Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-03-20
WHERE THE MONEY WENT
The appropriations of the 51sI Congress
Explained aud Defended.


The charge that the llst Congress was
/ extravagant has no terrors for the Re
I publican party. That the appropriations
made by the recent Congress were liberal
is not questioned that they were unwar-
ranted is positively denied
The total appropriations Of the 10Th
/ Congress for two years were sSl1 900, 900 /,
/ Of the llst Congress 81 .OO6, OOO. 600, or an
/ increase Of Sls9O 900.
| This increase however. is more apparent
than real The deficiency act. providing
money for carrying out laws which were
enacted ny the both Congress, but did not
contain the necessary appropriations, ac-
counts for a large portion Of the increase
The deficiency act Of the j0th Congress ap-
prupriated S3j, 900 900 that of the DIST
Congress $50 00O. 900, an increase Of S4l.
| 600 600 This amount should in fairness
be deducted from the appropriations Of the
jlst Congress and added to those of the
| 10Th, making n change of $50. .OOO, 600 and
reducing the apparent increase from SlS9,-
900, 900 to Sl0i 900, 900.
Nearly two-thirds of the $lO1 900. 900 in
crease went for pensions The passage of
the dependent pension bill, however, was
an act of justice to the veterans of the re
bellion which probably marks the furthest
warrant Congress in going. Nevertheless,
there Is no department Of government
which the people support more willingly
than the pension bureau, provided that
they are atished that the money is being
applied honestly aud the removal of Com
missioner Tanner aud the investigation of
Commissioner Raum testiiies to the scru-
plous care which President Harrison and
the Dist Congress exercised over the ex-
penditure on the liberal pension appropr-
alton. Reforms on AN extensive scale have
been iuaugurated in this department and
never before has such "A large percentage
of the pension money reached the people
for whom it was intended as at present
Whatever criticism may be passed on the
dependent act, it was significant that il
encountered the opposition Of but a small
portion Of the Democratic minority. The
pension appropriations of the j0th Con
gress were Sl63 600 0O0 of the jlst Con
gress S233, 600, ,OOO-an increase of SO
OOO, 900.
Pensions and deficiency, therefore, repre-
sent Slj2, 600, 600 of the SlS9, 000, 600 in
crease, leaving S31 900, 600 to be accounted
for.
The post-otfice department accounts for
S23 0OO. 900 of this increase, but the figures
sent the increase in the expenditures of the
department, but the revenues also will
show an increase almost, if not quite, as
large. Every year, with the development
of the postal system, natural increase of
appropriation Is called for and is met by
natural increase of revenue.
Only Sl4 900 900 remain to be accounted
for. The policy of enlarging and improv-
ing our navy, begun under Secretary
Whitney and continued under Secretary
Tracy. involved an extra expenditure of
Sl4, 900 900, and the strengthening of the
land defences another increase of 81, ,O0O,-
600 Thus Sl1.000 900 were devoted to
the new navy and coast defences beyond the
expenditure of the two preceding wears
The big increase is fully accounted for
therefore, without reference to the Sl5,-
600 900 of direct tax money restored 10
the states which contributed it in 1861, the
appropriation TO pay the French spoliation
claims, the several millions necessary for
the work of the census, and 81 800, 600 for
the worlds fair.
These figures speak for themselves They
represent appropriations needed for great
national purposes, which ought TO have
been granted long ago and would have been
made, but for the anxiety of the last Dem
ocratic Congress to pile up idle and surplus
money in the treasury in order TO frighteu
the people into accepting a. reduction of the
revenue bv the free trade method The
S4l ,OOO, 900 of increase in the deficiency is
a testimonial to the Democratic policy Of
delaying expenditure until after the presi-
dental election of 1888.
1t is, indeed, significant aud "a high com
pliment to the Republican majority in the
5lst Congress that no man has or can point
To a single dollar wrOugfully appropriated
or corruptly applied The Congress was
liberal m granting money, but only in car
rying into effect broad and comprehensive
policy of constructive craftsmanship which
secured full justice TO the union veteran,
the uphuilding of the American navy, the
strengthening of our coast defences, the
establishment of mail steamship lines to
Central and South America, the restoration
of the direct tax money to the states, the
reduction Of the revenue and the abolition
Of the surplus.
In addition to the above it may be said
that while there was an increase of 50, 1;iS,-
$40 in the appropriation for rivers and
harbors, 80 ,OOO,O of the entire appropria-
ton is for the harbor at Galveston, Texas
for which the Democrats all voted, as they
did for the bill in general For the i'm
provement Of Hdv Lake channel in the up
per lakes, here there is an enormous com
merce to he benefited there was an appro-
priation of nearly 81, 600, 900, while the
Mississippi river got several millions, in
addition 10 81 600 900 at the last session of
Congress, although no other appropriation
was made at that session for rivers and
harbors.