The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-03-14
TAFT SIGNS MANY MEASURES


Last Hours of Administration Full
of Important Acts.
Washington, D. C.-Among .Presi-
dent Taft's last acts was the signing
of the rivers and harbors bill, the
postoffice bill and the public buildings
bill. The river and harbor bill con-
tains appropriations of great moment
to the Columbia river, including that of
81, 900, 900 for the mouth Of the river
and 81, 200, 900 for the Cello improve
ment.
In view of the great need for new
postoffice at Portland Senators Cham
berlain and Lane will urge prompt ac-i
ton by the department in calling for
competitive plans.
Despite the fact that he signed the
public buildings bill, President Taft
sent to congress with it memoran-
dunn saying that he would like to have
withheld his signature. Because of
many projects in it, he held to be mer-
itorious, he added, he had decided to
approve it.
"There are in this bill items aggre-
eating perhaps $5OO,OOO that ought
not to be in it, authorizing the con-
struction of public buildings in towns
too small to justify them" said the
President, "and on that ground, for
the purpose of giving emphasis to nv
views on the subject, I should like to
withhold my signature from the bill.
But the bill contains authorizations
for Improvements so important in the
development = and I say the unduly
delayed development = of the city of
Washington, that I cannot bring N.Y.
self to defeat such worthy projects.
'The bill, in itself, contains certain
restrictions upon future appropriations
of similar kind that may tend to pre-
vent the vicious pork barrel feature
of bills of this character.
President Taft vetoed the sundry
civil bill, carrying $115, 900, 900, be-
cause of it's provisions exempting la
Dor unions and farmers organizations
from prosecution under the antitrust
law. Most of the appropriations
would not take effect until July 1,
however, and the new congress can
prepare appropriation measures by
then.
The provision to which Mr.. Taft OBJ
jected provided that no funds could be
spent in the prosecution of organiza-
lions or individuals for entering into
any combination or agreement having
in view the increasing of wages,
shortening of hours or lettering the
conditions of labor" or for the prose-
cution of producers of farm products
and associations of farmers who CO.
operate and organize to obtain and
maintain a fair and reasonable price
for their products. This he declared
was "class legislation of the most
vicious Sort" and undoubtedly would
be held unconstitutional by the courts.
Referring to the farmers clause,
President Taft said:
eat time when there is wide
spread complaint of the high cost of
living, it certainly would be an ano-
maly to put on the statute books of
the United States an act in effect pre-
venting the prosecution of combina-
lions of producers of farm products
for the purpose of artificially controll-
ing prices"
The house re-passed the bill over
the veto, but when it reached the SEN
ate, Senator Poindexter objected to
any appropriation for the Washington
police force, unless an investigation
had been made into the riotous scenes
attending the suffrage parade Monday,
and the senate did not vote on the bill.
Failure of the bill means that an
other bill must be passed by the spe-
cial session, and among the things the
new bills must deal with are Crater
Lake and Mount Rainier national
parks, which are always provided for
in this supply bill. Several Demo-
cratic members of the appropriations
committee who will be members of
this committee in the new congress
are emphatic in declaring they intend
to urge the rhouse to act on the joint
suggestion of Representatives Latter
ty and Warburton, and provide in the
next sundry civil bill for conveying
Crater Lake park to the state of Ore
gon and Rainier park to the state OF
Washington.
|