The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-12-15
NODANGER OF A DEFICIT
Secretary Foster Predicts Sur
plus Of $2O,OO0,000 in June.
MANY PENSION CASES READY.
Nearly 200, 900 Are Kept of the Rolls
I,ecause of Lack of Money-Ihe
Democrats Will Allow Them and
Attempt to Secure the Credit.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 Denclt or ho
deflcit?" That is the question which the
ways and means COMMITTEES, aided by
Secretary of the Treasury Foster, will
endeavor to make clear. The annual re-
port of the secretary showed plain enough
by conclusive figures the falslty OF the
Democratic cry of an existing deficit.
Since Mr.. Fosters report has been pub
lished the cry about n bankrupt treasury
and the disappearance of a surplus
which, four years ago, the Democratic
orators regarded AS an evil. has ceased.
The ways and means committee will
meet on Friday To prepare series OF
questions Jo be submitted to the secre-
Larry. Democratic members OF the com.
mittee dsavow any political motive In
this inquiry They say that their only
purpose in framing these questions Will
be to make plain 10 the mind OF the lay
man the technicalities which surround
all questions of treasury bookkeeping.
They expect, they say, that secretary
FosIer Will cordially cooperate with them
in this purpose.
Twenty Million Dollar Surplus.
Chairman Springer and his political
associates on the COMMITTEES do not. TX
their utterances be sincere, expect to fnd
any existing deficit concealed behind the
figures of Mr.. Fosters report. They
wish, however, to learn whether the re-
ports are true that certain payments to
naval contractors aud TO pensioners. aud
TO other persons entitled to receive money
from the government, have been
DELAYED beyond the time when
they are due, aud IL so. whether
this delay was caused by potential.
| il not an existing, deficiency In the Treas
ury. Secretary Foster visited the Capt.
taIt "A COnferenC0
| Senator'S Carlisle, Brice and Mcpherson n
| on the Democratic side. aud with several
| Republican Senators, TO whom he p:r-
| sonally confirmed the statement that he
| had sent to the appropriations commit
| tee predicting surplus OF s2O,OcJ ,ovo In
| the Treasury at the end OF the present
fiscal year. June 30, 1893.
| Completed Pension Cases.
1t is of interest in this connection to
know the fact, not before published. that
there are now on the completed files OF the
pension bureau the names of almost 200,
| 600 veterans, or their widows, the proof
of whose claim is finished, and who
could be added to the pension roil'
| within week. These names have beer
| upon the completed iiles for months, ano
| their number grows daily. The qusstio n
OF placing them upon the pension rolls a,
| once was the subject OF special cabinet
/
tion was brought out through visit
made by Representative Doane OF Ohio
to Assistant Secretary Bussey to- day
Gen. Doane called upon Bussey to pro
test against the present order o
Secretary Noble. prohibiting th'
commissioner of pensions from Civ
ing to members of congress. o
anybody else. the status of pension
claims. Incidentally Gen. Doane stateC
t. Gea. Bussey that. in his opinion,
grave political error was being COMMITTEES
by the present administration OF the In
terror Department In not allowing
once the pensions claims upon the com
pleted files.
"As soon as the Democrats come int
power." said Gen. Doane. "they vii
allow the 100000 claims upon the com
pleted files, aud then claim the credit Q
the work done under Republican aC
ministratlon."
Cause Of tho Delay.
General Bussey. in reply, stated to Ger
eral Doane that the reason for the d'
layed flual action upon this vast body {
completed cases OF qualifed pensloner
was the lack Of fluids in the Treasur,
He stated that IL these cases had bee
finally acted upon aud certificates issue
as rapidly as the cases had in fact bee
made complete, the Treasury woul
months ago have been bankrup
General Bussey then added ths
the subject had been carefully col
sidered at special meeting of the Cab
net recently, and that after prolonge
discussion no concl usiou had lee
reached. All this will be OF great interes
TO an amy Of eXpect ant benehciaries
the pension laws, and will also becon
known for the first time To members
the ways and means committees whe
they read this dispatch.
That the members OF the appropriation
committee of the House have confident
in Secretary Fosters assurance ths
there was no danger of deficit wa
shown by the fact that the first of tt
, great appropriation bills, the mill tar
bill, was take up in the House TO da
under the guidance Of Mr.. Odtiwalte G
Onio, chairman Of the military affail
| committee.