The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-08
Cheadle and the Billion Dollar Con-
CresS.

who lately misrepresented an Indiana
district in congress, did not have very
much sense, but we supposed that he had
too much to perpetrate such balderdash
as we find in letter contributed by him
to the indianapolis Journal of yesterday.
In this letter he attempts to defend Tow
REEDS billion dollar congress against lis
own record of unprecedented prohigacy in
the expenditure OF the peoples money.
In recent interview published in
The SENTINEL Mr.. BYNUM called
attention to this record, and Mr.. CHEA-
DIES efiusion is by way of reply to that
interview.
Mr.. CHEADLE does not deny the figures.
He can't. A billion of dollars-a thou
sand millions-is, in round figures, the
amount voted away by Tom REEDS con-
gress. This is nearly two hundred mill
ions more than any other congress has
ever voted away in time of peace. 1t is
neariy two hundred millions more than the
Fiftieth congress, of which JOHN &. CAR
Isle was speaker, appropriated. 1t is
nearly thres hundred millions more than
the average OF the previous eight con-
crosses. Ii is an increase Of lSS per cent.
over the appropriations made by the
Forty-fourth congress, although since that
body was in existence the population OF
the republic has increased only 50 per
cent.
But Mr.. CHEADLE pleads that ut does
not necessarily follow that increased APP
preparations mean extravaganza in public
expenditures" Possibly not. But when,
without any special exigencies of any
kind, in time of profound peace, the APP
preparations are suddenly jumped three
hundred millions over the average appro-
priations of the congresses Immediately
preceding, and two hundred millions in
excess of the largest ever before
made, except during the civil
war, the presumption of gross ex-
travagance in public expenditures be-
comes so strong that it will require good
CHEADLE doesn't furnish such evidence.
And for a very good reason. He can't!
1t isn't in existence.
Mr.. CHEADLE devotes the greater portion
of his two column letter TO pensions, evil
IDENTIFY seeking TO create the impression
that the bulk of the increased appropria-
tons by ToM REEDS billion dollar congress
was caused by the granting OF new pen
sions. The fact is that of the increase only
80 per cent. is on account of pensions.
Nearly all the remainder may be
set down to the account of extravaganza
and jobbery
In the course of his letter Mr.. CHEADLE
defends the refundng of the direct tax, for
which there was no more justification
than there is for the refunding of any tax
on the ground that every person against
whom it was assessed did not pay. In
fact, there was less, because the direct tax
was not refunded exclusively to those who
paid it. but to many persons that did not.
But let that pass.
OF the increased appropriations more
than Sl4,000,000 were on account of the
navy. Mr.. CHEADLE says he voted against
this, and therefore he does not try to de-
fend it. He proceeds:
One other item is the amount required
to pay the bounty on sugar grown in this
country, together with the increase in cost
OF the internal revenue bureau to prepare
for its payment. Suppose, for the sake OF
argument, we place II at Sl0,000,000.
What then2 This and nothing more; the
people by the payment of this sum are re-
ieved from the payment of an annual tax
burden of 55,000,000 upon sugar. 1t will
be a remarkably cold day and late in the
afternoon of that day when Mr.. BYNUM
can show that il is an act of extravaganza
to pay ten millions and thereby be relieved
from the payment of fifty-five millions OF
taxes.
One would imagine from this that con-
gress was under some sort of compulsion,
before reducing the tax on sugars, TO vote
SS,000,000 a year into the pockets of the
Louisiana sugar planters and 100000 a
year into the pockets OF the Vermont sap
boilers. One would infer that congress
had no power to reduce taxes on neces-
sary OF life unless it voted money direct
ly out of the public treasury into the
pockets of the persons for whose special
benefit such taxes had been levied. One
would infer, too, that the people had been
greatly relieved by the reduction mot the
repeal) of the sugar tax, whereas the fact
is the treasury has been deprived of S65,-
100000 net revenue annually by this
measure in order to permit the continued
imposition Of tICO or three hundred millions of
tares erery year upon The people for the benefit
ofH,e malionaires and corporations that had
heJat fried out Of them an 1888 and furnished
bte Doodle with which .fodters were purchased
an blocks-of;ffCe and marched to the polls 10
Uote for HARRISON and CHEADLE The
sugar schedule in the Mckinley bill is the
greatest fraud in that collection of frauds,
and Mr.. CHEADLE knows 1t.
One more extract from Mr.. CHEADLE's
extraordinary letter:
Mr.. BYNUM calls the Fifty-frst the "Bill-
ion dollar congress-" l have no doubt
that the tariff iaw enacted will give to the
laborers OF the nation, in the next fifteen
years, an additional profit of 81 ,000.000,000.
am strengthened in that opinion by the
fact that the old law enabled the laborers
of the six New England states, New York,
| New Jersey and Pennsylvania, to earn,
and save. and have on deposit in their
savings banks, on the LIST of last January,
| s., 3O0,000,0G0.
Here is, indeed, richnessl The McKin-
| lev law went into effect Oct. / last. Per-