The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-03

items seemed to be of limited or local
benefit. The gross amount appropriated
for these items was $4,000 From this 1t
will be seen. the report continues, that the
larger part of the projects contained in
the present bill had passed the scrutiny
and secured the approval of General
Casey, and have gone unchallenged
until now. The bills of 1890 and 1892 were
approved by President Harrison and the
bill OF 1894 was permitted by the present
executive to become a law by limitation.
Inc com mittee, to i'm peach the Presidents
declaration that many of the objects for
which the money is appropriated are not
related to the public welfare, assert
that the bill was carefully prepared after
exhaustive hearings, and that they seru-
pulously avoided making appropriations
not IN the interest of commerce.
Referring to the Presidents criticism
that not a few OF the Improvements have
been so mprovidentiy planned and prose-
cuted that after an unwise expenditure OF
millions of dollars new experiments for
their accomplishment have been entered
upon, the committee say that it has often
occurred that project has been adopted
In accordance with the certain defined
plans, submitted by the engineers, that
the interests of the commerce required
greater and more effective improvement
than that first contemplated 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 these projects. In
making appropriations for these enlarged
projects the bill often directed that the
money appropriated should be expended
In accordance with the notifications of
the engineers; the committee believe
therefore that the President may have in
ferred from the language SO used that the
original plans had been mprovident and
III advised and the money wasted. when
the money expended upon the original
plan was iudiciously 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 Presidents
statement that the bill carries approp-ia-
tions for work which parties have actually
agreed with the Government to do in con-
sideration of their occupancy of public
proDerty.
Referring to the Presidents further
criticism that the bill contemplates an
immediate cash expenditure of nearly
$17,000,0 900, including So 900, 900 carried in
the sundry civil appropriation bill for con-
tract work. the committee assert tina. the
President is in error and that only $12, 000,-
600 is to be expended during the two
fiscal years ending June 80, 1898. The
statement is also made that the bill does
not appropriate $62 900, 900 for contract
work, but only $50, $4,000. 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 SIC 900, and not 20000,0 900, as the
President asserts.
Passing the Presidents accusation of
extravaganza, the committee shows that
the average appropriations for the past six
years have been SIC, 7O0,0 900 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 SIS, 600, 900.
The report repeatedly emphasizes the
committee approval of the contract sys-
tenn as being less expensive to the Govern
ment and securing more prompt and salts
factory results. This system is the dis
tinctive feature OF the bill, and the com
mittee strongly recommends its continual
! ton. The report adds that no good rea-
son has been assigned by the President
why the House should recede from its
action regarding the measure.