The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-24
THE w HEN
THE BEGGARLY SURPLUS.

The Capitol Amused Over the Sudden Disap-
pearance OF the Condition"
Washington Special.
The mysterious disappearance of the alleged
surplus is the one topic of engrossing interest
at the Capitol After oil the pondsrous logic
which has been expended on this subject and the
didactic essays which have been transmitted to
Congress by the Executive to the exclusion of
other topics of pressing public Importance. the
ridiculous outcome is irresitibly comical-
Friends and foes alike ara staggering
over il. The facts as stated In the Tribune dis
patches are corroborated to-day by official
figures given out on the joint authority of the
committees OF appropriation of both House and
Senate. Instead os demoralizing. hideous and
dangerous surplus of hundred and fifty mill
ions or so, there hardly twelve and q quarter
millions in sight. and even this amount Is liable
TO be whitfield down still further by demands
from sources not included in congressional ap-
preparation bills as pointed out in these dis
patches yesterday.
round numbers, the appropriations passed, or
pending in conference and on the way to certain
adoption, are as follows: Army, navy, Indian.
diplomatic and consular. pension, legislative and
Y,
harbor fortifications and sundry civil bills
S2SS, 764. 600; deficiency bills resulting from the
failure OF the last Democratic House
to appropriate the absolutely necessary
amounts for the known require
ments of the public servce-slS 221 OOO
public buildings and miscellaneous relief bills,
$o. CSC, 600; permanent appropriations, Sl15, ,6i0,
GOO; all of which with the smaller details, here
in omitted, added thefetol make total pros
pectiye expenditure of S42S, 269 500 being an in
Of fha onvia Of
last year, against prospective revenue of $440- :
563. 734-thus leaving possible surplus of sl2.-
294, ,2l3, which, il the Mills bill should pass,
would be converted into deficiency Of more
than $50. OO0 900.
The clerks OF the House and Senate commit
tees, in eiving.ous these figures. state in fair
ness that there Is reduction in the fertilization
bill as passed by the House OF two and half
millions and q duplication of q similar item in
another bill of three millions. But against this
there pending numerous public building bills
in transit to the executive, which will probably
receive approval, unless the member urging
them is OF the allentown persuasion. aud in
the estimates given no account is taken of the
numerous private pension bills These sources
together will more than offset the allowances
made on the fertilization account and the fig
ures can therefore stand. 90
Net surplus in sight, So "a. .263. For this
sum the industries Of the country have been
called upon stand still, and the wheels Of leg
islation have been blocked This exposure of
course. leaves the newly enlisted administration
organs in . plight which it is charitable to call
humiliating. They denied. with robust rhetoric,
the statements of the Tribune and other we'll
informed journals. just they would deny.
with adequate inducement, the revolutions of
the earth. and assert. with Brother Jasper, that
the ''sun do move" Official statements from the
Democratic appropriations committee now dis
prove their dsnials
On both sides of the Capitol the denouement
Is regarded with much amusement. Republican
Senator's admit that the joke Is on them as we'll
as on the House. and that 10 accepting and at
tempting TO treat seriously the cry of danger
GUS surplus they 'leaped before they looked v
They propose to look now, and look very
thoroughly into this whole question, including
the method OF keeping the treasury balances.
One leading Senator remarked laughinely
to-day that it reminded him OF the
old story of the problem propounded by
one of the English kings TO his counselors as to
why a large sized fish could be placed In a buck
ct already filled with water to the brm without
causing any Of the water TO run over. The
story" added the Senator, lis a chestnut OF
course. you remembe- that after a number of
most learned theories had been advanced to ac-
count for the phenomenon. one of the savants
suggested that bucket of water and a fish be
brought in for practical demonstration. This
was done, and the condition that was supposed
N confront IA wa N