd improvement
/ Is SluWOO with which II Is prop, sed TO make II
| naylgN NDe after c winter rains set In for an an.
| tCipu d PERIOD OF about five months. When ex-
anime a drain box twelve inches square would
| pass the waters in the creek.
UntH Ter the caption of "the facts 4" the com
mite Nsay, in answer: If tho immediate
cOnsCt XuenCe of improving, at a cost of S1O,0 900
! thirty miles of u meandcring stream, even
when he distance is but twelve miles, and
! though nayigable for only five months in the
year, lOuld happen to be u saving in freight
of ab ut Sl.50 each on about $4,000 bales OF
cotton annually, now transported by rail
and corresponding reduction in freight on
return N supplies of probably 50 per cent, In
value pf the cotton, then an appropriation
| for III benefcent work-so decidedly
| IN thW interest oil general commerce
wOuldN be abundantly justified. These
are Nc precise facts given by the
enginC rs in this case, and while the
secretiHy seems to have made haste to jump
at the tatement of the local engineer, to wit
81 SUI pose a box drain ~ inches square woi d
readi pass all the water that was flowing In
the crtt tek when saw it," he supprosses what
immcdI lately follows, viz, But the banks are
from 6 I'D to so feet wide at the base, 100 to 125
ut the surface, and 10 to Is feet high; and
after The winter rains have sent in, generally
from l Bee. to May ], tho creek is from to il
feet al Vve low water"
As unother instance, the secretary says,
relatiyk to improving Flushing bay "The en-
ginccrtn charge reports that the amount Il
which Dcommerce and navigation would bt
benefit Bed by the improvement Is unknown
That be number Of inhabitants to be bene
fitted about 10000. that the travel be
tween Flushing and New York is served by
two liz n S of railway" To this the committee
reply, H. 1t lis sufficient to remark that Will
the seV retary of war says that the enginee
, in cha Ne reports that the amount to whicl
cOmmcI Zee and navigation would be benefited
by the Improvement is unknown the fact j
that Il engineer in charge reports that th
amount of commerce to be benefited by thi
is sod 900 annually. However, the delega
tion frv New York do not appear anxious il
! the pr. ent condition Of mislcad public scnti
= mont I ere to press an appropriation for thi
work 81 present; none has been made in thi
hill -