The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-06-06
OVER The VETO.
River and Harbor Bill Passed, Once
rlore In the House.

the committee on rules and amendment
making the hour of meeting for the re-
mainder Of the session II a. m. It was
agreed; to. ID.
Mr.. Dingley Rep. Me) chairman Of
the committee on ways and means,
called the attention of members to the
necessity of maintaining quorum in
attendance in order that the business Of
the house might be successfully prose-
@cuted. Seven Of the appropriation bills
he said were still in conference with
several matter of difference b etween
the two houses likely to cause friction,
and upon which yea and nay votes
would doubtless be demanded before
they were settled. In order to close up
the business Of the house he warned
members proposing to leave that the
presence Of a quorum was absolutely
necessary. II a quorum be broken, Mr..
r Dingley said, he desired to warn mem
bers that it would be necessary to send
for them.
Mr.. Cannon {Rep lid, chairman OF
the committee on appropriations, stated
that in his Judgment there was no pos
sibility that the present session OF con-
. gress would end before Wednesday of
next week, and probably not before Fri
day or Saturday.
The report of the committee on river
and harbors recommending the passage
of the river and harbor appropriation,
the objections of the president to the
contrary notwithstanding, was pre-
scented by Mr. Hooker {Rep. N. ",
chairman, and read. The report states
that Of the LAT items contained in the
bill, all except q are for projects con-
tained in bills which have heretofore
become laws and which have been for
years in process of construction by the
government. No new projects were
added to the bill of 1894. 1t will thus be
seen, the report states, that the princtS
pal work of the committee has been the
investigation and examination OF Inn
provements to which congress has re-
peatedly committed itself.
It appears that by far the greater num-
Der of projects appropriated for in this bill
were also appropriated for in the bill of
1890 and which are not yet completed.
+ The report explains that the bill was re-
ferred to Gen. Casey, then chief Of the
United States engineers, who reported to
President Harrison that only eight of the
Il 49, re 1;,os% o1 lrNoo
eff. The gross amount appropriated for
these items was $4,000 From this it will
be seen. the report continues, that the
larger part of the projects contained in the
present bill passed the scrutiny and re-
celved the approval of Gen. Casey, and
have gone unchallenged until now. The
bills Of 1880 and 1892 were approved by
President Harrison, and the bill OF 1894
was permitted by the present executive to
become law by limitation. The commit
tee impeach the presidents declaration
that many of the objects for which the
money is appropriated are not related to
the public welfare They assert that the
Bill was carefully prepared after exhaust
i've hearings, and that they scrupulously
avoided making appropriations not in the
interest Of commerce
Referring to the presidents criticism
that not few improvements have been so
improvidently planned and prosecuted that
after an unwise expenditure OF millions OF
dollars new experiments for their accom-
plshment have been entered upon, the
committee say that it has often occurred
that project has been adopted in accord
ance with definite plans submitted by the
engineers; that the interests of commerce
required that a greater and more eHectlve
Improvement than that at first contem-
Mated should be made. In such cases It
had long been the custom of congress to
order from time to time new estimates to
be made with view to charging the
scope of the projects. In making appro-
priations for these enlarged projects the
bills often directed that the money appro-
pr;ated should be expended IN accordance
with the notifications of the engineers.
A carful examination of the bill war
rants the committee in asserting that there
Is no foundation for the presidents state
men. that the bill carries appropriations
for work which private parties nave actu-
ally agreed with the government to do in
consideration of their occupancy of public
property.
Referring to the presidents further crit
icism that the bill contemplates an imme-
diate expenditure of $17,000OO0, the COM
mittee assert that the president is N error,
and that only s12,621 900 are to be ex-
pended during the two fiscal years ending
June 80. 1885,
II It is also shown that if all the con-
tracts authorized by the bill are prompt
" entered into by the secretary OF war
the maximum amount that can be ex-
pended in any one year is $16,5l2,0OO
and not $20,0O0 900, as the president as
serts
Passing to the presidents accusations
of extravaganza, TIE committee shows
that the average appropriations for the
past six years have been $16,700,0OO
year, while including the present bill
and the two others for the remainder OF
this century, the total amount OF these
six years will only average $4,000, 900
year.
The report repeatedly emphasizes the
committees approval of the contract
system as being less expensive to the
government and securing more prompt
and satisfactory results. This system is
the distinctive feature of the bill, and
the committee strongly recommend Its
continuation The report adds that no
good reason has been assigned why the
honse should recede from It's action with
regard to the measure. It must not be
forRotten,'' the report concludes, that
If this bill should fail there are hun
dreds of useful projects of improvements
+ho+ hove heen in process of completion