The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-30
THE APPROPRIATION BILLS.
They Are Analyzeh by the Chairman of
the House Committee.
IN. 7, World.

WASHINGTON, June 25.-The speech of Mr..
Atkins, Of Tennessee the chairman Of the
Committee on Appropriations, reviewing the
appropriations and the general legislation Of
Record tomorrow. The total appropriations
made expressly for the expenditures of the
government amount to St58, ,678, 493 27. The
eleven regular appropriation bills, so-called,
amount to $157, zoo, 1873 n. The history of these
eleven bills is as follows The estimates called
for st7G, ,226 ,34s 81; the House committee re-
ported In favor of q total of G145 77g. 100 n5.
The bills, as they passed the House. were in
mittee. added nearly sld,bUv,GbG ,SRf'ste asgl-
ate itself about $G,00000J more, so
that the bills as they passed the Senate
amounted to S161, ,s52, 7G7 IL. The total of the
bills as they became laws was about S11 ,500,-
900 more than the bills as reported by the House
committee, and Ito be exact $9,513,093 83
more than the bills as passed by the House
The entire appropriation made at the extra
session and this session OF Congress amount
to $172, ,908, ,1G5 10, exclusive Of private acts
appfopriating money. In this round sum Is
included single item of $14, ,534, ,G72 81, de
ficiency for 1878, 1877 1876 and prior years
extending back to 1870. OF this large sum
only $2,471 ,203 80 legitimately accrued on ae-
count OF the insuf1icienGy Of appropriationsfor for
this fiscal year. The balance, Si2,063, Ago 20.
properly and really belongs to 1877 and prior
years.
This Congress has cleared up the old scores
OF former Congresses, running back for a
series of years. and which have been pushed
off from time to time and from Congress to
Congress, from one cause and another, avoid
ing settlement and adjustment, and although
S172 g08, ,165 10 have been appropriated for the
ensuing fiscal year and to supply deficiencies
for past years, yet the following SUMS which
are extraordinary and unusual, may be fairly
deducted, to wit: Deficiencies, 1854 ,672 So;
Halifax award, $5,500000. half OF the river
and harbor bill, $4,1500O0; pensions for the
soldiers of the war OF 1912, 81 5000 extra
neous matters, S1,750,000; deficiency of the
pOst-offiCes, courts, etc, in sundry civil bill Of
this session, S1,O00,0OO; total, S28, 1852 81.
To this sum should be added S7,00O,U0O, which
will not be phid out OF the treasury owing to
the adjustment Of the railroad accounts with
the government for transportation and inter-
est Deducting this sum, $23, ,434, ,672 52 from
the grand total we have less than S144. 600, 900
Tried by any fair rule of computation and
from any standpoint of explanation and elu-
CidatiOu the sum Of the net ordinary apprO-
priations for the next fiscal year amounts to
about S144, 100000 in round numbers.
An examination Of the enormous amount of
the deficiency appropriation at the late ses-
sion shows that over ST, 100000 was for naval
deficiencies alone In 1876 and previous years,
S4000000 being for contracts unIawfully made
ana 81 100000 for the pay OF the navy, which
had been illegally diverted to other uses by
RoDeson. The following are some OF the
| other deficiency items: To pay judgments OF
the Court Of Claims for 1877, $73t 1856; reap
propriations Of money already charged TO ap-
pTopriations by other congresses, 1886, ia
appropriations for expenditures heretofore re-
garded as provided for under the head of per-
manent appropriations, $535, 100; deficiencies
| appropriated for the fiscal year 1878 that do
not grow out of the ordinary and necessary
expenditures of the government, to wit:
Patent Office fire, salaries of additional EN-
pl0yees, rent Of buildings and restoration of
mOdels-in all 100000; star service, $500, 900
silver vault for sub-treasury, New York, S75,-
900; expenses of the extra session of Con
gre5s, in all about 100000; to supply def.
ClenGies that may occur in the revenue of the
P0stoffiee Department, S550,OCO.
The above figures are all those Of Mr.
Atkins It will be seen that he charges hall
Of the river and harbor bill over against
the fiscal year OF 1879-80, probably assuming
that there will be no river and harbor bill
passed at the next session of Congress. 1t is
probable that the actual appropriations for
the necessities of the government for the next
fiscal year will amount to very nearly the
same sum appropriated for the present fiscal
year, which foots up S153,608,681 08.