Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-06-17

VI SsssbeOo> OSSs wy s~'Osy
Don e o n the shortest notice, and In . nanns
that twil,be satisfactoryto all.
Here we have an element Of un-
certaintv, which explains why the
appropriations are not the limit Of
The only way to cor
rect this is by carrying all balances
of appropriations at the end of the
fiscal year to the surplus fund. then
the expenditures can never exceed
the appropriations for that year.
This reform has been adopted by
the Senate in an amendment report
ed by the Committee on Finance to
this bill, by confning these balances
to expenditures included in the fis-
cal year for which they are appro-
priated. If unforeseen wants should
arise. they can be provided for by
deficiency bills ;but with the present
practice there is not sufficient check
upon expenditure. know of heads
of appropriations kept alive in this
way ever since the war, that would
not for a moment be authorized i'll
an annual appropriation bill now.
Another element of uncertainty
grows out of the authority during
the war to transfer appropriations
from one head of expenditure to
another. This ought not now to be
allowed in any case. The history of
these transfers is a curious one. The
Constitution of the United States
provides that no money shall be
drawn from the Treasury but in
consequence of appropriations made
by law. This highly important and
fundamental provision has frequent
lySbeen evaded under the speclous
device of transfer of appropria-
tions, authorized from time to time
by different acts Of Congress. This
was cured by the deficiency bill Of
February II, 1898, which repeals all
acts authorizing such transfers, and
provides that no money appropriated
for one purpose shall hereafter be
used for any other purpose than
that for which it was appropriated.
We had a case in point last sum-
mer, when our adventurous admiral
of the Navy, without consulting
Congress, embarded in the vast sea
of expenditure for building Navy,
and his reliance was in the unexpen-
ded balances ACCOMPLISHING from ap-
p-opriations under various heads
during and since the war. This
law, which must have been over
looked, guarded these balances
from a transfer and checked an al
most unlimited expenditure. -.
| Sometimes we have bills author
izing transfers but the word when
ever used ought to be regarded as q
badge Of fraud it ought to excite
distrust and. suspicion. Annual ap-
preparations for specific purposes;
and for a specific time. are the only
guards for expenditure. If then we
} have extravaganza, it can only be
the extravaganza of Congress and
not of executive officers.
Another element of uncertainty
in our estimates is the demand for
public works, amounting this year
to the sum of s24,625,173 against
: S5, ,593 900 appropriated last year.
1t is upon the action Of Congress
upon this branch of expenditure
that will depend whether we have to
provide for $3.50, 100000 or $685.
, 100000, and what 1 say in regard
to the reduction of taxes will be af-
; fected by this uncertainty. Certain
great works of improvement de-
; mand liberal appropriations, but
, they are often compelled to carry q
/ multitude of appropriations for OBJ
f jects of minor Importance.
r Another uncertainty arises from
: the manner in which the estimates
: and appropriations are made. We
are asked to appropriate 100000
for the erection of custom-house
: Then a plan is adopted which re
quires 81, 100000. The money ap
e propriated is sunk in the founda-
Y ton, and this is made the basis fol
t future appropriations. No public
/ work should be authorized until its
3 completed cost is ascertained an6
fixed by law or contract. And
y am happy to see that this plan hai
Q been adopted in the bills of this
Q session by the Senator from Yer
Q mont, Mr.. MORRILL,
y The amount of claims that art
provided for by Congress is also al
, indefinite sum. If the proposition
1 of the honorable Senator from In
diana, Mr.. PRATT, which he sup
e ported the other day with a yer,
able, eloquent, and elaborate speech
Il should pass, it will cost from thirt,
e to fifty million dollars to meet tina
demand for next year; and we hav'
: got to provide for it. AS matte
of course, if that proposition should
be adopted, and we shouli conced'
the principle that we must pay al
e the damages incurred and sustained
= by loyal people in the southern
i States during the war, it would ado
to our expenditure an enormous
;. sum, an amount which even tn
i Senator from indiana did not ven
: tuIe to state. It would amount tt
I perhaps fifty million dollars; I d.
u not know how much.
J Mr.. EDMUNDs. Double that.
e Mr.. SHERMAN. Double that, tn
y Senator from Vermont says. Be
$ side that, there are judgments of th
II Court of Claims. In this estimat