The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-06-03
In SPITE OF THE VETO
The Republicans Forcs Through the River
and Harhor Appropriation Bill.
A HOT DEBATE PRECEDES ITS PASSAGE
Rut the Tide Could Not he Stemmed
-Thirty.Nine Democrats Vote In
Favor of tho BiIa-Siiver and
Tariff Discussed In the Scnntc-Ad-
journment Probably Next Week.

Washington, June 2.-House: Mt Hen
derson reported from the Committee on
Rules to-day an order making the hour
Of meeting for the remainder OF the
session II o'clock a IN. 1t was agreed
to.
In this connection Mr.. Dingley chair
man of the Committee on Ways and
Means, called the attention of members
to the necessity of maintaining quorum
in order that the business of the House
might be successfully prosecuted. Seven
of the appropriation bills, he said, were
still in conference. with several mat
ters of difference between the two
Houses. likely TO cause friction, and
upon which yea and nay votes would
likely be demanded. In order to clear
up the business of the House he warn
ed members proposing to leave that the
presence of a quorum was absolutely
necessary. If q quorum be broken, Mr..
Dingley said, he desired to warn MEM
beis that it would be necessary to send
for them.
Mr.. Cannon, chairman of the Commit
tee on Appropriations, stated that in
his judgment there was no possibility
that the present session of Congress
would end before Wednesday of next
week, and probably not before Friday
or Saturday.
Mr.. Henderson-That depends upon a
quorum remaining?
Mr.. Cannon--Oh! yes; certainly. With
out quorum the session would run
along for month.
The Speaker-The Speaker expresses
the hope that quorum keeping will be-
gin promptly ut II O'Clock.
The report of the Committee on Riv-
css and Harbors recommending the pas
sage of the River and Harbor BILL "the
objections OF the President TO the con-
trary Notwithstanding" was presented
T.. Hooker hot
and read
The report states that of All Items
OF appropriations contained In the bill
all except % are for projects contained
IN Di!ls which have heretofore become
laws, and which have been for years in
process of construction by the Govern
'ment. No new projects were added to
the bill of 1894. 1t Will thus be seen.
the report states, that the principal work
of the committee has been the investi-
CATION and examination of improvements
10 which Congress has repeatedly COM
mitted itself. The River and Harbor
oiii or 1880 appropriated s25 ZOO, 600 and
paced certain works under the con-
tract system which involved the addi-
tonal expenditure of Sl5.000,00O 1t ap-
pears. therefore. that by far the greater
iunper OF projects appropriated for in
this bill were also appropriated for in
the bill Of 1890, and which ale not vet
completed.
The report explains that that bill was
referred TO General Casey then Chief of
me United states Engineers. who re-
ported to Pesident Harrison that ONLY
eight Of the items seemed to be OF lin
lleu or local benefit. The gross amount
appropriated for these items was s72,-
coo. From this IT will be seen. the ,e-
port continues. that the larger part
Si the projects contained in the present
Dill passed the scrutiny and received
the approval of General Casey. and have
gone unchallenged until now. The bills
ol 1871 and 80 We're approved by Presi-
ueht Harrison, and the bill of 1894 was
permitted by the present Executive to
become law by limitation
The committee impea ches the prasi.
dents declaration that many of the
OBJECTS for which the money is appro
prlateu are not related to the public
welfare They assert that the bill was
a'eiuiiy prepared after exhaustive hear
mss, ana mat they scrupulouslyavoided
making appropriations not in the inter
est OF commerce.
Referring to the Presidents crt,c,sn,
that not a few of the improvements ha We
oe@nl so improvidently planned and pro-
secuted that after an unwise expenditure
VI iiiiiiohs OIL uoiiars. new experiments
loN their accomplishment have been en-
tered upon, the committee saws II has
oiten occurred after a project ha been
adopted In accordance with certain de-
,,iSu pitiilo, SuUIlllUleu by the engineers
that the interests of commerce REQUIRED
that greater and more effective i'm
proVement than the first contemplated
shouid he made. In such cases il had
iorg been the custom OF Congress 10
ordsr from time 10 time new estimates
TO De made with n view to eniarging the
scope OF these projects. In making ap-
preparations for these enlarged protects,
1he bill often directed that the money
appropriated should be expended in ac-
cordance with the notifications of the
engineers. The committee believes.
therefore, that uhe President NAV have
inferred from the language SO u.s. d. that
the original plans had been improvIdcn.
and ll-advised and the money wasted,
Wnen the money expended upon the ori-
Final plans was jud!canusly expended
ana would have been expended even If
Nhe modified plans had been originally
adopted. An instance of these modIfica-
lions is found In the case OF the harbors
mt Baltimore, Portland. New York, WI
m!ngton, Del, Savannah and other
places.
n careful re-examiration of the biz
warrants the committee asserting that
there Is no foundation for the Presidents s
statement that the bill carries appro-
priai:ions for work which certain private
Uartes have actually agreed to with the
GoVernment In consideration OF their oc-
SupanCy OF public prOpertv