Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-07
GROWTH OF APPROPRIATIONS.

GROWTH OF APPROPRIATIONS.
The last estimates of the total appropri-
ations for the Fifty-frst Congress place
them at 81, 900, 600, 600. At the beginning
of the week they were put at 1890, 600, 900;
| but the legislators evidently thought they
might as well be hanged for sheep as lamb,
and so stuck on enough scattering appropri-
ations to make the even thousand millions.
1t is but Just to say that the larger sum is
the Democratic estimate, the Republicans
claiming it to be ten millions below that
total.
The reaching of this mile-post in the
course of National expenditure warrants
looking back a little. 1t has already been
pointed out that this total is $50, ,000, 900
greater than the appropriations OF the last
Congress and S254, 600, 900 more than for the
preceding one. But in order to see how ex-
penditures have been swelling it may be
well to 20 back to the early part of the
decade, and take the total appropriations of
each Congress.
Forty-seventh Congress .S526. 0G00 600
Forty-sixth ongress.................. 4U6,OOOOJO
Forsy-fifth Congress. 36I, 100000
1t thus seems that in a period of less than
fifteen years, starting from point where ap-
preparations had been brought down to
the lowest figure since the war, there has
been not a gradual but a rapid increase in
national expenditures. During the first half
of that period, from the figures given above,
the increase of each was forty to sixty mill
ions, or twenty to thirty millions for each
wear. The Forty-seventh Congress made a
jump of S12O, 900, 600; but even that record
has been cast in the shade by some of its
successors.
In comparing the figures just quoted from
former Congresses. we must bear in mind
they do not include permanent appropria-
tions. Deducting S223. 600, 200 from the ap-
preparations of the last Congress that leaves
a total of SIT, 900, 600 for comparison with
the figures quoted. The comparison will
show that the responsibility for this immense
enhancement of expenditures does not rest
entirely on one party. Of the S250,000,000
increase since 1884, the late Congress has
done the lions share, but previous Con-
crosses in which the Democrats were able to
check expenditures, show $50 600, 900 of an
increase over a standard Of expenditure
which that party had already aided in swell
ing by jumps Of fifty or a hundred million
in each Congress. Still, it remains that in
the one Congress where the Republicans had
undisputed control the greatest increase of
appropriations ever registered was made
and the high-water marx of expenditure was
recorded.
The significance of this comparison is
strongess when We put tn" total of SS67, ,000-
600 appropriations fo- the Forty-fiflh Con-
gress against that of S777, 900, 600 for the last
one In other words, durin-; decade of
peace. WHEN the population has increased
something over rs pec cent, the expenditures
Of the Government have increased over 112
per cent. While there has been gratify-
ing growth OF population, it is not gratify- |
ing to observe that public expenditure has
grown at a for times greater rate of speed.
1t was never charged prior to 1880 that the
national appropriations were insufficient for
the creditable maintenance of the Govern
ment; but it now appears that we had then
only a faint idea of what was meant by |
lavish expenditure.
1t is an instance of remarkable blindness |
that the Republican leaders did not see that |
one of the influences of 1883 was the weak |
ness of the Cleveland administration in not |
having cut down expenditures. 1t will be
more phenomenal stupidity if the Demo-
cratic leaders do not see that the Republican !
reverses were due to the fact that the leaders |
of that party have exceeded all records in
the dissipation of public funds.