Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-03-27
The Balance Sheet of Congress.

The country IS inucOteu 10 Af. cannon,
chairman of the House Committee on Ap-
preparations of the Fllty-frst Congress,
for a lucid exposition of the approprIa-
tions made by that body Mr.. Cannon
was the only Republican in the House
who, at the close of its session, received
public expression of favor from his Dem
ocratic colleagues, who hereby Endorsed
his fairness and equity, and mist be in a
measure bonnd by his figures. His con-
seryatism, ability and integrity are IN
questioned, while his position at the
head of the committee named gave him
ample knowledge OF every appropriation
made, and his summary TINS has all the
weight of iudicial determination. 1t ap.
pears from his statistics that assertions @
vast expenditures by Congress of unwar
ranted sums of money, which will bring
A deficiency, as made in the Democratic
press, are not only ridiculous, but falsely
made to influence the public mind. like
the charges against the Mckinley bill be
fore 1t had gone into effect.
The net increase in appropriations
over those of the FiftIeth Congress, which
was Democratic, is shown by Mr.. Cannon
to be $l70, 446,269.
When this increase is analized 1T APP
pears to be almost wholly dne to thu
necessity under which a Republican c. n
gress was placed TO pay debts incurred
either by a Democratic Congress or by
the Democratic party. 1t Is character
istc for Democratic organs to charge
Republican Congress with extravaganza
but when the expenditures ordered by j
have been principally necossitated by
Democratic failure to provide means fol
carrying out measures of their own crea
ton, the boot goes on the other leg, anC
Democratic explanation IS what the cOun
try wants AID will demand.
The Fifteth Congress bequeathcd $40
600 900 in deficiencies 10 its successor o
which S25, 1921, 907 was for pensions alone
Having been responsible for the war fol
the Union, which made pensions peces
sity, the Democratic party, afraid of the
soldier vote, passed legislation which II
failed by the amount named to make
good in the appropriations OF the Fiitietl
Congress, and lett to be made up by
Republican Congress, which had the
courage to do what is right by the veter
ans at all hazards. The pensiOn meas
nres of the Fifty-frst Congress, and the
deficiency of S25,000,000 already cited,
make up $ll3, 1851 ofthe total increase
For every penny of that amount the Dem.
ocratic party is directly responsible and
chargeable, by instigation of the war.
President Cleveland, it will be remem-
bered, put into the Pension Bureau as
| Commissioner a man who was drawing
| th, highest pension known to law be-
cause he had sworn that he was "physi-
cally incapacitated" from labor of any
description, and yet whose career IN
Office was entirely and la 'orously DEVOTED
TO schoming how be and the Democratic
party could rob the poverty stricken old
veterans of the rank Of priyates of the
mearer pittance Congress had agreed to
give them. The action of the Repubii-
can Congress In caring for the veterans OF
the late war redeemlng thereby the prom
ises made them by the people when they
enlisted. that they and their families
should DC the public care, has made 1t
possible for this government to enlist on
a davis notice million men, on five days
notice five million men, and forever to
defend this nation against foes from
within or without.
The price is not too great. 1t is paid
to veterans for what they did to sustain
the nation rather than to maintain a
standing army in idleness, because it will
make every freeman patriot in any
future war emergency.
The increase of Sl,l41,413 for the new
Agricultural Department is an item
against which the demagogue Democratic
press has made no protest. The Repub-
lican party has no excuses to make for
the appropriation for this purpose, and it
will make greater appropriations for this
purpose whenever it has future opportun-
ity, without asking leave of the Demo-
cratic party. .
TIE Notifications of the country have
caused an increase of S2,S02, IA, and the
Democratic critics have only to read the
patriotic expressions of the la'c Samuel
J. Tilden to be cOnfourded in any critl-
cism they make on this score, while the
increase eff 81 1907, l46 in the Indian bills
is cOunterbalanced by the knowledge
that lands secured from the Indians in
return for this expenditure and thrown
open for settlement will eventually bring
over $40 000,000 into the Trelsnry-a
plain business Investment for which the
Republican party would have been round
ly and justly scored if it had failed to
make provision.
The naval appropriations are increased
by S14,042,34l. on the recommendation
and in pursuance of plans of Democratic
officials of the Cleveland administration,
but most of all in obedience to the will of
the people, and so, G6S, 3l3 of increase is
credited to the Post Office Department
The improvement in the postal service
alone would warrant this increase of eX-
pendlture, but whcn the increasing re-
ceipts of the department, consequent on
its Improvement, are shown 70 the coun
try, az they will be at later period the
most carping Democratic critic will crawl
into his hole aud try to pull 1T IN after
him.
There have been public buildings to
erect, the cost of the census, soldiers
home appropriations, the Worlds FAIR
expense, and various misOr items, not one
of which cah be honestly questioned on
the score of Justice and need to make up
the difference.
And this country is growing. 1t costs
more to run 1t today than it did ten
years ago, or five years ago, or even two
years ago. 1t is working out problems on
which its future depends. Its people are
prosperous under Republican policy
They can already see enhanced and great
er prosperity under that policy. They
will scrutinize the accounts of Congress
and find not single error in the appro-
priations, while, on the other hand, they
can see S55,OO0,O 600 relief from free sugar,
S265, GOO 900 paid on the public debt in
two years from the surplus revenues
stimulated manufactures and better home
markets for agricultural products spring
ing up everywhere under the Mckinley
bill, and growing commerce under rec'-
procty, which will take the surplus pro
duets of our soil and our factories to coun-
tries which stand ready to trade for them
on liberal terms.
The balance sheet is so largely in favor
of The Republican party and the Fifty
first Congress that the mendaciOus patti