Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-07
TREASURY WATCH-DOGS.
How Buck KilgOres Retrenchment Tactics
Differ from Those of Holman of Indiana.
Kilgore on the Worlds Fair.
correspondence of the Gazette.

Correspondence of the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, April If all the men.
in congress were disposed to be as watch
tul of the expenditure Of public money
as Col. Buck Kilgore, the government
could be run on far more economic prin-
ciples than now exist. KiIgore has made
a record for himself during his congress
sional career, and has defeated many
bad claims, and buried them beyond
resurrection. He divides with Holman
the honor of the sobriquet, :'Watch- dog
of the Treasu ~, -. but the retrenchment
practiced by the Texas congressman diff
fers from that of the Indiana representa-
tive, i'll being more national and broader
in character. AS an instance of this,
Kilgore's remarks on the Worlds fair
bill are quoted verbatim. He said:
Mr.. Speaker have very little to say on the
pending bill and very little time in which to say
it. The prorisO at the end of the seventeenth
section should be stricken out entirely. 1t re-
cites that the government shall not be liable for
more than a million five hundred thousand dol
lars, TO be used TO pay the Worlds fair COM
missioners, to erect buildings for the govern
ment exhibits, and to pay the expenses of trans
porting and caring for such exhibits.
The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Holman)
undertook to amend the section by reducing the
amount to $1,000, 900, but the amendment was
rejected.
This provlSo is a delusion and a snare. Tt is
an imposition on the house and the country and
ought TO be eliminated from the bill. II the
friends of the measure, the patriotic advocates
of a Worlds fair to be held under the direction
of the United States government, were disposed
to deal fairly ana candidly with The people, they
would amend the prOviSo by striking out 81, 50O,-
600 and insert s., 600 OOO because it viii cost the
government every cent OF i've millions of the
peoples money to discharge the obligations
which the government will incur If this bill be-
comes law. will not offer such an amend
meut for the reason I am unwilling that con-
gress should appropriate a single dollar of pub
lie money to pay for this Chicago show, this
But the house seems determined to bind the
government to participate in this exposition a
scheme to promote the business interests of the
people OF a great city at the expense of the tax
payers OF the country. and it ought to be honest
enough and courageous enough to let the coun-
try know the amount OF money likely to be used
in that scheme There is a pretense in this hin
to limit the amount to million and half dol
lars. At the same time every member of this
house knows that no such limitation can be i'm
posed by congress. The next congress, or this
congress at its next session, or during this ses-
sion, can disregard this pretended limitation and
appropriate hve millions or any other sum of
money to carry out the purposes of the bill if it
should become law.
Mr.. Mason-MT. Speaker
Mr.. Kilgore-I cannot yield to the gentleman
from Illinois. have very little time.
Mr.. Mason-I want to ask the gentleman from
Mr.. Kilgore-Well, sir, I Will yield for Just
one question.
Mr.. Mason Do you want to fix this bill or any
other bill so that any future congress shall not
extend the limit OF the appropriation?
Mr.. Kilgore-YOu propose in this bill to fix a
limit on congress. You say the government shall
not be liable for more than ST. 800 O0O and that is
what 1 am now Directing to. You are not acting
in good faith with the people. You know that
no such limitation can be imposed on future
congresses by the proviso which have recited.
1t is so much waste paper, and ought to be
stricken out.
The bin prima facie affords conclusive reasons
why such limit does not fix the maximum
amount of the money necessary to pay the ex
penses incurred by the government. The bill
authorizes the appointment OF LOG commissioners
and lO6 alternate commissioners to be named in
thirty days after the law is passed, and to con-
tinue in office till January /, 1898, a period of
seven years and six months about. Their paw is
So per day and transportation. Their per diem
amounts to S636. Then there are other, and in
deed necessary, expenses OF that august COM
mission. 1t will be compelled to have station
cry. fuel, rooms. clerks innumerable and type
writers, and am actually informed that type
writer is a very expensive luxury. have never
been able to afford one myself. fGreat laugh
ter.
my limited time with laughter and applause.
lRenewed laughter.l Taking everything into
will not be less than 500 or $500 per day, and
this TO continue in existence about seven and
one-haR years, and they will always be on hand
to draw pay. 1T one dies, or resigns, or fails to
act, an alternate is provided for in the bill;
hence there win never be q vacancy in the com.
mission when il comes to drawing pay. Wemay
reasonably conclude that this commission alone
VIII cost the government s., 500, 0e0. Then the
Gill appropriates besides 500. 900 for buildings in
which the government is expected to place its
exhibits and 500 900 for the transportation and
care of the government exhibits-all ostensibly
for patriotic purpose; really in fact in the in
terest of private speculation.
l want, IN conclusion, to repeat and emphasize
the declaration that if this bin becomes a law,
and the exposition is held at Chicago, as con-
templated by the bill, the people of the United
States will be out IS 000, 900 before it is done
with, possibly much more. But, indeed, this is
not the worst feature of the measure.
Mr.. Speaker-The gentlemans time has ex-
PRED.
German millet seed frea Estas ohm
son grass, for salasEy sfSn s Meier.