The record-union., 1896-06-03
RIVER And HARBOR
APPROPRIATION BILL.
The Measure Passed in the House Over
the Veto Of the President
By Vote of Two Hundred and Twenty
Yeas to Sixty Nays.
The House Agrees to an Order Re-
ported From the Committee on
Rules Taking the rIeeting Hour for
the Remainder of the Session,
Which is Likely to Continue the
Balance of the Week, Eleven A. II.

Balance of the Week, Eleven A. n.
WASHINGTON, June 2-The river
and harbOr appropriation bill was
passed over the Presidents veto to-
day by the unexpected heavy vote Of
30 yeas to 60 nays. There were COM
paratively so few votes in the negative
that it was found impossible to repair
absent members in favor of the bill.
The Republicans with practical unan-
unity, and thirty nine Democrats with
one Populist made up the affirmative
vote, while the negative vote was about
equally divided between the Republi-
cans and Democrats, five Populists
voting with them.
When the House met to-day Hender-
son reported from the Committee on
Rules an order making the hour of
meeting for the remainder of the ses-
sion IL a. m, and that was agreed to.
Cannon, the Chairman, stated that
in his judgment there was no possibil-
ity that the present session would end
before Wednesday of next week, and
probably not before Friday or Satur-
day.
The report of the Committee on Riv-
passage of the river and harbor appro-
priation bill, the objection of the Presi-
dent to the contrary Notwithstanding,
was presented by Hooker Rep) of New
York, Chairman, and read.
The report stated that of the All
items Of appropriations contained in
the bill but twenty-seven are for pro-
jects contained in bills which have
heretofore become laws, and which
have been for years in process of con-
structiOn by the Government. The new
projects were added to the bill of 1894.
1t will thus be seen, the report states,
that the present work of the commit
tee has been the investigation and i'm
proVement of projects to which Con-
gress has repeatedly committed itself.
1t appears, therefore, that by far the
greater number of projects appropriat
ed for this bill were also appropriated
for the bill of 1894
The report explains that that bill was
received by General Casey, then Chief
of the United states Engineers, who re-
ported to President Harrison that only
eight of the items seemed to be of linn
tied or local benefit. The gross amount
appropriated for these items was ST.
coo. From this it will be seen, the re-
port continues that the larger part of
the projects contained in the present
bill had passed the scrutiny and Sc
cured the approval of General Casey,
and have gone unchallenged until now
The bills of 1890 and 1892 were ap-
proved by General Harrison, and the
bill of 1894 was permitted by the pres
ent executive to become a law by Iimi-
tation.
The committee impeach the Presi-
dents declaration tha- many of the OBJ
Jects for which the money is appropri-
ated are not related to the public well
fare. They assert that the bill was
carefully prepared after exhaustive
hearings, and that they scrupulously
avoided making appropriations not in
the interest of commerce.
Referring to the Presidents criticism
that not a few of the Improvements
have been SO improvidently planned
and executed that after an unwise ex-
penditure of millions of dollars new ex-
periments for their accomplishing |
have been entered upon, the committee /
say that it has often occurred that a
project has been adopted in accordance |
with the certified plans submitted by |
the engineers that interests of COM !
nerce required a greater and more eff I
fective Improvement than that first I
contemplated In such cases it had long /
been the custom of Congress to intro !
dUce from time to time new estimates /
to be made, with a view of enlarging /
the scope of these projects, the /
bill often directing that the money /
appropriated should be expended in /
accordance with the notifications of /
the engineers. The committee believe, |
therefore, that the President may have |
inferred from the language so used that /
original plans had been improvident |
and illadvised, and the money wasted, !
when the money expended upon the /
original plans was judiciously expended |
and would have been expended even if |
the modified plans had been originally |
adopted.
A careful re-examination Of the bill /
warrants the committee in asserting !
that there is no foundation for the Pres /
iGent's statement that the bill carries /
appropriations for work which parties /
have actually agreed with the Govern |
ment to do in consideration of their oc-
cupancy of public property.
Referring to the Presidents further |
criticism that the bill contemplates an |
immediate cash expenditure Of nearly |
S17,000,000, including So, 600 600 car
ried in the sundry civil appropriation |
bills for contract work, the committee |
asserts that the President is in error, |
and that only $12621 COO are to be ex-
pended during the two fiscal years end |
ing June 30, 1898. The statement is
also made that the bin does not appro- |
pirate $62, 100000 for contract work. |
but only $59,616,000. 1t is also shown |
that if all the contracts authorized by |
the bill are promptly entered into by |
the Secretary of War the maximum |
amount that can be expended in one |
year is S16,612, 900. and not $50, 100000, |
as the President asserts.
Passing the Presidents accusation of |
extravaganza the committee shows |
that the average appropriations for the |
past six years have been S16,700,000 a |
year. While, including the present bill |
and the two others for the remainder of |
this century, the total amount for these |
six years will only average 1900, 900. |
The report repeatedly emphasizes the
committees approval of the contract |
system as being less expensive to the |