Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-30
A STARTLING SHOWING
The Result of an Investigation Into
the Cost of Government.
MORE COMMITTEES, MORE MONEY.
Experience of Congress in Dividing the
Care of Financial Bills.
THE INCREASE is MANY MILLIONS


Democratic majority of the House Com
mittee on Rules have not fully decided yet
what plan they will propose to the House
for the disposition of the appropriation
| bills among committees, but it is believed
| they will he ready to make report soon
after Congress reconvenes. To aid them in
their deliberations they have caused to be
and by j. C. Courts, clerk of the
House Committee on Appropriations, a
statistical table showing the history of Gov
ernment appropriations for the past 1S
years.
During this time it so happens the money
| bills were prepared successfully by one
| committee then bv three committees, and
| finally by eight different committees. The
| exhibit thus produced is a most interesting
| and wonderful affair in its way, and affords
absolutely convincing proof of the conten-
| tion repeatedly urged bv many leading
economists among Democrats and Repub-
licans that the distribution of the money
| bills among many committees inevitably
begets extravaganza and wastefulness.
Three Periods of Expenditures.
The 1S years covered by the history are
| divided, for convenience of treatment and
each. The first period embraces the ap-
! preparations provided by three successive
| Congresses. the Fortv-third, the Forty
fourth and the Forthwith, when all the
| annronriation bills were reported from one
| COMMITTEES of the House. The second
period includes the appropriations of the
| next three Congresses, the Forty-sixth,
Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth, dur
| Ing which all the bills except two
the the aaricultural bill and the river and har-
bor biII-were reported by the Committee
| on annronriations. and the third and last
| neriod extends from the Forty-ninth Con-
| qresa to the Fiftv-6r,t inclusive. when
| Tho various Annronriation bills were scat
tered among EIGHT different committees,
without unity of responsibility or harmony
| of method or action.
The appropriations known as stperma-
pent, ".for the payment of interest OH the
nublic debt, sinking fund and kindred mat
tiers, do not come within the reach of Con-
gress, and are not therefore considered as a
part of tine appropriations now under dis
cussion.
STARTLING sbovirrof Figures.
The -.sult shown in the table is somewhat
.,,r,l;rr The annronriations made bv
S"nnrass a,-;no tha frst nar;od foot nm the
tot.i A. a nos ss5 q3o ~ which would give
on a,erors fS1T1 147 AK "a for Zach of the
a.rs .ToI,,s;ve nf mansions the regular
.nn;,oI o,nronr;ot;ons for the whole of that
tenn on,pnnted To Ss23 o34 6S5 81. or S137.-
o05 ~ "a nor wear
The snm of the regular annual appropria.
+;ons for ,he no1t nsr;od of air Years from
1881 tn 1885 inclusive. was 81 $50 284 SIS 81.
or s9S5 3so soS IL each year This was a
totoI innrsose for the neriod of S325 3eS.-
90 M o,,or ,bo frst nsriod ond an averaga
onnna1 ;noroosa of ts5a o32 las IN over ito
-, .rarana EIoln,i,o of nens;ons
!.rL;ot do nnt str;o,Ir antar into tho caIcnIa,
t;nn for the nnrnoses of the exhibit. tbe
total expenditure during the second period
was S95S, ,973, ,512 %, a yearly average of
S159, ,S2s, ,91s 20. and this was throughout
the period S135, 73S, $40 sc in excess of that
of the preceding period or a yearly excess
of $22, ,623, ,141 O6.
How the Big Columns Grow
rh. +otsl recn1,r ernenditures during the
,,.. r;od t.au, 1897 r. 1900 fincIus;ye t;s.
naI laI' rps.rsI u,,s 81 so7 eSs o43 Al or an an
,i "a" nn, 1850 "A os ss1s sso sao 5S Witbont
,,an.;ons A. .mornt for the whole neriod
- e. oeo A1o 1o1 20 or on animal arer.re
of So11 Esa asS % Jv;tb nsnsions tho ay-
W go of fou,,ronr;.t;ons in his nerioI over
its radacassdr was s5a5 7Oo o94 5O a Yearly
1900 ross of excess of Seo 95, O37 Al with.
90 oennt;rn tbe nens;ons the excess nj
1oe id ho Sacopd nariod
saIo iS a9S 20 40 nv an AVERAGE If SKI go
S9S " for e.cb ,aor
To .nt;c;natc the ouest;on whether the
,+ort,;nr SrprsS ,roye anytbino beyond Tho
foot tba3 H. Corarnment eynenditnraS baye
rneraIr kent n.ce nronortiopateIv with The
aroutb and Jevelpnment of the conntrv
s9bo comn;lers of tbe statistical e1bibit ra,
.nr.od .a ~. offaot;re can;to oetbo5 and
AZ ros,,J+s of their caloul..;ons in this linz
tbrow n,u.b i@ht ON The whole subject and
dan'onstro,o oenolusiyoIy tbot +be inc,eose
co, 18th cannot he so ernIaina5 awav
Inc fair ""s 10 Hs'hh.'
Iaklng the average population OF .ne
coun'it Iro',l no loo - ouiy - io'' " :, io',
r;.t " y. d,,r;n ~ n. Srst ,,o-;od ,ra.
SPpg, r;.L,', annt;ro ,,ans;pns CO oo
Dnr;n, tba saconJ nar;od in wbiob tbe
1919 ~ ,n,,,Iot;or nf +bo oorn,-v l. asoar
to;naS ~ baNo hsen "a 10 7o7 tho nov
AM. 'aiH e S r;e.; 80 81 go ~ p
np b;Id 80 q o. -
mo"an a an GO ;
os' pensions a. n.r ahn os.or. us of
tl az pensls pI;. y. r;oJ p,. .Ln H.. 49, -,
MI sn1 p'eLuos tbuu s;t.s obsrnad .r ,s;th az
onit s e .ha Iii. W. az
iIIp ,oro oa+tarod an,onn a;obt nnInn,;t
M oi.s e w a. 's 1a.t sn;sJ So, a..
- ~ a. E;f.,, frst Tonnuass -,
a;, -nirtm d,,r W ' L;ah H. ron,in
siusie, eo c.r ,Es - ns @ go fpUp 49,
tiGn n.; aas o Ss ,, 'no "a a. o1psir " pp.
P:. 90 40 - 80. ;noro.so dpf 40
sions " ~ 10, vi ;s p.. Gop.'" i'i e"'o VI ~
certs eHclusi'I Vi
Nia!eu IN ano.Hei iornLi;e appaien. --
huai ihciease III "PPiopiio oAci"Si'e