Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-08-11
THE RECORD OF THE SESSION.
The Expenditures Less Than the
"Blilion Dollar" Congress.


t Robbers.
] New York World August It'll.
The first session of the SOD Congress
began amid Republican predictions of
disaster TO the Democratic party and
ended with graceful recognition Of the
81 wish of Republican President
~ Its work will be the subject of much
h controversy and necessarily an issue of
no small Importance in national cam
MI paign which involves the election of
e new House of Representatives as well
* as that of President and Eice-presi.
Is dent. For this reason Judgment of its
acts will be influenced more strongly
than in intermediate years by partisan
inclinations. 1t is obvious, however,
that no better or fairer method of judg-
n Ing its performances from a political
standpoint than by comparison with its
Republican predecessor can be devised.
st This is a test which Democrats will wei
q come and to which Republicans must
submit.
Ex-Speaker Reed of the 5fst Congress
shows his appreciation of the situation
and seeks advantage from being first in
the field by publishing what he is
pleased to designate as Il review on the
morning after Congress adjourned at II
o'clock.
So far as the Democratic House is
concerned Mr.. Reeds account takes the
4 form of an indictment. He insists that
the Democrats, after complaining loudly
of the extravaganza of the House Of
which he was Speaker, have exceeded,
at their first opportunity, the appropria-
tions made by the Billion Dollar Con
gress. This is the keynote of his argu-
ment and he dwells upon ii at great
length with all the vigor Of sarcastic
4 expression Of which he is capable. What
he carefully avoids saying however, is
even more important than what he says,
as we shall see.
II is true that the aggregate of appros
priations at this session is greater than
that at the first session of the
51st Congress. The sum OF the
former was 1853 1893, 510.79; Of the
latter $507711, l31.G4. The apparent
difference between the two in favor Of
the Billion Dollar Congress is S44,3l2,
620.S5. But this simple result of sub
straction does not begin TO tell the story.
In the first place, the present Congress
was compelled to act under laws passed
by the Billion Dollar Congress proyid-
ing for permanent expenditures which
had to be met. Among these were the
dependent pensions, the sugar bounties
and the an-inail subsidies.
The regular bills as they went to the
Senate were smaller than those passed
by the House in the first session Of
the 51st Congress, but the Republican
Senate increased the Pension bill even
beyond the estimates of the pension
office and far beyond the amount first
granted by the House The Senate also
added to the Navy bill, and insisted
upon providing for new contracts which
will necessltate the appropriation Of
many millions of dollars.
The appropriations made actually
necessary by the legislation of the Sis
or Billion Dollar, Congress were the fol
lowing:
Pensions ......................S is, 279, SO!
Sugar bounty. .................. S,000,00l
Refunding national-bank notes. 9,000,0Ol
Total ......... ...............S 65, 279, SIS
The appropriation for the Worlds
Fair also was made inevitable by thu
legislation of the last Congress, but
under the circumstance and in view o
the greatly enlarged plans of the fai
commission, broad-minded citizen
favored even larger appropriation
than that which was finally made.
How much was granted Tor ocear
suDSlNlGS CulilOb yen NC uSGGIIdluBu VIII
accuracy, because the demands upon tn,
treasury for this purpose have not ye
matured.
But over and above the additions
made by the Senate to the House appro
priations, the expenditures provided TO
by permanent legislation, the repeal O
which would have required the concur
renee of the Senate and the President
are $685. 1885, making the total of TIN
appropriations for the first session o
the sgd Congress that are comparabl,
with those of the first session of tn
Billion Dollar Congress less than tn
latter by about $21 100000.
This is the financial record of tht
Congress. That of the House alone wa
much better. The disposition of tn
majority of the Democratic members o
the two houses was for economy, AM
the struggles against the extravaganc
of the Republican Senate were man.
and hardly contested. So much for Mi
Reeds indictment.
The Democrats of the House did thei
best to tighten the burdens of taxation
on the people and industries of til
country Under the lead of the Way
and Means Committee bill was passc
making wool free, in the hope Of reyig
ing the dropping woollen mauufactur
ing interests and encouraging the wool
grower.
The same bill abolished the compen
satory duty on wooden goods. Til
result of this would have been til
cheapening of clothes which had bee
made much more costly by the Nc
Kinley law.
Another bill made free the bindn
Irvine used by the wheat growers an
the cotton ties used by the planters {
the south.
Another made ore containing bot
silver and lead free, the purpose bein
to cheaper one of the most comnlo
articles of domestic and industrial us
The bill to reduce the enormou
Mckinley tax on tin plates would hay
put an end to a contemplate fraud, an
would have saved the people of tn
country from $l0,000000 to $l5,0O0,OC
ayear,
When these tax-relief bills reache
the Senate the Republican majorit
promptly pigeon-holed them. In ii
interest of certain manufacturers {
cheap plushes, shoddy and certain kline
of woollens, they denied the poop
cheap clothes
In the interest of the cordage tru
they refused cheap binding Irvine to u
wheat growers.
In behalf of the hoop-iron makers
pitts hi rrr thnV it1s ct tiIpt 1nor Dtt6I