The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1896-06-04
TETOED THE BILL.

vetoed 1t.
Some VIII censure and -ome viii APP
plaud the President for his action. Tn
der the present condition Of the treas
urv We are inclined to believe he acted
wisely In order that our readers may
see the reasons the President assigned
for his action, we give the most Of his
paper setting forth the veto
There are III items Of approprla-
ton contained in this bill, and every
part Of the country j. represented IN
the distribution OF its favOrs. 1t direct
" appropriated. or provides for the I'M
mediate expenditure Of nearly fourteen
millions Of dollars tor river and har
b0r-wOrk. This sum i. in addition TO
appropriations contained IN another
bill for similar purposes, amounting TO
a little more than three millions Of dol
lars, which have already been favora-
bly, considered at the present session Of
Congress. The result is that the con-
templated immediate expenditure for
the object. mentioned amounts to
about seventeen millions OF dollars.
"A more startling feature OF this bill
is its authorization OF contract. for rlv-
err and harb0r-work, amounting to more
than si1ty-tvo millions Of dollars.
Though the payments on these con-
tracts are in most cases 50 distributed
| that they are to be met by future APP
preparations, more than three millions
of dollars on their account are included
in the direct appropriations mentioned
above. OF the remainder, near twenty
millions of dollars will fall due during
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1898,
Immediately succeeding. A few con-
| tracts Of like character, authorized I'M
der previous statutes, are still outstand-
ing, and to meet the payments on these
more than four millions must be ap
propriated in the immediate future.
If. therefore, this bill becomes a law,
the obligations which will be imposed
on the government, together with the
appropriations made for immediate ex
penditure on account of rivers and har-
bors. will amount to above eighty mil
lions Of dollars.
Nor is this all The bill directs nu-
merous surveys and examinations,
which contemplate new work and fur-
Their contracts, and which portend
largely increased expenditures and OBJ
| legations. There is no ground to hope
that, in the face OF the persistent and
growing demands, the aggregate Of APP
prOpriatiOns for smaller schemes not
covered by contracts Will be reduced, or
even remain stationary, for the fiscal
year ending June 80 1898. Such APP
preparations, together with the install
ments on contracts, which Will fall due
| in that year, can hardly be less than
thirty millions of dollars, and it may
reasonably be apprehended that the
prevalent tendency toward increased
cealment which postponed payments
afford no extravaganza, Will increase
the burdens chargeable to this account
In succeeding years.
CONSTITUTIONAL. OBLIGATION
I'm view of the obligation imposed
upon me by the Constitution. it seems
to be quite clear that l only discharge
my duty to our people when | inter
| pose my disapproval of the legislation
proposed. Many OF the objects for
which it appropriates public money
are not related to the public welfare
and many OF them are palpably for the
benefit Of limited localities. or in aid of
| individual interests. On the face Of
| the bill, it appears that not few of
these alleged improvements haye been
so -improvlder TALLY planned and prose
cuted that alter the unwise e1pendi-
ture of millions of dollars, new expert
ments for their accomplishment have
been entered upon. While those en-
trusted with the management of public
funds in the interest of all of the
people can hardly justify questionable
expenditures for public work by plead
ing the opinions of engineers or others
| as to the practicabilitv Of such work. It
appears that some of the projects for
which appropriations are proposed In
this bill have been entered upon with
out the approval or against the obiec-
tons OF examining engineers. | learn
from official sources that there are ap-
preparations contained in the bill to
pay for work which private parties
have actually agreed with this govern
ment to do, III consideration of their
occupancy of public property.
Whatever items of doubled proprie
ty may have escaped observation. or
may have tolerated in previous Execu-
tive approval. of similar bills. I am
convinced that the bill now under con-
sheraton opens the WAY tO i,Sidio,,o