Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-08-03
THREE YEARS SAVINGS.
What a Democratic House has Done
on the Side of Economy.
Facts md Figures that Speak for
ThemSelves.
IFrom the ashiuy.on Post.l

From the W Washington Post.l
Some of the republican speakers. |
among them Senator Window aud Mr.. |
Foster and General Garfield. are sys-
tematically charging the present con
gress with RECKLESS extravaganza.
They talk of democratic congress rs
though the democracy had exclusive
control of appropriations by means of a
majority in both houses. If there has
been extravaganza, las amatter OF course.
and as a matter of justice, the rcpubli-
can senate must bear its proportion of
the responsibility. The senate, during
the entire session, always had radical
majority on hand to put through any
partisan measure, and, surely, if that
body had earnestly desired to check So
called democratic extravaganza it could
have brought the same majority into
use. Mr.. Window. more than any
other man, was in position 10 prevent a
needless expenditure of the public
money. He IS chairman Of the senate
committee on appropriations. and had to
pass upon every dollar that was includ
ed in the expenditures. One by one he
| reported the bills appropriating money,
yet not word ever escaped him on the
floor OF the senate concerning ihe ''reck
less extravaganza which he discovered
so suddenly alter adjournment, and just
at the opening of 4 political campaign.
| On the contrary. in a carefully prepared
speech, but q short time before adjourn
ment, Senator Window criticised the
house severely TOR its "talse economy"
claiming that the various departments
OF the government were being crippled
by it.
But the most effective reply to the
charge OF extravaganza consists in the
figures themselves. In order to show
what basis there is for the charge we
will take the regular appropriations Tor
4 few years past and compare them with
those OF the present congress. lu this
appropriation only the eleventh regular
appropriation budgets are included, viz:
Military academy, Notifications, con-
sular and diplomatic, navy, post-otiice,
pension. army, legislative. judicial and
executive. sundry civil, river and har-
Dor. These appropriations constitute
the real expenditures of the govern
ment. The regular appropriations by
the iorty-fitth congress, tor the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1879. amounted to
SlJ7. .2l3 ,933 II. The regular estimate
sent in to the house appropriations com
mittce by the various republican depart
mcnts for these eleven appropriation
bills reached the sum Of Sl16. .226.iiS 81.
and subsequently additional estimates
were sent IN irregularly amounting TO
Sll 1872 80 80, making total OF csti-
mates of SlS7 ,j1S ,o9s 81. The house
committee scanned these estimates
closely, and after making laborious in
to MI ~
recommended Sl45.773, 1O3 % as the
total tor the eleven bills. As they passed
the house the bills comprised total OF
amount reported of but little more than
$1,000 900. so that the house committee
made appropriations much less than
the estimates furnished by the
radical administration, and as the
duction of $4l,745,195 76 from
the estimates S39, ,o3l, los 81. The sen
ate appropriations committce-ot whicl
Mr.. Window is chairman incrco%cn
the house appropriations by SS,22S,
7Gi 80, and by the time the bills 20;
through the senate that increase amount.
ed To Sl4. l6i, ,529 IL. The house resist
ed the increase. and by conferences re.
uutttl tuC itiltt W
the senate from Sl6l. So ,2Gg ii to SlJ7.
2l3, 1888 u, thereby etfectlng an actual
saving to the country of 81 ,63S .5553 "a
The house contended for even greater
reductions than this. and the record will
: show that it rejected nearly all the sen
ate additions to these bills. Some of the
conference committees labored for days
and IN many instances it became ncccS
sarv to appoint two and three different
conferences. So tenacious was the seuat,
of its increased expenditures. The rec
ord will also show that Mr.. Wind"n
was the chairman, on the part of tn,
senate. of many of these conference
committees, and no man was more stub
born than he in demanding that the ad
ditions made by the senate should re
main in the bills. 1t must also be re
, membered that the above total of ap
preparations includes several eNtraordi
nary items. For instance the sundrS
civil bill was increaSed-in the senate
by the fishery award (Sj, 800. .o00). lit,
saving service (G79,36i SOY, the Fad:
, payment and other unusual items. alto
gether amounting to about 10000. 900
: These unusual items and the determined
, extravaganza of the senate account tol
the increase OF the appropriations tol
1879 over those OF 1878.
Taking the totals OF regular appropri.
atoms for the fiscal years since Isl i, they
are rs follows
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