Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-08
THE YEARS APPROPRIATE Ms
Mr. Allison Summarizes Congress- Work
on the Bills.

I
on the Bills.
WASHINGTON, July I'm. the Senate
to-day Mr.. Allison made a statement
summarizing the work of Congress on
the apportionment bills. The whole
amount Of this years bills in excess of
last, he said was So, ,00O. 900. The excess
Of this year arose largely from the fact
that last year we had had no river and
harbor bill, while this year that bin
amounted to Si4,000,O00. The regular
appropriations this year were largely in
excess otthose Of last year, partly owing
TO the legislation of last year, and
partly TO the legislation of
this. The tobacco rebate amounted
to -, 100000 the improvement of the Mis-
slsslppi river to over S1,000,0O0, besides
$l,OOO,OO0 given early in the session, the
New Orleans Exposition to $1,000 600.
without including the item for enabling
the government departments TO exhibit.
There had been an aggregate apprOpria-
tion of 100000 for overflow and $500, 900
for sewerage in the District of Columbia.
The appropriation this year for pensions,
MIR. Allison said was nominally only S20,-
SOO.OOO, while last year ii was $S6, ,575, 900,
but in addition to $50, 800, 900 now specif-
cally appropriated there was a reap
preparation of the unexpended
balance of the last two years
amounting to $66, 200, 900, so that in reality
the amount allowed for pensions this year
was about the same as last. The military
academy bill this year was 81. 900 less
than that of last year, the Notifications
bill $4,000 more than that of last year.
The consular and diplomatic bill of last
year appropriated 1926, 900, including
$4,000 for winding up the French Claims
Commission. The appropriation this year
was $l,2l4,OO0. The Senate Appropria-
tion Committee had reported 100000
more than the amount of the bill, a
part of which-$250, ,000-related to
foreign intercourse, a provision which the
House rejected with full knowledge OF
the great Importance of the appropriation.
There was also in IL an appropriation of
$224,000 which the House rejected,
although we had absolutely duty stipu-
lation with Mexico which required that
we should resurvey and remark the
boundary between Mexico and the United
States. IL was impossible, Mr.. Allison
said, to state with accuracy what the
expenditures for the navy would be for
the coming year, but he had assumed that
they would not exceed those of last
year. The post office bill appropriated
last year $44, ,4S9, 900, TINS year $4S 975, 900,
or an increase of nearly $4,500,00 The
Indian bill last year was So, ,35S, 900. This
year it is $5,S59, 900, an increase OF $780,
600. AS 1t came from the House to the
Senate it showed an increase of 800, 900
over last year. The increase by the Sem
ate was for the specific purpose of civil
izing and educating the Indians. The
army bill OF this year was about $2,000,-
600 less than last. The legislative, execu-
tive and judicial bill last year appropri-
ated $40, $4,000 and this year $21,-
426,00O, an increase of $972,000,
one-half of which increase had been put
on by the House of Representatives. The
increase was due partly to the fact that it
had been deemed wise to increase the
travelling clerical force of the Pension
Office. The Senate had added amendments
looking to the increase of the forces in the
Pension Office, Patent Office, Land Office,
and the Second Auditors office, all these
increases being absolutely necessary, not
to carry on the current business of the
government alone, but tor the purposes of |
bringing up arrears. The Land Office
was now from one to five years
in arrears, and the Patent Office,
the expenses of which are paid by
patentees, from two months to one year
in arrears. The sundry civil bill, which
was the Onanian1 gdtheruns of all the de-
partments and the service Of the govern
ment for which appropriations were
not otherwise specifically made, appro- |
priated last year $23,679,000. Upon this |
bill there is this year q reduction of |
$1,368, 900. Mr.. Allison supposed that it |
would be claimed in some quarters that |
this was saving of money to the govern
ment, not taking into count the fact that |
the whole reduction is from items |
that were essentially necessary TO |
carry on the ordinary operations OF the |
government. Some people thought that |
to postpone payment was equal to saving;
for example, we had made a treaty with |
France, and had provided that when the |
commission provided for by that treaty |
should have made its awards both govern |
ments would be bound to provide for the |
payment of the awards. The awards of |
the commission cannot be changed, but |
the House of Representatives, admitting |
the force of the treaty, simply say we |
owe this sum, but will not pay it this year. |
That items constitutes nearly one-halfthe |
Saving" of the sundry civil bill. The /
Secretary of the Treasury had said that |
$4,000 was necessary to insure COM |
pliance with the law relating to the col |
ored paper for bank note circulation, but |
the House said that it could wait until /
December The dry dock at Brooklyn |
was in condition requiring immediate |
attention, but the House thought that it |
could wait. AS the bill came from the |
House it contained an item of $500, 900 for |
the survey OF all the public lands of the |
United States.
The Senate believed that $3.50, 900 was |
necessary in order to enable homesteads |
to be properly taken under the law. It !
was notorious that in some Western Terri |
tories settlers were far in advance of the |
surveys and were building their homes in
open prairies. The deficiency bill of last |
year was $2,750,000. This year it was
$6,906,000 This may be accounted for by |
the fact that sufficient appropriations had |
not been made in advance for the past |
year. Mr.. Allison ventured declaration |
that the deficiency of next year would |
certainly be larger than the large de- |
tlciency of this year. Many of the de- |
iciencies, he said, arise from the fact that |
laws are passed of which the appropria- |
tiOn committees were not advised, but un- |
der any circumstance the appropriations |
of the government must be expected to in |
crease from year to year. It was not the |
fault Of any party or any house OF Con- |
gress. 1t followed from the rapid growth /
of our country. No more marked illus
tration could be afforded of this than the /
expenses of the Post Office Department,
which were this year iabout $4,500,- |
900 more than last year, and If /
we were to have increased facilities for
mail service among the rapidly increasing
population larger expenditures would /
follow. Our pension list would also in
crpaaQ for a time