The Coconino weekly sun., 1896-06-04
VETOED.
The President Disapproves or the River
 and Harbor Bili--Hs t0nsiders It Too

The President Disapproves ot the River and Harbor Bili--hs tonsidsrs It Too ExtravaRant-
 WASHINGTON, May 30.-As had been
 con fidently expected, the president
 sent to the house yesterday message
 vetoing the rivers and harbors appro-
 priation bill The full text of the mes-
 sage is as follows:
 To the House of Representatives.: I return
 herewith without approval house bill No '.9T, entitled An act making appropriations Tor the | construction. repairs and preservation or cer- tain public works ol rivers anl harbors. and for other purposes"
 There are AZ items of appropri Ition con-
 taincd in this bill, and every part of the coun-
 try is represented in the distribution Of favors. It directly appropriates or provides for the im- mediate expenditure of nearly si.OOotOJ for river ard harbor work. This sum is in addi- dition to appropriations contained in another bill for similar purposes amounting to q little more than S3.E0.OJ0, which has already been | favorably considered It the present session Of congress The result is that the contemplated immediate expenditure for the objects nen- tioned amount to about sT,NOJ.O)l A more startling feature of this bill is its uthorization of contracts for river and harbor work amounting to more than s6.,vCO,0Oo Though the payment of these contracts are, in
 
 met by future appropriations more than s. UUO 900 on their account are included in the direct appropriations above mentioned Or the remainder nearly ,0y0.0D will fall due during the fiscal year ending June 3o 1878. and amounts somewhat less in the years im- meiiately succeeding. few contracts Of like character, authorized under previous
 statutes. are still outstanding and to meet payments on these more than A,0O0,00) must be appropriated in the immediate future. N
 therefore. this Dill becomes a law. the obiiga-
 toDs which will Dc imposed on the govern- ment together with the appropriations made
 for immediate expenditure on account of
 rivers and harbors, will amount to about s =
 OO)OOQ
 Nor is this all. The bill directs numerous surveys and examinations. which contemplate new work and further contracts. and which portend largely increased expenditures and obligations. Tncre is no ground tJ hope that in the face of persistent an growing demands the aggregate Of appropriations for tEe smaller schemes not coverei by contracts will be re- duced O: even remain stationary. For the fiscal year ending June 3 | lSjs such appropriations. together with the miscellaneous oa contracts which will be due in that year. can hardly be less than 800 0.0St. and it may reasonably be | appreheEded that the prevalent tendency to-
 wards increased expen litures Of Ris sort and
 the concealinent which postponed payments afford for extravaganza will increase the buf- dens chargeable 10 th.s account in succeeding years
 In view of the obligation imposed upon ne by the constitution 1t seems to me quite cleur | that only di.cnarge q Guty 10 our people
 when in. crpo>e my disapproval of too legis- lGtion proposcl Many of the objects for
 which 1t approprtgtes public money are not re- lated to the public welfare, acL many of them are palpab!y for the beneit of limited local- ities or in aid of individual interests. On the face Of the bill it appears that not a few of these alleged Improvements have been so im- provtdent.y planned and prosecuted that after
 an Unw.se expenditure of millions of dollars
 new experiments for their accomplishment. has been catered upon.
 While those entrusted with the management
 Of public funds in the interests of ali the people can hardly iustit; questionable expcnd-
 itures for public works by pleading the opin-
 ions of engineers or others to the practica-
 bility Of such worx. it appears that some of
 the projects for which appropriations are pro-
 posed in this bill have been entered upon with
 out the approval or against the objections of
 the examining engineers. learn from official
 sources that there are appropriations con-
 tained in the bill 10 pay for worS which pri-
 yate parties have actually agreed with the goy-
 ernmcat to do in consideration of their occu
 pancy Of public property.
 Whatever of doubt about the propriety may
 have escaped observation or may have been
 tolerated in previous executive approvals of
 similar bills. am convinced that the bill now
 under consideration will open the way to in-
 sdious and increasing abuses, and is itself so
 extravagant as to be especially unsuited to
 these times of depressed business and result-
 ing disappointment h government revenue
 This consideration is emphasized by the
 prospect tha: the public treasury will be con- frontcd with other appropriations made a. the
 present session of congress amounting to more tla,, am nklI .ls
 ful expenditures are sterling virtues which lead to thrift and comfort. Economy and the eNaction of clear justification for the approprl- alton Of public moneys by the servants Of tho people are not only virtues, but solemn ouli- gations
 To the extent tha. the appropriations con- tained in this bill are ins;igated by private in- tercsts and to promote local or individual pro- Jects their continuance cannot fail to stimu- late an injurious paternalism and encourage a sentiment among our people already too prev aient, that their attachment to our goyern- ment may properly rest upon the hope and expectation of direct aad especial favors, and that the extent to which they are realized may furnish an estimate of the value of governmental care. believe no greater danger confronts us as a nation than the unhappy decadence among our | people Of genuine and trustworthy love and af- | lection for our government as the embodiment of the highcstand best aspirations of humanity | and not as the gver of gifts, and because it's | mission is the enforcement of exact justice and | equality and no: the allowance of unfair favor | ttiSm.
 hope may be permitted to suggest at a | time when the issue of government bonds to | maintain the credit and financ ial standing of | the country is n subject of criticism. that the | contracts provided for in this bill would cre- | ate obligations of the United States amount. | ing to s5s0oo.o0L no less binding than it's | bonds for that sum. GROVER CLEVELAND. |
 Executive Mansion. May 2s. ls9d