Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-19

| Ledger, even after the correction with re-
gard to the postal revenues made by the
| Secretary, shows that the total expenditures
by this Congress, including permanent ap-
preparations Tor the sinking fund, will be
over $500, 600, 900, and that with the e1-
pected deduction from the revision of the
tariff the revenues will fall below expendi-
lures fully 500, 100000. Is it any wonder
that that the conservative Ledger calls
upon the nation to "stop the reckless Con-
gress?"
Another remarkable proposition is pre-
sented by the New York Press, to the effect
that the permanent appropriations Of
S49, ,O0O, 900 for the sinking fund shall be
discarded. This is urged on the ground,
'There is no reason other than formal pre-
cedent why this permanent annual appro-
priation should not be repealed and bonds
bought whenever there is an ample surplus
to buy them with" Perhaps it is nothing
more than formal precedent" that the
pledge to maintain the sinking fund, is
an obligation imposed by the contract under
which every United States bond has been
issued; and it may be "no reason" that this
provision is the most through safeguard of
the national credit and gives the best as
surance of the gradual extinction OF the
public debt. But even casting that ques-
ton aside, the proposition con 'esses the
whole charge. The complaint is that taking
the Treasury with an ample surplus in it
for the purchase and retirement of bonds,
the Republican Congress has bv reckless
appropriations made it necessary to en-
croach upon the minimum fixed by law for
the retirement of that debt. To say that the
sinking fund appropriation should be
abandoned, is to concede the truth of the
charge that single session OF Congress has
completely reversed the old and honest
policy of keeping revenues in excess Of ex-
penditures and devoting the excess to the
retirement of the public Indebtedness.
One thing is indisputably established by
this controversy. That is, the total of ap-
preparations by the present Congress. in
cluding permanent appropriations, will be
in the vicinity of $500, 900, 900, and that ap-
preparations other than the permanent ones
for interest and sinking funds will approx
mate S4OO, ,OOO. 900. Ten years ago, total appro-
priations, including $50 00O, 600 for pensions
and $50, ,0OO, ,O0U for interest on the debt. were
not over $500, 1000, 900, while the ordinary
expenses, similar to those which now reach
S4OO, 900, 600, were about 5000, 600. 600. In
other words, while the population has in
creased 20 per cent and the cost of fixed
charges on the public debt are diminished
over $40, ,o00, 900, the expenditures of the
Government have nearly doubled. The
old policy of cutting down expenses by re-
tIring the debt and adhering to economical
expenditures in other departments has been
cast aside; and following close upon the
heels of movement to reduce taxation, the
nation is confronted with a total of expen-
ditures double what it has ever known be-
fore, except when it was maintaining huge
and costly war.
Such a national balance sheet will be
hard to explain or mitigate. The people
who will be called upon to pay this $780,,
Oo0, 900 ofexpenditures will be apt to have
to say to the party leaders who
have permitted such extravaganza.