Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-23
STILL COMPLIMENT, :
The House Committee Recommend
appropriations for Is Items Object.
ed TO by the Secretary OF Wnr,

appropriations for Is Items object
ca 10 ny the secretary Of War.
ny Telegraph to the Free Press and Times,
WAsnlNGTOS, ID. C., Feb. 2l.-Mr. Page.
in behalf of the commerce committee, sub
mitted to the House. to-day, the report TO ac.
company the new river and harbor bill The
committee say that after the last bill was
passed over tie President. veto the Deys
papers at great railroad centres raised hue
and cry against the act and against those by
whose votes it passed, bolsteiing the attack
with every possible form of misrepresentation
and personal abuse in the endcavor TO blind
the people to their own best interests. At
the reassembling Of Congress the President
in his annual message took occasion to again
advert 10 the appropriations for the rivers
and harbors, and, evidently mislcd by a de.
ceptivc Official balance sheet, expressed the
hope that mo similar measure would be
deemed necessary during the present Con
grcss.' AS if in harmony with this ntima.
ton the secretary Of war d.regardcd in part
the provisions OF the law and failed to fur
hisli me treasury chief Of engineers estimates
| OF the appropriations Tor the service
OF the fiscal year ending June 1884. The
House accordingly called on the secretary of
war for reports and estimates and upon re.
celving them the committee found that n
| number OF important river and harbor works
would not have a dollar left at the expiration
of the present fiscal year, and that fai lure on
the part Of Congress to make appropriations
for the coming year would inevitably result
in great loss to the government in the mat
ter of plant, filling up Of the channels and
otherwise, and that such failure would be
equivalent 10 throwing away the vast sums
already expended in the interest OF commerce
and rendering worthless many uucompleted
improvements as well as subiecting many
completed works to great damage.
Notwithstanding therefore the adverse
views uf the President the committee were
compelled to present river aud hirbor bill.
The committee cndeavorcd solicilously TO
frame such bill only as was justified ~ all
respects by the absolute interests of general
commerce, the ease and security of existing
navigation and the right requirements Of
public opinion.
The committee say that only - Of the
| Items to which the secretary Of war DIRECTED
| appear in the estimates for this year The
bill apprOprlatcs in the aggregate S2G3 900
for % Of these items, every one of which is
Justified by the reports of the engineer cyrps.
Not Gully as TO these but to many other works
omitted from the bill in order to reduce its
aggregate the secreiary's Objection has upon
Investigation seemed groundcss
The committee deemed 1t proper also TO re.
| frain from making an appropriation for an.
| other work, not specified in the list of obiec
lions by the secretary, which was embodied
In Tue last act and which is not oaly centre
~ for the benefit of the particular locality in
which it is proposed to mako the improve.
mcnt hut is not exclusively for the interest
OF commerce and navigation. We refer 10
the improvement of the Potomac flats, for
which the committee at the last session de-
cllned as they do now t. recommend any
appropriation, but which under pressure OF u
special message from the President favoring
the same was inserted by the Senate md
only concurred in by the House upon the re.
port of the conference committee
In the interest # ecenomy clause has
been Inserted covering into the treasury 500.
900 that years ago was appropriated, but has
lain unexpended, for improving the Har-
lem liver, New York
AS to the exercise of the veto power on the
last river and har5or bill, while it is undcni.
able that under the consttutIuu the ffesidclt
has the right to veto any bill passed by Con
gress. yet it is equally undeniablo that he
should never lightly or unnecessarily exer.
else That right. As TO river and harbor az.
preparations the President, through the sec
rotary of war, either has power to withhold
| from expenditure any one or al of them or
he has not power. !. the President ill.,, nos
poSol 10 50 withhold he has failed in his oh
legation to carry out the law and has over
stepped the bounds prescribed by the CON
stitution. Ii he has power to WITHHOLD
thea the VETO vas quite unnot. .slry.
The report says that the Presidents charge
That the appropriations made by the act of
1852 were extravngant is hot capable of
substanlillion. The rapid growth of the
country, the cNpunsluu Of its ,natcria. mo.
ests and lhe increase OF tariff aud inter
course demanded and still require liberal ap.
preparations. BY improving navlgabie
water ways, high fTcghiage Ly ,ai
Is everywhere checked and prevented,
and the home producer, manufacturer and
consumer everywhere are benefited. To facil.
ltate and cheaper the movements Of our vast
internal commerce the expenditure of hun.
dre,.s instead o. teus Vi millions might b.
Justified. The committee instance the large
expenditures Of England, France and Ger.
many for rivers and harbors. As to the fear
expressed by the President of "demcralisiu6
effect upGu 'thosa Intrus,ed with Official
duty through all the ramfcatious of the gov.
eminent caused by the expenditure Of SIS.
'43'Ooo The committee failed to detect any