New-York tribune., 1888-08-29
ALLISON ON THE SURPLUS.
A MASTERLY SPEECH ON THE STATE OF AP.
PREPARATIONS.

FACTS WHICH JUSTIFY THE SENATE APPE0PRIA-
TIoN COMMITTEE IN IT'S EsTIMArEs-PEcU.
LIAR ACTION or THE HOUSE COMMITTEE
THE SOLD ROMAN IN ERROR.
| Washington, Aug. 2s.-The Senate to-day consid-
cred the conference report the sundry Civil bill.
and addressed at considerable length by Mr. Allison
In explanation of It, and in general defence of the
action Of the Senate Appropriation Committee and Of
the Senate itself contrasted with that OF the House.
He said that this of the usual great bills OF
each session. and estimated for regularly In the
book of estimates In the regular estimates presented
to Congress the beginning Of the session. the total
estimate for the sundry Civil bill s2s742. 695.
Supplemental estimates had been submitted during the
session amounting TO S. 124 900, showing total es-
| timate Of 1913, ,s66605. The House passed the bill
with total appropriation Of S23. .3324 406. The Sen
| ate Committee Appropriations recommended addi-
tlons Of s4oI2 465 that, when the bill was re-
ported Senate, It still five and half millions
less than the estimated for by the Sec rotary
| of the Treasury. Tho House had only appropriated
half of the authorized for public buildings.
while the Senate Committee had thought It moro eco
| nomlcal to appropriate the whole amount Here Mr..
Allison referred the distinction apparently made by
the President in approving bills for public buildings in
Democratic States and in disappearing similar bills in
Republican States. In the first category he mentioned
| Brownsville, Texas Texarkana Ark Asheville and
statesville, " c., and Tallahassee, Fla, and in tho
second category Sioux City, Iowa, the bill for which
had been he said back to the Senate yesterday,
with message sneering In tone and undignifed In
| character
Mr. Allison then proceeded with his analysis OF the
| Sundry Civil bill. There something rather
singular he said, about the appropriation for light
houses The estimates gave 81 100000 as the amount
necessary under that head but the House only appro
priacd S13o 600 The senate had added on 1851 900
for lighthouses ess than half of the estimated
for and the House cOnfcrecs had agreed TO most OF
the Items There werc large miscellaneous applopra-
tions in the bill, In which the senate had made addi-
| tlonal appropriations to the amount of some four
millions One million of this for the new library
building. With rare exceptions there not, he
said an Item in the bill which had not received the
urgent solicitation OF the Cabinet Minister who had
charge of the particular business involved in the ap-
preparation. The senate Committee had added pretty
largely for military posts, but had fallen short Of the
estimates Of the War Department. The committee
had added 100000 for National Homes at the urgent
request of the managers.
The first point OF disagreement which Mr. Allison
mentioned the item of appropriation for the family
Of Professor Baird The next was the item OF $780,
| 900 for the Mexican boundary survey. The senate
had inserted this latter item at the request Of the
Secretary OF State and because the treaty with Mexico
required it but the House cOnferees had declined 10
consent to It, The next point Of disagreement was as
| to the new library building, but he thought there
would be much trouble about that. The he1t was
as to the removal OF the Bureau Of Education to the
| Pension Building. lie thought It doubtful whether
the House would agree TO this change. The next item
was Mr.. Stewards amendment as 10 timber depreda-
ons and the reservoirs for the storage OF
water in the Territories ard 10 both these the House
conferccs very persistent in their opposition
There were two other amendments about which the
! House confcrees persistent. Those were In the
Of legislation to prosecutions for violation
Of the Internal Revenue laws. The next Items TO
cted
from the Library Committee respecting TIE purchase
| OF historical papers books and works of ART. The
next were series Of amendments relating to the Pub
lie Printing The House appropriation for the Public
Printing had been $500 600 less than the estimates ;
and the senate had increased It by 100000; even with
this increase to which the House cOnferees objected
the appropriation, he believed, would be insufficient
1t would not carry through the fiscal year tine public
| printing ordered by Congress, and there would be
deficiency Of from 100000 to 100000 necessary to
be appropriated else the printing would not be done
The House had Appropriated 100000 TO pay for the
fifteen days leave Of absence granted annually to the
employees of the Public Printing Office. Subsequently
the leave had been increased to thirty days, and the
senate had therefore increased the appropriation to
| SisO,OOO
MI Reagan remarked that this s1sOOOo was 10 be
paid the labor vote by the action of the two parties
| in Congress
Mr AIlson-The Senator from Texas puts It in
| very terse way. merely state the fact. did not
know that the Republican party was engaged In any
particular method Of bidding for votes l thought
that that was reserved for the other side Of the cham
bcr.
Mr. Reagan-Both sides have engaged in that thing
! to a shameful extent
| Mr. Alison-I was not aware of that l quite agree
with the senator from Texas respecting his own party
! Laughtcr.)
The next item of disagreement mentioned by Mr.
Allison that of 100000 for the establishment OF
geological garden As 10 the item for the purchase
Of site for the city post Office, Mr.. Allison said that
the conferces had been unable to agree as TO the Site
Mr.. Allison then made some general observations on
all Of the appropriation bills 1t was a singular hng,
he said thtt nearly two months OF the current Scal
year had gone by without Congress reaching con
clusion several important appropriation bills ms
WAS in no sense the fault of the Senate Committee on
Appropriations or of the Senate. lie proceeded to
state in detail the additions which the senate bad made
TO the various appropriation bills, and TO defend and
Justify them as necessary for the proper conduct OF
The Government and - having been urged Dy tne
statements recently made By Mr. MINIS III puDnc
speeches Mr AIllson Icicrvu ~ ~ d NV crnaed ~ The
amount OF 81 476OO0 but that was because the House
lad nScrfod proysion that widows OF soldiers should
draw pensions from the date Of their husbands death
not Om the date Of the application and the estlale
| Of tho peusiou Bureau was that It would require
Sl.476OOO for that provision As TO the KiVer ana
IIarbor bill he explained how the bill 0f ths session
Is the second b that has passed in four ycars-Prc 81
approprating slA 100000. The secretary of war had
only estimated for SlO.OO0.O00 but had stated that
the Chief OF Engineers reported that S4OOOOOOO cOulu
be spent economically In these great Naonal WORKS
IL had been said that the senate had largely IN
creased the appropriations Of this year over last year
He agreed to that II thero had been RIVER ana
Iarb0r bil passed last year it would have covered
some twelve millions of dollars; and tho River and
Harbor bill OF this year. Instead OF being twen,y,two
Not only that would be seen that the deficiency
bills pa sed and be passed, at this session. iOr inc
expenditures Of last fiscal year amounted to ABOUT
Sl5. 100000. Adding that sum to the sum ior rivers
and harbOrs and there total OF S3OOOOOoO that
had been forced in the appropriation bills oi ms
session. Therefore when the appropriations OF TINS
session came to compared with those OF last session,
these facts had to be taken into account lie had a
table prepared and would have It printed, showing the
appropriations for the last eight years Inc total OF
the appro prations for the current fiscal year. not IN
cludng what are called the permanent appIopra-
tIonS was S:lO6 600 600 The total last year was
s94 900 600 or S55 900 600 less than this year
lie had explained good many of the Items OF Increase
Tho UarUOr bill and the Appropriation DlllS