Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-10-22
ALE. DorEN, ). Edl..r ..a Proprietor.
PERMANENT AND ANNUAL APPRO-
PRIATIONS.

In considering appropriations and
expenditures 1t Is necessary to bear in
mind the fact that the general and
special appropriation bills passed BY.
Congress In any one year do not repre-
sent the whole amount annually appro-
priated. Nearly half Of all the expen-
ditures of the Government are made
under the head Of Permanent Appro-
priations." Thus, for the year 1928,
the annual appropriations amounted
to $751;. 2l6, 75l 80, while the perman-
ent appropriations under general stat
utes exclusive Of payments on the
principal Of the public debt were
$l3o,6ss,5 s7 SIS. In the year 1881
the annual appropriations were $l73,-
10000 81, while tho permanent APP
preparations were Sis, l70,574 81.
This class Of appropriations is Of re-
cent origin and was largely increased
during the war and the years immedi-
ately succeeding. 1t includes the In
forest on the public debt expenses Of
the national loan; cost Of collecting the
evenu from customs repayment OF
taxes improperly collected ; bounties
and back pay to soldiers Of the late
war; property lost In the military SER
vice ; support Of national asylums for
disabled volunteer soldiers support
Of the marine hospitals interest on
the Smithsonian fund and a vast
number of other and similar expen-
ditures. These appropriations are
provided for by General Statutes and
do not form any part Of the annual
appropriation bills passed by Congress.
Tho objection to this class Of approprl-
ations l. chiefly In the fact, that al
they are not included in tho annual
bills, they are not open to public ex-
animation and discussion. Every item
Of public expenditure should be open
to public scrutiny, except perhaps the
Secret Service Fund, the very nature
Of which, and its use, must render II
efficient only when used at the dis
erection Of the Executive. II 1t be ad-
mitted that the payment Of interest on
the public debt aud the expenses Of
managing the national loan should be
placed beyond the contingency Of the
failure or delay Of an appropriation
bill, still no satisfactory reason cal be
given why the six or V millions
annually expended In collecting Gus
toms and similar expenditures should
not pass the ordeal Of public examio-
alton and discussion, and be incor.
porated into the annual appropriation
bills. Another objection to this class
Of appropriations Is, that they are in
definite In amount and limited only by
the general language Of the statute
authorizing them and by the discretion
Of the discussing and accounting Of
ficers. For this reason the total
amount Of the expenditures Of this
class can never be known in advance
or until the actual payments OF the
year are made up, and 1t Is only by
estimate that appropriation warrants
can be drawn on the General Fund.
Therefore, the appropriation under
this head for 1S72-73, was In reality
the expenditure for lS7l-72, and so on.
It Is gratifying to know that Congress
Is yearly decreasing the number Of
this class Of appropriations and incor-
poratlng them into the annual bills.
BY referring to the beginning OF this
article 1t will be seen that they were
decreased over $l2. 600. 900 in 1891,
while the annual appropriations show
more than a corresponding increase.