The Forrest City times., 1888-08-25
WASTING THE MONEY.
1se Record That the Republican
 Senate Is Making.
spsnAane the Surplus in Extravasan, sonsmss for the Benefit of MonopoIists The People to Pay for the whistie.


 It will be one of the easiest things in the world Tor Democratic orators during the present campaign to show that tho Republi- can senate instead of trying to reduce taxa tion has attempted in every possible way 70 scatter the surplus without making the burdens Of the people easier. The House nAs passed revenue reform measure wnichis not only conservative, so far as pro- posed results are concerned s.ut it win tighten the rate of ta...ation for the peoplo sa anu very rT.ue of the legislation enacted by s--s Democratic House can re called proai. gate or extravagsnt The first piece of reckless extravagance which the Senate was guilty of during thi. congress va. the passage of the outrageors Blair education oni This scheme is looked upon here as a .esisiasive chestnut fostered and pushed py tne most irrepressible crank that has ever been member of the highest law making body of this land. His wild scheme, ncarrfed out, would scatter s77, 900 through out the States, to be divided according to the number of illiterate persons in the sev- erai States. Another extravagant measure passed by the Senate is Senator Hawley,s bill appropriating sl26, ,O0o, 900 in the interest oi so-called "coast defence" It is true the Republican Senators SO far only ask that @, ,oOo,ooo of the t126, ,0oo, 900 shall be appro- priated as starter. If this enormous sum were to be appropriated, every man who claims to know anything at all knows that very little of this amount finds it's way into the legitimate channels of trade.
 PLUM FOR MoSopoLrsrs.
 Demagogues and high protective tariff sd- vocates insist that expenditures for coast defence would give ah impetus to the iron and steel industry; would enable manu- iacturers to employ a large number of addi- tionai workmen at increased wages, and that the nation could not more profitably sxpend the surplus than to put 1t out of the treasury In the manner indicated. Wise and economic statesmen of the Democratic Faith are positive that if this entire sum O el26, ,000, 900 was voted in a lump to be avail able at once instead of helping legitimate trade and being a benefit to the masses of the people, such monopolists as Andrew Carnegie and others equally as wealthy and influential would get something like s1O0.- 000, 900 of the amount. It would be the most natural thing in the world for these monopolists to gobble up the greater DOT ton of money appropriated for so-called ''coast defence" Some of the enthusiastic advocates of this scheme contend that the work would have to be let out to the lowest bidder, but unfortunately for tho United States at the present time the steel and Iron industry is in the hands of powerful com binations who work together, and instead of such appropriations as this benefitting the masses and releasing money so that it would circulate thoughout the country, the most of it would go to small section and gradually find its way into the pockets and to the credit of men who have fattened and grown rich at an enormously rapid rate un- der the existing protective tariff system.
 THE DEPENDENT PENSION GRAB.
 The Senate has also passed, during the present session, the dependent pension bill measure practically the same as that vetoed by President Cleveland during the last Congress. There is no telling exactly how much money this bill would take from the Treasury. The Republican Senators are particular on that point, for the more money taken from the Treasury the better it would suit them, provided their methods of legislation would make a valid excuse for maintaining the robber tariff They are under the most serious obligations to the monopolists, who have fiourished under this system at the expense of the people, and their recent party platform, drawn up by some of the shining lights at the Chicago Convention, pledges the Republicans to stand by the manufacturers, even though the country shall be compelled to put up with free whiskey and free tobacco, when the cry is for cheaper clothing and cheaper food The dependent pension bill is going to have a hard travel in the House, and even should the pressure be so great as to get that measures through, the lower branch of Con gress, it can be put down almost as dead certainty that 1t will again be vetoed by President Cleveland. Sono matter how the thing terminates, nothing but Democratic influence and Democratic backbone can pre- vent the passage of a measure which was so vigorously denounced in the last Con- gress by that brave and gallant exUnfon General, Edward S. Bragg of Wisconsin, now the honored Minister of the United States in Mexico. Gen. Bragg had alright to speak for the honest soldiers, inasmuch as he led in battle year after year, one of the most famous brigades that served in the Union army. He claimed that the de- pendent pension bill was more in tho in- terest of camp followers and bounty jumpers than in the interest of the honest and deserving soldier, and that the latter class were amply provided for under the regular pension laws as administered by a well regulated bureau created for that pur- pose.
 THE ExTRAvAGANT SENATE.
 Scarcely an appropriation bin has gone over to the Senate during this session but that it has been increased by the Senate. Almost without exception, these additions have been made against tho protest of the Democratic Senators. The Republican Sen ate is, therefore, responsible for all this ex- travagance, and before the campaign is over the Republican party will find that its
 
 cord. and one that will be very hard to de- fend on the stump.
 Take the sundry civil appropriation bills AS one instance That measure has been in creased in tho aggregate s5,0o0,o00 over what was appropriated by the House. This is one of the most intricate and important appropriation bills that is annually pre- nar.d and if reouires the greatest care and scrutiny on the part of the Democratic House Committee to prevent reckless and unworthy schemes from creeping into the hill. Among the additions made by the Sen ate may be noted one item calling for an extra million dollars for Mir. Smithmyer's outrageously extravagant library building. When Congress was first induced to make an appropriation for this bill it was stated that if would cost not more than &, 900, 00o. -. -wha r-oa eriuQY tha contract