Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-19
FOUR MILLIONS FOR PRINTING.
A Lively Debate i'm the Senate ON TIN
Urgent Deficiency Bill.

FOUR MILLIONS FOR PRINTING.
Lively Debate i'm the Senate on the
Urgent Deficiency Bill.
The SENATORS GENERALLY AGREE THAT THE
BLAME FOR THIS DEFICIENCY RESTS iron
CONGRESS AND NOT THE PUBLrc PRINTER
VIEWS OF sESAToEs-THE BILL PASSED.
The government printing Office and matters
pertaining to its conduct received more than a
little attention in the Senate this morning
The debate was caused by the bill which called
FOR an urgent deficiency for the office of
$685., 600.
FIFTY MILLION OF DEFICIENCY.
Senator Cockren opened the ball by remark
ing that Congress had, in the matter Of depart
mental appropriations strange way Of legis-
lating. Ii was known last session that the
sum actually necessary for the running of the
government printing Office exceeded IS. 000, 900.
yet Congress did not appropriate to within
$4,000 Of the requisite amount Mr.. Cock
rell thought that perhaps the small
ness OF the appropriation vas due 70
the fact that election was at hand.
If that was the idea which had minimized
appropriations then the experiment was GER
!. nly failure; the people did not ratify the
deceptive proceeding at the polls He called
attention to the fact that there would have 70
be another printing Office deficiency provided
| for after January l.
In all Congress would be compelled to pro-
vide not less than S5O.OOO. 900 of deficiency;
probably very much more. The Missourian
was quite sarcastic in his references to the
hasty marne- in which the House made appro-
priatlons and the ingenious way in which the
senate was continually burdened with the onus
OF extravaganza.
MIR. HALE CONDEMNS THE CUTTING DOWN OF
REGULAR APPROPRIATIONS.
Senator Hale, who was in charge of the bill.
had 10 apologies to offer for the present STYLE
| OF legislation. Ii was rot a good way to appro-
pirate. The practice of cutting down appro-
| pfntions IN the regular bills and then making
them up during the next wear was undoubtedly
bad one. He paid a pleasant tribute TO the
maniness and frankness Of Senator Cockrell.
! ana then salG that bad as the def 6ncy-making
practice had been there was little ground 10
hope that the next House would do any better.
SENATOR GoRMAN SAYS THE PRINTER Is NOT
TO ELAINE.
Senator German repeated Senator Cockrelrs
remark: That the public printer was not to
blame for this deficiency. The increased APP
Preparations for the government printing Office
were not catised by any action of the officials in
charge of that place, but by the Increased
work sent thither b. Congress and by the
departments. Incidentally he referred to
the increase in the number of pages in
| last sessions COagr ssiondt Racord 800 pages
when Senator EdmunGs interjected an opinion
/ to the effect that if things continued in the
| Senate as they were now the increase in this
sessions Record would be 25 900 pages.
THINKS THERE OUGHT TO BE INVESTIGATION.
Senator German said he and the other men,
! bers of the Senate committee on printing had
tried to reduce the number and curb the variety
| OF government publications. but Congress had
nullified their efforts. He desired to call
attention to the fact that the appropriation
| for census printing was not included
| in the government printing Office estimates.
| Altogether the printing for the current fisca,
year would amount TO more than "a 900 0O0
including the census printing. This enormous
expenditure called for inquiry. There ought to
| be anHnvestigation.
| Senator Frye said that investigation and in
quiry one thing: insufficient appropriation
was another. He. however, did not object to
| investigation: that should be going along all
| the time in all departments.
UNNECESSARY PRINTING.
Senator Vest wanted to know whether the
committee on printing had tried to decrease
the amount of printing-the amount of work
which had come to be thoughtlessly regarded
As necessary. Certain quantities of doc
uments and bills were printed and
there was a constantly increasing and
thoroughly useless surplus of them. IL
was a well known fact that these things
| were poured into each committee room during
the session and at its close this mass of bureau
debris-reports of officials and such like mat
| ters-were carried away to the basement
where the stencil of decayed paper was suffi-
Gent to breed a pestilence. The Senator said
he had tried to work a reform in this matter
but had failed.
EXPENSIVE ILLUSTRATIONS AND COSTLY MAS
Senator German said the abuse was not in
| the printing of those reports, but in the publ
cation of scientific works by the geological sur
vey and the Smithsonian Institution;
works that were extensively Illus
trated and beautifully supplied with
costly maps On these there was great
extravaganza, great waste of money. He ex-
planned away some of the growth of printing
office appropriations. The thirty days leave
of absence law meant S130.Oo0 and a large
sum was required to pay the 20 per cent Of addi-
tional compensation for night work.
| These increases were perfectly proper and he
was sure that no Senator could object 10 them;
he simply mentioned them TO explain some Of
the increase which was being discussed. If
there was a movement toward economy it
should commence at the proper place; there
should be a diminution in the number of
orders He hoped the matter would be in
quired into and some plan devised to Justly
lessen the expenditures for printing.
BLAMING THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS.
Seated in his usual place in Senator Browns
reservation was Senator Reagan and when Mr..
German concluded the Texan arose and said
there were laws on the statute book which
if executed would prevent the departments
from expending more money than was appro-
priated. This law ignored. Ii was origi-
nally intended that Congress should determine
the amount of money necessary to run the gov
eminent and that it should bear the RESPONSE
bility. Congress had, however, abdicated in
favor of the departments. A great deal of ex-
travagance might be avoided if Congress would
give the departments to understand that there
would be no such things as deficiency appro-
priations.
Mr. Reagan said that Buchanan's admins
tration had been charged with great extrava-
gance because the total annual appropriations
were in the neighborhood of S70. 1000, 600. Yet
what was $40. 000, 600 when compared with
$500, 0OO, 900? He admitted that the country
had grown somewhat in the past thirty years,
but Just think of $500, 900, 600.
HOW MUCH?
Senator Hale wanted q vote on the bill but
Senator Morgan secured the floor and alluded
to the statement that the amount Of deficiencies
to be appropriated for the current fiscal year
would exceed ESQ 900 900.
Mr.. Allison questioned the correctness Of that
estimate.