The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-08-08

Democratic Ec0Mosny.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.l
Public economy is the prime ques.
ton with the average Taxpayer. The
record of the Democracy in the House
of Representatives in the session late
ly closed is Of public interest in con-
mection with this. At the close OF the
session Hon. j. d. e. Atkins, of Ten
nessee, Chairman of the House Com
mittee on Appropriations, gave q re-
view of the conduct of the House
in this particulars Figures are not
usually juicy, but these are important.
1t should be remembered, to begin
with, that the House, in which all ap-
preparation bills must originate, la
bored under serious difficulties in the
pursuit of economy. The Senate po-
litically opposed it. The entire Exc
cutive Department is also politically
hostile. The heads of the Depart
ments send Republican CLOVER esti.
mates" to the House for considera.
ton, to begin with. and to the end
with the Republican Senate odds to
|
The House Committee on appropria.
tions, selected to represent the spirit
OF the Democratic party upon the
question of economy, was not at all
times able to carry all of its measures
through the House, in which there
was but . slender working majority
of Democrats. Notwithstanding these
obstacles, the record of the House in
this Congress is an economical one.
There are eleven great appropria-
ton bills: The Military Academy,
FortificatiOns, Consular and Diplomat
ic, Navy, Post Office, Pension, Indian,
Army, Legislative, etc., Sundry Civil
and the River and Harbor Bills.
Without giving detailed statement
of the amounts of these various ap.
preparations in their several stages, as
they were reported by the Committee,
as they passed the House, and as they
passed the Senate, and as they finally
became law, we quote the resume of
Mr.. Atkins:
"The regular estimates it will be
seen are $176, ,COO,OOO for the eleven
bills. The House Appropriation Com
mittee reported them ct $135, ,773 lob,
reduction below the estimate OF $780,
100000. The House added $lO,924. .636,
making them aggregate $l47, 7,6S7, 739,
and in that shape they passed the
House and went to the Senate. The
Senate Appropriation Committee re-
ported them tUthe Senate with an in
crease of $S.22S, 765, and the Senate
added $5,S35, ,765, or oyer 14,O64, $40
over the sum OF the bills as they were
first reported to the House by the
Committee on Appropriations. The
House Conference Committees were
enabled to reduce the grand total as
they passed the Senate by the sum of
s., ,651 ,436, leaving as the grand total
of the appropriations for the next fis.
cal year of $l51, ,2O0,S33. But there is
an item under the head of "miscella-
neous"o of 81 ,572, 2,659 of extraneOus mat
ter which added to the grand total
makes $l5S, ,773. 1872. This extraneous
matter consists of unusual approprla-
tions that do not annually appear.
A comparison of these expenditures
with those of recent Republican
Houses is interesting. This is the
statement, as condensed by Mr.. At
kins:
at will be observed that the first
year of the FOrty.sec0nd Congress
there were appropriated $18l ,582. .274.
The second year the amount ran up
to $l89, 9,O25, 1913, being an excess of S.
OOO.Co0 for the last year of the Forty
second Congress over the first year of
the same Congress-. The first year OF
the Forty.tkird the appropriations
were $184. .3O4, ,787, and those OF the
second year were SIT, ,37O,687, being
about $9,CJ0,CaO less for the Forty
third than for the Forty-second. The
first session of the Forty.fourth the
appropriations were $l54, ,39O, ,943, and
of the second session they were $685.
Cos, ,68l, being the first Democratic
House since the war. The aggregate
ofthe Forty fourth Con-
gress below the Forty third was $685.
676, ,252, while the reduction below the
Forty-second Congress Is still more
marked, being $62, 708, ,845. Now, al
lowing for the extraordinary expen-
ditures made this session for the next
fiscal year. being, as before stated,
about $14,C0O.O0O, consisting of the
Halifax award, $5 0O,OC0; one.half
of the River and Harbor Bill, 81, ,15O,.
600; pensions for the restored soldiers
of the war Of 1912, 81, ,5OOO 900. and in
creased civil service, 81, 900, and |
deducting that sum from the $l57, oO,-
wv u IOuuu uuuOoEe3 ouu VIC uoN0 |
S144.Oc0,CoO,. in round numbers, for
the first years appropriations of the
Forty fifth Congress: WHICH is $37, ,O0o,-
600 less than the first year of the
Forty second, aud $45,000,C00 less
than the second year of the same Con-
gress, and $4O,Cc0,OC0 less than the
first year of the Forty-third, and $685..
OC0,OO0 less than than the second year
of the Forty-third, and $lO, ,OOO, ,Oc0 less
than the first year of the Forty fourth,
and 100000 less than the second
session of the last Congress, charging
that session with the total Deficiencies
at the present session."
The history of appropriations for
the past five years is better seen in this
liable:
Statement showing the appropriations
for the fiscal years of 1873 to 1873 in
clusive:
YEARS. APPROPRIATIONS.
1878. .$1Sl ,982,2 ,274 81
1874. ............... 1S9,O25, 1913 O4
1875. ........... 1S4, ,3O4, 1877 OS