Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-06-26
GRAVE FAULT
FOUND WITH
RIVER BILL
PRESIDENT SIGNS If
WITH VIGOROUS PROTEST
Points Out FaIIacy Of Piece
meal Policy Pursued By Con-
gress and Urges BusinessIike
Methods in Future. !.
my Morning journal Special leased wire!

! lBy Morning journal Special leased Wire.
Washington, June 25-The presi-
dent this afternon signed the rivers
and harhors bill.
After announcing that he has ap-
proved the bill, the president says;
while | have signed the bll. l yen-
turc to submit q memorandum OF ex-
planation and comment
The text of the message follows;
THE bill is an important one and
contains many excellent features. Il
provides for the eanalization of the
Ohio river to be prosecuted at rate
which will insure its completion With
in twelve years. the Improvement of
the Mississippi river between Cairo
and the Gulf OF Mexico, 10 he conn
pleted within twenty years. OF the
Mississippi river between the mouth
OF the Missouri and the mouth OF the
Ohio river to be completed within
twelve years, OF the Mississippi river
between Minneapolis ana the mouth
Of the Missouri river. to be completed
within twelve years; Of the Hudson
river for the purpose OF facilitating
the use Of the barge canal in the VIZ
cinity OF Troy N. II; OF the Savannah
river from Augusta 20 the sea. with a
view to its completion within four
years; of a 80 foot channel IN the
Delaware river from Philadelphia 70
the sea; OF rs feet channel 10 Nor
folk, Va. OF - foot channel 10 Mo-
bile Ala. Of 80 foot channel to
Oakland. Cal
"The chief defect in the bill Is the
largo number Of projects appropriate
ed for and the unsatisfactory method
of carrying on those projects hy the
appropriation Of sums small In COM
parison to the amounts required 70
effect completion,
"The figures couvincinply establish
the fact that this bill makes made
uaate provision Ter teo mslIS projects.
The total of the bin S52,oO0,000. is
not unduly large. but the policy Of
small appropriations with great
many different enterprises. without
provision for their completion is un
wise 1t tends 10 waste because thus
constructed the projects are likely TO
cost more than IL they were left 10
contractors who were authorized to
complete the whole work within a
reasonably short time.
Moreover, the appropriation Of 4
comparatively small sum for doubt
ful enterprise is thereafter used by
its advocates 20 further provision for
1t from congress on the ground that
the investment made Is a conclusive
recognition of the wisdom Of the pro-
iect and It's continuance becomes q
necessity to save the money alreauy
spent. This has been called a Piece
meal policy
'It is proposed to remedy this de-
feet BY nm annual rivers and harbors
bill, but that hardly avoids the OBJ
jections above cited, for such yearly
appropriations are likely to be af-
fected by the state of the treasury
and political exigcncy
THE proper policy II seems to me,
is TO determine from the projects pro-
posed the meritOrious ones ana rec
ommend what are the most important
and then TO proceed To complete them
with due dispatch ana then to take
up others and do the same thing with
them.
There has been frequent discus
sion OF late years as to the proper
course TO be pursued in the develops
ment Of our inland waterways and |
think the general sentiment has been
that we should have a comprehsive
system agreed on by some competent
body Of experts who should pass on
the relative merits Of the various pro-
iects and recommend the order In
which they should be begun and COM
pletcd.
Under the present system the pro-
jcct is submitted to army engineers
who pass on the question Of whether
IL ought to be adopted but who have
no power to pass on the relative im-
portance of the many different pro-
iects they approve or 20 suggest the
most economical and husiness-lilSe or
der for their completion
Congress should refer the old pro-
iects 10 the boards of army engineers
Tor further consideration and revis-
on This would enable us to know
what OF the Old works ought to be
abandoned.
II have given to the consideration
" this bill the fun ten days since its
to me and some time be-
fore that. The objections are 10 the
iystem for IL may be conceded that
he trainers of the bill have made as
good a bin as they could under the
piecemeal policy ] once reached the
conclusion that it was my duty to in
erpose "a veto i'm order II possible. TO
iecure change In the method OF
raining these bills. Subsequent con-
liberation has altered my view as to
nv dutv.
"1t is now three wears since n river
md harb0rs bill was passed.
THE projects under way are In
Urgent need of further appropriation
or maintenance and continuance and
here is great and justified pressure
or many of the new projects provid-
"a for hy the bill
1t has been made clear to me that
he failure Of the bin this late In the
ession would seriously emharrass the
constructing engineers. / do not think.
therefore,. the defects OF the bill
which ] have pointed out will Justify
he postponement of all this important
work. but / do think that IN the prep
ration of the proposed future yearsy
'ills congress should adopt the re-
orms above suggested and that a
allure to do so would justify with
lolding executive approval, even
hough a rivers and harbors bnl fall
"a.
lSlrnedl ..WILLIAM II. TAFT"