Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-06-04
FIFTY-SIX TO FIVE
The Way the Senate Voted on
the River and HaFbor.veto.
AID THE MEASURE 1s How A LAW

henslon Of the Veto Power and PettjgreV
Charges the President with High Grimes
ana Misasmeanors-Houss Begins to
Clear the Decks for Final Adjournnens.
WARRINGTON, June 4-The senate yes
sertlay passed the river and harbor bill over
the presidents veto by the vote of IS to s.
This was the last step in making the bill
effective, and 1t Is now law. The vote
was taken after three hours Of spirited de-
bate. during which the president was crit
lciscd and defended, the remarks at times
being directly and bitterly personal. The
opposition to the veto was expressed by
Vest, Sherman, Pettigrew, Hawley. and
Butler, while the veto was defended by
Villas, Hill and Bate When partial con-
ference report was presented ON the naval
appropriation bill Quay moved that the
senate rocede from its amendment reduc-
Ing the number of bottlcship from four to
| two. This brought on an extended de-
bate. In It's course Tillman spoke in his
usual breezy" way ON ''armor robbers"
He referred to an alleged grip by the
throat" which the armor concerns had on
congress.
Sherman Fears the Veto Power.
Sherman said he would vote to pass tho
river and harb0r bill over the veto because
tho improvement Of the waterways Of tho
country was one of the most important
branches of national development, and
one in which other great nations were
showing even greater advance than the
United States. Moreover, the Legislative
branch was given the exclusive right to
appropriate money at Is time to curb
this daily exercise of the veto power" de.
clared Sherman. "It is a most extreme
power and dangerous one unless exer-
ciscd only in the most extreme cases in
volving constitutional questions But
this wise restriction is set aside and VIC
have veto every week or So"
Vest Has = Grievance.
Smith (Dem.) Of New Jersey said that
as result of personal inquiry ut the en-
ginecr department he was able to state
that this bill contained appropriations Of
el0. 100000 for projects which had not been
approved by the government engineers,
and D, 10000 for projects which the en-.
gineers had reported rs unworthy.
This was in part reply to philippe de-
livercd in his usual vigorous style when
attacking the administration by Vest, who
said he had written to General Craighill
on tho point involved, and received no re-
ply except that his letter had been referred
to the secretary of war for instructions
up to this dato no Information has been
given" said Vest bitterly, $50 that, for
reasons best known to the administration,
1t Is considered best not to go into details
on these charges, but to indulge in general
and rhetoric defamation Us to the alleged
extravaganza and favoritism contained in
tt"-the river and hnrbOr bill.
Villas Approves the Veto.
Villas said that the bill contained i'm.
portant appropriations for his state, but
he could no. bring himself to the conviction
that this great burden should be added to
the distressed shoulders of the people Of
the country. He regarded the criticisms
OF the veto by Vest as excessively minute
and inconsequential The appropriations
Of this congress would exceed $50, 600 900
before reaching the river and harbor bill.
Congress had come to dealing with vast
sums rs lightly as would some Oriental
prince who had no comprehension Of
values. Tho appropriations Of the present
congress would Outstrip those Of the con-
gress which became famous as the "billion
dollar" congress.
A Question Of Money and Taxes.
Where was the money coming from?
asked Villas: was it coming from moro
taxation and more bonds? "Of course the
secretary Of the treasury will have to stop
paying when he has no more money to
pay WITH" exclaimed Villas; "but is it the
desire Of this congress to drive the treas
ury into bankruptcy" The senator from
Ohio (Sherman), said Villas, appealed for
more revenue, as though raising revenue
was some legislative trick. Instead OF
that more revenue meant more taxation,
sacked with the tremendous force Of law
from the product Of labor, and burning
labor.