The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-05
TAFT OBJECTS TO
"PIECE-MEAL" Way
PRESIDENT WOULD HAVE A SYs-
TEMATIc PLAN FOR WATER
WAYS CONSTRUCTION.

Washington, July 4-The National
Rivers and Harbors congress never had
stronger endorsement in it's campaign
for a comprehensive waterway policy,
in it's opposition to piece-meal appro-
priations for the Improvement of the
rivers and harbors of the United States
than was given 1T indirectly by Presi-
dent Taft in his reasons for attaching
his signature to the river and harbor
appropriation bill The president, in
his special message to congress, did not
mince his words, when he served notice
on the senate and house committees
that a veto faces the next waterway
bill unless more care is taken in the
selection of projects for development
and disposition shown to complete
projects as quickly as consistent with
good business judgment.
Speaking of the rivers and harbors
BILL Representative Alexander chair
man of the rivers and harbors COM
mittee, when asked if it was seriously
in danger of veto, said, Il did not
hear the slightest rumor of a veto until
Thursday. We knew the president was
studying the bill like a great lawyer,
and for two hours on Friday afternoon
Senator Nelson and myself went over
1t with him. answering every objec-
ton which had been raised against it.
He quickly yielded on everything ex-
.cept the so-called "dribbling or piece
meal policy which we had inherited
from former bills. We showed him
that so of the items in the act of 1899
made insufficient appropriations to
complete; that the act 1902 contained
GA per cent?, that the act of 1905 con-
tanned 81 per cent; that the act of 1907
carrying $86,00O,O00 contained Al per
cent and that had we increased the
bill of 1910 to $s6,000,000 the showing
would have been much better than the
act of 1907. We declined to do that.
however, because a bill aggregating
$S6,000,0O0 would have destroyed our
chance for establishing annual bills,
which, after our long experience we
knew was the only way to reform the
existing "dribbling" system.
THAT the president was satisfied
that we were working along lines
which he desired is manifest by his
approval of the bill. His message
makes clear that he wants to cut loose
from the old method, reform in which
Senator Nelson and myself are in
hearty accord.
at has been apparent to me for sew
eral years that only moderate annual
bills could bring about such reform
and the act of 1910 opens the way for
such bills which will fix a time limit
on all improvements: begin the work
of abandoning unworthy projects, long
ago or never approved by the engi-
neers; require that estimates of engi
neers shall be accurate instead of guess
work; and leave largely to the engi
neers the selection of the projects for
Improvement. The presidents objec-
ton to the old method of making river
and harbor bills simply goes to the Sc
lection of projects. After the board of
engineers has approved projects, some
important others Indifferent, congress-
men have heretofore made the selec-
lions. The president wants competent
engineers to indicate by recommended
appropriations what projects shall be
taken up and when they shall be COM
pleted If no appropriation is recon-
mended the project, even If previously
approved by the board of engineers,
has no standing for that bill Thus by
the recommendation Of appropriations
the board of engineers can guide con-
gress in the formulation of annual bills
which will satisfy the country and the
great majority of congress.
There Is no reform in a bill which
simply completes improvements. A
measure of $50. 1000. 900 or 800 900 900
which completes most of the new pro-
jects adopted In the bin. may be a
retrograde movement 1t may complete
unimportant as we'll as desirable im-
provements. What is needed Is pre-
ference of projects and their systematic
completion within reasonable fixed
period. An annual bin makes such a
reform possible"
sRathskeIler Cafe Moorhead.