The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-12-06
Whispers from the NStiOnal
Capital.
CARLISLE CHOSEN SPEAKER.
President Pro Tem-1he House Rules
-AppOintments-LO Its Grip
Miscellaneous TeIegI ans.
Washington whispers


ated Press his views respecting the
proposition to change the rules of the
House, so as to ta4e from the commit
tee on appropriations jurisdiction over
some Of the appropriation bills. The
Democratic party came into control of
the Federal government, he said. in the
distinct understanding that it would
adhere To an economical administra-
ton. This cannot be overlooked or
eyaded, if 1t expects to remain
in power. In all governments the
preparation of suitable bills to
meet the expenses has been conided
to one organization. Nothing can
be certainly done until, by careful and
comprehensive scrutiny, the amount of
necessary expenditure has been determ-
med upon. The taxation depends upon
the amount of the expenditures, and an
increase of expenditures means an in
crease Of taxation. Item by item the
Treasury has been protected by every
safeguard that could be devised. 1t is
now proposed that nearly all these
safeguards shall be broken down and
the Treasury thrown OPEN Increased
appropriation, Judging from. experience,
viii inevitably follow, as leach Of the
many committees to be authorized by
This change to consider the apprOpria-
ions, and into which the appropria-
ton committee as now constituted,
5 to be divided, will naturally
e1hance its own Importance. Instead
OF one committee having charge of the
expenditures ard checking of unneceS
Sary appropriations, there will be tnany.
acting independently of each other.
and nobody will knoW the aggregate
OF tlie annual appropriations till l. is
too Late 10 avoid the disaster of a defic-
lent Treasury, which may at any time
IN the near future be precipitated on
the people.
The proposition is too plain to need
argument, and there IS not a business
man in the country who will not ap-
preciate the correctness and force of
this statement. The surplus revenue
we now have will not continue for ever,
and the habits of eXtraYagant apprO-
priations cannot be changed at once.
The agricultural and river and harbor
bills were taken from the control OF the
committee on appropriations, and here
is evidence of the failure of bhe
venture It is known that the
expenditures under the first have
been wastefully made, and it is
notorious that much of the money
appropriated in the latter might as well
have been thrown away. The apprOpri-
atiOns for the Agricultural Department
Tor 1877 10 1880, inclusive, when they
we're under control of the committee on
appropriations, averaged $l90,647 per
annum. From 1881 to 1885 the agri-
cultural appropriation oils, being under
the control of the committee oD agri-
culture, the appropriations averaged
$3.50 per annum. The apprOpria-
tons for rivers and harbOrs from 1876
90 1880, when the subject was
controlled by the committee on
appropriations, averages 81, 400, 923 per
annum: from 1881 TO 1885 inclusive,
during which the committee on COM
Iaerce and rivers and harborS have had
the Subject in hand, the annual appro-
pTiatiOns have averaged SIS 99I ,243. If
this enormous increase Of expenditure
characterized the first experiment of
the withdrawal OF these two subjects
from the protecting safeguards hereto
lore enforced under the existing rules,
and generally since the foundation of
the government, who can forteH the
devastation Of the public finances
when the Treasury doors are thrown
vide open TO Unrestrained and unre-
stricted Vaccinations and comBina-
tons OF every character. Such a COM
binatiOn might even enter Congress,
and the general government would
then be a hot bed TO start into existence
every dangerous policy. The same
reasoning that would take from the
committee on appropriations some Of
the regular appropriation bills would
likewise deYOlVe the functions of
the appropriations committee on nearly
every other committee Of the House.
AS, Tor instance, the reasons that would
Iurn the naval oil over to the commit
Tee on naval affairs, would just as logi-
Cauy SEND estimates for public buildings
70 me committee on public buildings
a1o grounds; for surveying and other
eApenses OF public domain, to the COM
1l1tee on public building lands:
t2r the expenses Of the United
:>tateS courts to the committee on
Juulclary; Tor public printing to the
committee on printing; for lighthouse
0st9gy!iishnent, revenue cutter service
ana Ilfe-saVIng service; also to the COM
Il.ttee on public service, mint and assay
Vu!ce 10 the committee on coinage,
weights and measures; for Territorial
expenses, TO the committee on Terri
torres Tor legislative expenses (Con-
SresSl to the committee on accounts; for
tne library OF Congress and botanical
gardens. to the committee on library;
for the Patent Office, to the COM
alttee on patents; for the Bureau
o. education to the committee on educa-
tOn; for the Bureau of Labor, to the
committee on labor; for the improve
nent OF the Mississippi River, to the
committee on leYees and improvement
OF the Mississippi River; for the audited
GAINS certified by the accounting of
Acers Of the Treasury, to the com
anlttee on customs; Tor pensions
otner than those growing out of the late
var, 70 the committee on pensions;
n addition to the preparing Of regular
appropriation bills for the service of
sAch fiscal year, these committees
would and should, by some method OF
reasoning. be charged with providing
.or all deficiencies on the seperate bills.
making two regular bins to come
Itom each committees, thus null
apiying the number of appro-