New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-09
DEMOCRATS IN A PANIC.
RESULTS OF BEARING FALSE WITNESS.


MAN MUST REVISE ALL MONEY
B1LLs-AN AIsURD POST
OFFICE MEA,URE.
tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE!
Washington May s.-Thc Democrats or the
House Of Representatives. have brought them
selves into what they regard sad and most
unfortunate predicamcnt, but they deserve no
sympathy, nor pity evcn when they are denounced
I AZ lunatics imbccilcs, " fools and " traitors
in doubc-lcadcd Indignation by their own party
ne ncwspapcrs least Of all are they entitled TO any
consideration at the hands of Republicans. for
more than two years these men have been Dusy'
i'm season and out of season, dcnouncng what they
asserted 10 be the reckless extravaganza OF the
last Republican Congress" the Billion congress
and saying Wait until we get hold OF the
pursestrines and we will show you an annual
reduction of one-hundrcd millions IN the appro-
priations without Gripping the public service.
Most of these men knew that their dcnuncla-
tions were false and that their promises could
not be redeemed, but they kept on even after
they had obtained control of the pursesrin2s, and
they made great many people including tne cdl-
tors of their party newspapers, believe them. They
have Just begun to pluck the fruit Of their foolish
fa-chools
Moreover they have been reluctantly forced 10
confess TO themselves that not only can there
be reduction of appropriations as they prom
sed without seriously crippling the public ser
vice and impairing its efficiency, but that the
growth and development of the country require
an actual increase of such appropriations in many
departments. Unless the number of postoiiices
is reduced and the facilities Of the postal service
are curtailcd; unless necessary works of internal
improvement are abandoned and no new ones
begun: unless halfinished public build
ings are 10 he left roofcss and unfinished
unless the machinery for the collection
Of the public revenues for the administration of
justice and for the prevention Ind punishment
Of crimes and offences is 10 be placed in ncom-
pctent and untrl.tworthy hands; unless the
American Navy is again to become the scon of
every petty maritime Powcr-in "A word, unless
every branch Of tho public service is to become
dcmorlizcd and the tide of population to recede
instead OF risc-thcrc must inevitably bc steady
increase of appropriations and expenditures A
Holman here and thore may deny and try 10 pre-
vent il, but that will make no difference.
The immediate cause Of the existing Democratic
crisis in the Housc Of Representatives is the pend
Ing River and llarbor bill Ii isa large bill. and
yet, with the exception Of a single item, no evil
dcncc whatever has been adduccd 10 show that all
Of the improvements proposed arc not necessary
and mcritorous- indeed. 3,2 out Of the 400 have
been in progress for u number pf wars. The single
exception referred 10 is lIolman's Miami "cm-
h,nkfncnt, on the necessity of which work
Of public improvement grave doubt, 10 say the
least, has been ocast by ex-Spcakcr Reed. 1t il
understood that Judge Iiolmans strongest OBJ
lection 10 the bill as IL stands Is not the Miami
"embankmcnt,- bat the provisions which author
izc the Secretary OF War To enter into contracts
and incur obligations IN order to continue and
complctc certain works, all Of which save one
were begun years ago and upon which millions
of public money have already been expended
Judge Holman regards this as bad pocy-unsafe
a. well n iniudcions and unwi~c-and It Is SAID
that among the instructions with which he Will
accompany hi- motion 10 rccommit the River and
IInrbor hill will bc one requiring the committee
10 strike ont those provisions.
Now, whether the policy referred to is safe.
wise or iudicous or the reverse. the lact remains
that it has alrcaly received the formal Official
sanction Of Judge Holman as chairman of the Ap
propfatuns Committee within short time. Ihc
Sundry Civil Appropriation DILL. which was re-
por,cd by him on March 2i-morc than two weeks
before the River and lIarhor bill War reported to
the House by Chairman Bancharl-contailN a pro-
vision which authorizes contracts To I've made and
liabilities incurred on account Of the Congrcs-
-ional Library Building. in precisely the same
terms as like authority is granted to the Secretary
Of War in the River and IlaIbor bill. judge llol-
man, on March -. apparently had no doubt IN
respect 10 the policy which he now regards as I'M
safe and unwisc
But since his recent exposure by Mr.. Reed
nobody expects .Iudgc Holman to ue consistent
and fortunately, there is direct evidence that he
was riQht on March -. The last Congress aioptei
the policy referred 10, as 10 five important works
of internal improvement. ON MaFch '"' l''-'
General Casey, chief Of engineers, IN "A letter 10
Chairman blanchard, of the 'oinmlttcc on RIVERS
and IIarb0rs, reported the percentages oi saNihsS
on these works a. compared with the annual coh-
tract system Of previous years, aS ioIlo"s' ~
Mary's lock and canal, - per cent h'N Like
channel 33 pcr cent Galveston Iarbor 10 per
cont. Baltimore IIarbor l. IL per cent; fhlli-
dolnbi, Unrbor. % per cent. SO it has been
,,.nops,roted that the policy adopted by the last
Congress-. the extension of which II recommended
in the pending biil, Ii eoohoi''''i 40 wa " ''
wise and judlcious
II ,yos asserted to-day by it's opponents that
,he River and Ilarbor bill will De rccommittcd
Tomorrow with instructions to the committee TO
scale il down Slj,0O0,o00, and strike ont the
provisions which have been described
Hcprcfcntativc Bcltzhoovcr. Of Pennsylvania,
or,c,rs IN bavc sounded the first alarm which
has caused the present panic among the Demo
Gratis of the IIousr He member Of the
House a dozen years ago, and some readers oi
The Tribune may recall him the statesman who
wrote "A letter To one of his constituents who's
claim for pension was pending IN Congress- IN
forming him that there scant prospect Of
getting such claims through that body SO long as
the ex Confederate brigadIcrs controlled the lonsc
Of Representatives Well. BclZhoovcr is still
potical pcssInist. He has scanned the figures
and il horrifed to discover that the total appro
propriations of the first session Of this Congress
will exceed by S60,O00,Ooo the total appropria
tons of the Billion Congress at its first ses-
sion "The Republicans in both houses of Con
ercss" says Bctzhoovcr, "are in league to put
the amounts up 10 the highest notch, and if we
La tar Il tLo rnsnunsi-