Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-12-07
RANDALL'S VIEWS
On the Proposition to Change the
Rules of the House.
The Democratic Party Must Stand
BY Its Promises
And Not Throw Open the Doors OF
the Treasury.

Press his views respecting the proposition
to change rules of the House.
THE Democratic party came into con
troll Of the Federal Government" he said
in distinct understanding it would adhere
to an economical administration. Thi'
cannot be overlooked or avoided if it ex
poets to maintain its power. In all the
Governments preparation Of suitable bill
to meet expense has been confded to one
organization. Nothing q be certainly
done until by careful and comprehensive
scrutiny the amount of necessary expendi
lures has been determined. Taxation de
bends upon the amount Of expenditures
andincrease of Expenditures meansincrease
of taxation.
TO KEEP DOWN EXTRAyAGANcE
Of appropriation estimates made by the
heads of departments, have been subjected
to question and examination, item BY
item. The treasury has been protected BY
every safeguard which could be devised
1t is now proposed that nearly all these
safeguards shall be broken down and the
treasury thrown open. Increased sppro,
priations will inevitably follow as each Of
the many committees to be authorized BY
this change to consider appropria'
lions, and into which the appro'
p%riation committee ia now constituted, ia
10 be divided will enhance its " import,
n Instead of one committee having
charge of expenditures and checking un'
nessary appropriations there will be many
sitting independently to each other and
nobody will know the aggregate of appro-
priations until it is too late to avoid the
disaster Of o deficit Treasury which may
at any time in the nesr future be replaced
on the people. The proposition ia too plain
to need argument and there is not a bust
ness man in the country who will not ap-
preciste the correctness and force OF this
statement.
THE SURPLUS WILL NOT LAST.
The surplus revenue we have will not
continue forever and habits of extravagant
appropriations cannot be changed at once.
Agricultural, river and harbor bills were
taken from the control of the Committee
on Appropriations and here is evidence OF
the failure of the venture. 1t is known
that the expenditures under the first have
been wsstefully made and it is notorious
that much Of. the money appropriated by
the latter might al well hsve been thrown
away. The appropriations for the Ag'
.ricultural department from 1877 to
1880 inclusive when they were
under the control OF the Committee on APP
preparations averaged $l9O,647 per annum.
From 1881 to 1884 the agricultural apprc-
p~riation bills being under control OF the
Committee on Agriculture, appropriations
averaged $436,6l6 per annum. Appropri'
atoms for rivers and hsrbors from 1876 to
1880 when this subject ives controlled by
the committee on appropriations averaged
I, 1890, 92S per mum. From 1880 to
1885 inclusive, during which the commit
tee on commerce and rivers and harbors
have had the subject in hand, the annual
appropriations have averaged Sl3,69l ,243.
WHAT WILL THE SECOND EXPERIMENT Be
II the enormous increase of expenditure
characterized the first experiment OIL
thel withdrawal Of these two sub
iects from protecting safeguards here
totore enforced under exciting rules,
and generally since the foundation Of the
| Government, who can foretell the deyasta
ton of the public finances whe then Treas
ury drawers are thrown wide open to I'M
restricted and unrestrained Vaccination
and combinations Of every character
Such a combination might enter Coagresl
itself and the general government woulc
then become q hot bed TO start into exist
snce every dangerous policy.
FOOLISH REASONING.
The same reasoning would take from
the Committee on Appropriations some o
the regular spI ropriation bills which woul'
likewise devolve on the functions OF 81
APPROXIMATION committee upon nearly ever,
other committee OF the House, as tor in
stance the reasons that would turn tn
naval bill over to the Committee on Nsve
Affairs would Just as logically send est
mates for public buildings and other e1
penses of The public domain to the Com
mittee of Public Lands, for expense
of United States Courts to th
Committee on the Judiciary, for publ
printing to the Committee on Printing, 70
The light house establishment revenue Gu
ter service and life saving service to u
Committee on Commerce, for mints an
assay Offices to the Committee on Coinag'
Weights and Measures, for territorial e'
penses to the Committee on Territories, K
legislative expenses Congressional TO th
Committee on Accounts, for the library (
Congress to the Committee on Ii
Library, for the bureau pster
Office 10 the Committee on Patents, for Il
Bureau of Education TO the Committee o
Education, for the Bureau of Labor to II
Committee on Labor, for the ~improvemer
of the Mississippi river to the Committt
on Levies and Improvements OF the Mi
sissippi River, for audited claims certife
by the accounting officers of the Tressui
to the Committee IN Claims, for pension
to the Committee on Pensions. In add
ton to preparing the regular appropriate
E bills for the service Of each fiscal year thol
committees would and should by the san
method of reasoning be charged with pr
, vidinp for all deficiencies in the separst
bills, making two regular bills to come fro1
each committee, thus multiplying the nun
Der of regular appropriation bills each &c
sion from the present number IA to NJ
less than fifty. To commit the power
control appropriation bills to the standir
committees coupled with their preset
legitimate duties would cut the HouI
, of from any venue of inform
: ton regarding the public seryi'
except through tie committee controlhr
: each particular branch, thus breakir
I down what Is now q most wholeson
! check possessed by the House, through Il
: appropriation committee, over each col
: mittee. A patent TACT to be considered
t connection with this proposition is I
= statement of the treasury that the es
mated expenditures for the ensuing isc
year aggregate $339,5ss ,0C0, while the
e innate revenues for the same peri
9 . amount to only 1915, 100000, being an
timAted excess Of expenditures over rsN
nues, of $24,5 500, 900.