Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-03-12
STARTLING ESTRAVAGANCE.
How the Last Congress Spent Mil
lions of Dollars.
The Total Expenditures Growing Larger
Each Day--The President and His Cab

lions of Dollars.
The Total Expenditures Growing Larger
Each Day--The President and His Cab
met Much Alarmed About the Result.
WASHINGTON, March 6.-The deficiency
appropriations by the last Democratic
House did not aggregate S25, 600, 900. The
two Deficiency bills passed by the House
Just expired amount to within fraction
of S7IOOO,UU0, more than three times as
much. goodly portion of these extra
millions was for jobs. All the corrupt and
doubtful claims are held in reserve to be
struggled through at the last moment i'll
the Deficiency bill. This has been the Gus
tom for generation or more. That stern
and incorrnptible legislator, Samuel J.
Randall put an end to this kind of bust
ness when he was chairman of the com
mittee on appropriations He saw to it
that nothing but legitimate objects We're
provided for, 1t was for this reason that
the Deficiency bill of two years ago, III his
last term as chairman of the committee on
appropriations, was only SS,3D5lS, The
Deficiency bill just passed will. it is ahso-
lutely known, take S3S,010, 900 ont of the
treasury; and il is estimated that when all
the jobs which it includes are provided for
at least 81 100000 addition will be required.
The pensions appropriation Of the Fifty
first Congress arc S65,600000 more than
NliNot Va tllt ililiflit ~ ~ - iNt-
sonabe estimate to say that one-hulf of
this enormous sum will 90 into the pockets
OF the pension lobby the members Of
which, II the present pension policy is to
be continued, will soon count their hum
dreds of millions like the Astors, the
Gouds and the Vanderbilts, Taking the
treasury estimates of government receipts
for theneXt fiscal year the appropriations
made by this Congress will exceed them in
the neighborhood Of sl0,00o,00l. No ac-
count is taken in this calculation Of the
large sums which will be drawn on ac-
count of the postal subsidy, and for which
no accurate estimate Can now be made. 1t
is not very pleasant prospect for the peo-
pie of this country to know that q deficit
Of from forty to fifty million dollars is
likely to he made apparent before another
year, The big surplus which Mr. Cleve-
land left all gone, taxes on the necessaries
Of life doubled and treblcd and yet an inn
mense balance on the wrong side OF the
ledger. Mr.. Reeds business Congress
has also created nearly 900 new offices,
calling for an aggregation of salaries
amounting to nearly S3,O0D000,
To show how moderate is the estimate Of
deficit above, it may be mentioned that
Representative Dockery OF Missouri, one
of the most experienced and hest posted
men in the House, calculates that the de-
ticiency in the treasury on July list, 1882
will be S6S,0OO000. The Indian Appro-
priation bill is put down as calling for
Sl6,000,O00. This is twice and three times
as much as has been customary. But SEN
ator German says this estimate is INSULT
cient, and that no living man can tell to-
day what amount the bill will really
require. Every one who knows about
the manner in which Indian lands
are taken and paid for can feel
the force of Mr.. Gorman's statement.
Mr.. Dawes, chairman of the SEN
ate committee on Indian affairs, said
about S9,000,000 was for payment Of lands
belonging to the Indians, but he admitted
that this estimate was an indefinite one.
Mr.. German, as q member of the commit
tee OH appropriations, stated i'll his place
on the floor of the Senate that the Indian
bill came there under coercion; that the
committee was compelled almost under
duress to bring it in. Mr.. German might
with great propriety have made the same
statement with regard to other appropria-
tion bills. In other words, the policy and
the methods of this so-ealled "business'
Congress, as Mr. German plainly intim-
ated, forced the acceptance of bills appro-
priating vast sums Of the public money
without examination or understanding
AT cabinet meeting to-day the President
and his advisers took peep at the iinan-
cial condition Of the government. The
raid upon the treasury in the dying hours
of the session was not fully appreciated
until Secretary Foster presented his state
ment to his chief and the other members
Of the administration. The situation,
while ii is not now regarded as critical, is,
to say,the least, embarrassing to the eS-
ecutive branch of the public service. Sec
retary of War Proctor was the first mem
her of the cabinet to put in an appearance
at the White House for this meeting. The
affairs III his department are in pretty good
shape, so he did not loiter along the road
but was in the cabinet room when the old
clock ON the mante marked 1l.30. The
President was already in his place at the
head of the cabinet table with his usual
prompthess. Secretary Blaine was the
second arrival. He did not ascend the
public stairway, but reached the cabinet
room by way of the elevator in the private
part of the mansion, as he has done ever
since last summer, when he unintention-
ally gave away a state secret
on the stairway. Secretary Tracy
made his appearance about the
same time, but the public stairway was
visiting congressman or curious people,
who usually take their departure when the
cabinet assemblies. Postmaster-General
Wanamaker went in with rush, as usual,
clearing two steps at each jump. He had
Just concluded conference with Repre-
sentatives Dingley, Farquhar and Bing-
ham regarding the postal subsidy provi-
sion in the shipping bill. He appeared as
happy us usual, for he hopes to have the
postal service on self-sustaining basis
before he leaves the cabinet, if his plans
do not miscarry. Secretary Foster was re-
corded late, but he carried in his hand a
written excuse in the shape of II financial
statement from his assistants in the treas
ury department. Perhaps it was the I'M
pleasant information contained in said
statement which induced him to stay
away as long as possible, and he may have
hoped to reach his seat at the table unob-
served by the President. BE that as it may,
he was the last arrival. and when the door
closed behind him, Doorkeepcr Laetlcr
took the usual precautions to clear the
anti-chamber to all outsiders. Secretary
Noble and Attorney-General Miller were
absent.
Love in Cottage.
"Chally," said Amarantha Jane, II