New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-13
THE MILLION DOLLAR HUMRUG.

THE BILLION DOLLAR HTMRUG.
II is within the memory Of men now living
that is 10 say it was about two years and hall
aso-that a great party in this country rose mp
as ono man, and lifting both hands with the
palms outward in the manner OF ore In dis
treSs, began rolling its eyes in such way that
young persons were alarmed, and watchers OF
the skies, installing the glow from the whites
of so many eyes, said This prohgurcs
new dawn" Many persons got ready to tlko
Office under it, 1t was the Democratic party
in the midst of one of its ructions. 1t had APP
peared that the appropriations made by Re-
publican Congress to carry Oh the Government
reached nearly $3.50 900, 900, lacking only tn
or dozen millions to make in round numbers
n billion. Near enough, they said, to call it
billion for short. Tho Democratic party was
writing over the cXtrayagancr the pro1igal-
ty, tho criminal waste OF such an cxpcnditurs.
Their newspapers broke out with exclamation
points, scare heads, doublc-lcaded editorials
nquling when this would end, and general
bottom sdc-upwardncss all over them, which
indicated that the expense OF carrying on the
Government was borne principally by the
editors Of Democratic newspapers. and if things
kept on in that way they would either have -
stop tho wheels of Government or suspend pub
lcltion. Either one a calamity. Many Dom
ocratc orators were III circulation Throughout,
tho country quivcling with emotion from town
TO town or openly and publicly dripping with
cold sweat over tho dreadful outlook, and the
number and variety If disasters that would
surely ovcrtakc the country unless the Demo-
cratic party were put in control.
In this town there were persons so deeply
affected by this state Of things that they used
TO leave off work and 60 10 the nearest saloon
to talk about it and find out if possible what
the country was coming t.. The feeling WAS
so profound tina, hardly anybody dared 10 talk
about it except in close proximity to facilities
for drowning sorrow. In several instances
some Of the most experienced AMI lcvcl headed
statesmen, who stand behind the bar when tho
Legislature is not in session, permitted rcgu-
lar customers to suffer several minutes from
thirst while they discussed the pcrilS into which
a Republican Congress had stccred the Gov
crnmcnt or shed bitter tears at the thought
that n billion dollars had been spent and the
Democrats wcro nat in it," Some Of these
persons remembered with sadness that if the
Democrats party had been continued in power
through the last thirty ycals the Government
would have been conducted with much greater
economy. There would have been no war, no
National debt 10 pay interest on 10 pensions
10 speak q. and, what is more, no bothcration
with the Labor question: as the system Of labor
approved by that putty permitted no question
of wages, hours or rights This induced MEAN
choly reflections, but they were indulgcd silent
Iv M lie rcf ia
poet of the case. The present agony was sim
ply because the Republicans were driving the
country TO the bow-wows by cxtlavagant ap-
preparations. Slngulaiy enough. the same
supc sensitive party few years before had
been standing on lis head in similar ruci,n
because under Republican administration a sur
plus had accumulated in the Treasury. That
was q condition. TOO, that threatened disaster
and the patty wept ard tone its hair over it in
a manner INST touching to behold.
Largely because Of the rowdc dow over the
" Billion Dollar Congress the people two years
and Il half ago called ia a Demo
cratic Congress to correct the evils
Of extravaganza and waste and
that economy was observed in the appIopra
tons. Called in "a DomocIat majority Of 800
50 that there might be no mistake about it,
Having done this, the people waited TO see
this Congress, tha, owed lis origin in such
great measure 10 the Billion Dollar Congress"
get 10 work and reduce the appropriations
The first scssi'n OF that Congress was MT en-
couragng in It's results, since the approprla-
ticn, exceeded in amount those Of the first
session Of its Billion Dollar predecessor.
After the adjournment the Democratic party
became more explanatory and less vocfcrous
Ii quoted down; was no longer in eruption
IL Is now almost year since the nose ceased
entirely. Tine retrcncbing, reforming, cconom-
ical Congress called in t. cut down the " Bill
iOn-Drllar' appropriations and stavc off Ma.
ti0nal disaster has lived it's life, done ts work
and passed into history. II reformed the cx-
rcndituros By increasing them more than
$4,000, 900 over the appropriations Of the
wasteful Bllion-Dollar Congress" il was
elected to rebukc. Queer isn't it? But is
anybody bothered 10 understand it? Here is
the explanation of it, fresh from "The New
York WOrld' Of Saturday morning "One of
the effects of such Congress as the List was
is the transmission OF the spirit OF extrava-
gancc and the infection OF its successors, with
the inyidious and anti-republican disease" That