The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-19
.S35S,545,361.4 40

These are the principal bills needed to be
passed the present session. Last session
been omitted. The amounts carried out
against the bills are the preliminary esti-
mates of the appropriations committee.
They are not strictly accurate since the
amendments put on in the House and Senate
cause the exact amount OF an appropriation
bill to be uncertain until 1t has finally passed
in both houses. But these estimates repre-
sent very accurately the amounts likely to be
carried by the bills in their final forms. And
these amounts are nearly all the expenses of
carrying on the government of the nation.
There are, however, one or two and some
times more. deficiency bills, made necessary
to provide for miscellaneous expenditures
not included in the regular bills. Often, too,
these deficiency bills are made necessary to
provide for amounts left unsettled by pre-
ceding Congress. For instance, when the
Democrats find that the next Congress is to
be Republican, as they did two years ago,
the deliberately cut appropriations down be-
low the amounts they know will be needed
and leave the deficiency to be provided for
by the next Republican Congress. OF course
the next Congress Is thereby compelled to
make larger appropriations and of course Is
left open to criticism for extravaganza. There
is no recent instance where the Republicans
have played like trick upon the Democrats,
but they undoubtedly have human feelings
In this Congress the Republicans have had
some pretty heavy arrears to settle on the ac-
COuub VI LiitlT O0uOCIdElc DToLQren.
The Importance of these bills and the
length of time 1t requires to consider them
can hardly be appreciated without hearing
the debates or carefully studying the printed
copies of the bills themselves. Uncle Sans
money Is not appropriated in limp sums to
| be disbursed by public officers at their dis
| cretion. There is not clerk In the whole
| establishment of the government so humble
that a paragraph OF the appropriation bill
| does net authorize his employment and fix
| his stipend. The appropriations may be
large; but no part OF them is squandered.
When this minuteness of the appropriation
| bills is considered 1t Is more easy to under
stand the amount OF legislative labor and
| time required for their consideration. The
| legislative. executive and judicial bill, for
instance, the bill that provides for the ex-
! penses of Congress, of the executive officers
from the President down to the humblest
clerk and Of the judicial branch of the
government from the Chief Justice down to
the witness In a revenue case In the noun
tains of North Carolina, Is large document
OF hundred pages or more, with thou
sand or more paragraphs. clerk reads
the bill paragraph by paragraph, and upon
any and every paragraph there's the fullest
| opportunity for debate. amendment and in
quiry. The reasons for every item of APP
preparation may be called for and must be
given, or the item Is doomed to swift defeat
at the hands of Repre- sentatives Jealous Of
every penny of extra expense.
/ tnOAC 10 muCH CUupldlut tudb buo dppLO-
priatt0ns are too large; but they would be
much larger were the government to pay its
just debts. There are the French Sp0liation
claims for instance. They are undoubtedly
just and the government is bound to pay
them; but so far no appropriations commit
mittee has found itself able to afford the mil
| lions needed.
Were the Spoliation Claims the only ones
thus situated there would be more hope OF
their speedy settlement; but they are only a
part. The capital is thronged with claimants
| representing claims!perfecty just and admit
ted often by DEGREES of the courts; yet these
claimants grow old waiting simply for the
reason that no party In power dares to use
the money needed to settle the just debts oi
| the government
1t by the appropriation bills that the
government Is supplied with funds to- meel
Its expenses from year to year. Should TINS
session OF Congress fail to pass these Dllis,
an extra session of the next Congress would
have to be called OF the government depart
ments would be found without the means ol
continuing their business Without the ap'
preparations bills the government is para
yZed.
1t is for this reason that such full swlnf
has been given to these bills In the last lew
weeks. 1t is for this reason that the snip
ping bill and other great measures have had
to stand back until the appropriation Dill
could be surely safe. Up to Monday OF THIS
week the House had passed all but four
the bills-the Indian, Post Office. Agricnltu
raj, and last, the Deficiency bill. The lndi
an bill was nearly finished Monday night
leaving practically only three. But in eacl
bill the Senate makes certain changes
and the differences between the House hav'
| take much time. So an appropriation bill i
not wholly out Of the way when 1t ba
passed the first time.
With good luck. there ought to be few
days for general legslatlon PEI neaore the end I:
will be gotten up If the Republican leader
of the Honse can carry out their plans