The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-08-26

this pressure the congress of 1890 pro-
vided for the expenditure of only $780,
100000. This sum seemed at the time
immense, and there is perhaps little won
der that great feeling was exhibited and
great establishment expressed. But it is
now plainly visible to all men that this
sum, large as it was, was but the ade-
quate expression of the honest expendi-
lures of great government, which has
grown every'year beyond even the wild
est hopes of its people. In the present
session of congress Mr.. Holman has had
to stand up against no unusual pressure,
such as Mr.. Cannon encountered. No
one has failed to learn that the surplus
has been paid out and the revenue re-
duced, so as to be'only sufficient for the
purposes Of government honestly and
economically administered.
Mr.. Holman and his friends even went
further. They strove with some success
to brighten the American people with
the declaration, often repeated by the
mouths of his heutenants, Governor
Sayers and Mr.. Dockery, that the in
come was unequal to the needed ex-
penditnres. With house elected on a
platform of economy, with over 40 ma
jority, majority larger than the whole
opposition, we naturally expected some
reduction of what Democratic orators
call the public burdens. l confess that
l was myself astonished to find that not
only were the appropriations of the first
session of this congress to exceed the ap-
preparations of the first session of the
last congress, but they were to exceed
them by the enormous SUN of $50, 000,-
000 My surprise was very much height
ened by the fact that day after day l
had seen appropriations manifestly in
adequate carried through the house
against all argument and fact by sheer
force of numbers. The present condi-
ton of things is an overpowering testi-
mony, not only to the growth Of the
country, but to the integrity and econ
omy of the committee on appropria-
tons, of which Mr.. Cannon was the
head. The debate in the senate of July
20 shows moreover that the $510,000,-
900 appropriated have not reached the
needs of the country. Mr.. Allen, Of
Washington, shows that lighthouse
has baen thrown out which should have
been built, on spot which has already
cost the country the lives of many men,
and Mr., Allison shows that one item at
least of large amount has been lessened
on the demand of the house by the sim
pie expedient of cutting off one-half,
with the understanding that it shall go
on the next years deficiency bill. Of
one item Senator Isham G. Harris, a
Democratic senator, in fact the real
Democratic leader of the senate, puts
tersely his opinion, and that opinion will
illuminate many other items net dis
cussed. want to call your readers at
tention to this simple fact, even at the
expense of reiteration and of being tire
some. We expended $462, 100000 the
first session of the Fifty-frst congress.
We were abused most roundly therefor.
The lowest figures any Democrat can
now make for his congress is $510,O00,-
600. These figures are undisputed. The
moral is indisputable.
1t does sometimes seem a great pity
that we haven't, we Republicans, the
power of vituperation. We seem to
have no energy of characterization.
Abusing, as the Democrats have, in the
widest language, the appropriation Of
$462, 100000, and then appropriating
$510,000,000 themselves, means two
things. 1t means that in the last cam
paign the Democracy was inaccurate,
and that in the present house they have
been detected. If we were in their place
and they in ours l fear their language
would be more adequate.
But if the Democracy have adopted
what one of their own men calls "pop-
gun" system of tariff reform, their COM
mittee on war claims have started q
Calling gun system of war claims. II
is true that the house itself has so far
acted on but few of them; but these few
show the many will finally be treated.
A house which has voted to lift the in
cubus of the statute of limitations from
Sibley's case, so as to allow the heirs Of
an officer who left the United States
army to join the Confederates to collect
royalty on tents used in the very war he
nelpeu W wage, HAS siOWu lJSeil Cdpd-
BILE Of infinite power of sapping the
treasury. The committee on war claims
has reported in favor of more than
SIC, 000, 900 worth of claims for damages
caused by the devastation of the war
If there is anything settled in law it Is
that no nation ever undertakes to repair
the damages Of war. Where the acct
dent of destruction falls, there it rests.
But there is grave danger at this very
moment that we shall at this late day be
cajoled into vast payments in that be-
half. These claims come to us under
the sanction of religious societies, to pay
for rent of churches, to pay for damages
to schools and colleges. Each is for a
small amount, but the aggregate will
appall the country. In the Forty-fifth
congress, after pitched battle over
William and Mary college, such claims
were sent to the rear. Today, in addi-
ton to the SIC, 100000 already reported
by the committee on war claims, $780,
OOO, 900, and perhaps 5000, 900, 900, of
such claims have been referred to the
court of claims.
If Mr.. Holman and his band of econo-