Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-10
AIEssoN ON ExPENDIrURE.

ALESsON ON NEXPENDITURE.
There are some figures on the subject OF
public expenditures which that class OF
| politicians who believe lavish approprla-
tions are popular would do well to study.
The examination of the records will give
| light as to the necessity for the scale OF
! national expenditure now adopted, ana 1t
may be even more significant for the poll
ticians in showing how the people regard
such things.
In 1870 the total appropriations of the
Government, excluding some large opera
tions in the payment and refunding OF the
debt, were in round numbers 5000, 600, 600,
of which S129 900, 900 was interest on the
public debt During the succeeding dec
ade the policy of comparative economy
prevailed, and during the latter half OF 1t
Congress was divided between the two
parties, with the result of reducing the
total annual appropriations to S267, ,OOO,OOO
in 1880, the decrease being practically
equivalent to the reduction in interest by
refunding and payment of United States
bonds.
In 1880 the Republicans obtained control
of all branches of Congress, and with the
increase of revenue and expansion of pros
perity expenditures were increased to
S295, 900, 600 for 1888. This does not seem
a very large increase now, but, taken in
connection with the fact that the interest
charge kept on decreasing, it was large
enough to have some significance In the
election of a Democratic President and
Democratic House in 1884. The result
should have had some warning for the
Democrats, but the figures show that the
increase of expenditures kept on, the total
appropriations made under the last year OF
the Cleveland administration being $685.
100000. This large expansion OF the eX-
penditure of the public funds. has con-
siderable significance in connection with
the fact that in the Presidential election
Immediately following the Republicans
gained control of all branches of govern
ment The Republican record on the
matter of expenditures is fresh in the
memory of the people. The title OF the
"Billion Congress" emphasizes the fact
that the average annual appropriations of
that body were S494, ,0OO 600. The result is
that in 1890 the Republican party sustained
the most crushing defeat ever known IN
the Congressional elections, and the Demo-
cratic House has now an opportunity of
making its record anew.
This history of the manner in which
every large increase of public expenditure
has been followed bv the defeat Of the
party responsible for it permits the con-
clusion that the people do not approve OF
lavishness in handling their funds. If we
consider the subject in little more detail
we can readily see that the people are
right The expenditure of 1870 was largely
for interest on the public debt, which has
been reduced to S37 900, 900, or less than
one-third of what it was in 1870. On the
other hand, the expenditures for pensions
have increased largely. But, leaving aside
the Z. "ute as to the propriety of the pen
sion exp t-iG!.tu-c5, we see that as the in
terest charge has decreased S92, 900, 900
while the pension charge has increased
SOC, ,0OO, 900, only s., ,OOO, 900 of the immense
increase in total appropriations is satisfac-
torily accounted for
Stating the point in another way, the
expenses of the Government outside of
pensions and interest on the public debt
the two legacies from the war-were in
1870 only S152, 900, 600. In 1880 they were
still less, having been reduced to SIG, ,000,-
600. But in 1892 the appropriations are
increased to over S35), 900, or three
times what they were twelve years
before. While the population of the
country has increased about 25 per cent
the ordinary expenditures of the Govern
ment have increased over 200 per cent
No one has ever claimed that the eff
cheney of the United States Government
in 1880 was weakened by its economy,
and the increase of ordinary expenditures
in a ratio eight-fold greater than the in
crease of population is something that the
people will not indorse.
Our national legislators should consider
these figures. There is plain evidence in
them that the people do not send repre-
sentatiTes to Congress to waste the public
funds: and also a strong hint that our po-
liticaI leaders are in dire need of being in
formed of that fact.