Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-09-21
TORESTRICT APPROPRIATION
Important Changes in the
System Suggested.
SOME EVILS OF LONG STANDING
Everything Must Come Under
the Regular Bills.


WASHINGTON, Sept. 15.-The so-called
permanent appropriations of Congress
and their continuing appropriations of
indefinite amount have always been an
element of uncertainty in estimating the
annual expenditures and balancing the
revenues against them, a stumbling
block In the way of retrenchment. The
system has grown up with the govern
ment, dating back to the earlies days of
independence.
Every effort at revision and rearrange-
ment of these expenditures has hitherto
failed of its purpose.
Tho first act under which a perma-
nent appropriation was placed upon the
books of the treasury was approved
April 14th, 1909, more than 100 years
ago, and related to the treatment of
trust funds arising out of decedents'
estates. Another appropriation, which
has come down from the last century, is
that made to the naval hospital fund
In all there are 1873 of these continuing
appropriations, some of which carry a
fixed sum annually. But most of them
are Of indefinite and varying amounts.
Beside these, there are the various funds
growing out of treaties and settlements
with Indian tribes.
Representative J. d. Sayers of Texas,
the new chairman of the appropriations
committee, has undertaken the task of
cleaning out this augean stable. Under
the plan proposed by him, appropria-
tions for the following objects only will
remain on the statute books as perma-
nently continuing appropriations:
For payment of premium, interest or
principal of the public debt, or of bonds
known as District Of Columbia bonds,
or of bonds issued to Pacific Railroad
Companies; expenses pertaining to re-
funding the national debt; expenses of
Smithsonian Institutions; refunding
taxes Illegally collected; payment OF
drawback allowances under internal
revenue laws; expenses of the Marine
Hospital Service; repayment to impor.
tiers excess of deposits, and payne mt OF
| debentures, drawbacks, bounties and
allowances and refunding proceeds OF
unclaimed merchandise under the Gus.
toms revenue laws, police and fire.
mems relief funds, District of Colum.
| bia; support of soldiers homes; Indian
trust funds deposited under the act oil
April LIST, 1885, navy pension fund.
| All the appropriations acts will be re.
pealed and their objects can only be Sc
cured by attaching them to one or an.
other of the regular annual appropria
ton bills. The principal items of ex,
| penditure TO be affected are the expenses
| of collecting the customs revenues, In
round numbers $7,000,000; operating
and care of canals and other works Of
navigation, $750,0O0; pay of two and
three years volunteers, $750,000; agri
cultural colleges, 81 100, 900; mail trans
portation on Pacific railroad, $1,400, 900
deficiency in postal revenue, $5,000,000
sugar bounty, $10,000,0O0; arms anG
equipments for State militia, 100000
All told, about $30.000,000 will be taker
from the permanent and indefinite roll
leaving a total on that account of $685.
100000 per annum
| One of the most striking instances, by
way of comparison, showing the desira-
bility of making the proposed revision
is afforded in the appropriation for col
Letting the customs revenue. There has
been no change in that law since 1910
while the law for the collection of in,
ternal revenue is scanned every year by
the appropriations committee. One con,
sequence is that the collector of customs
at Chicago receives $4,000 year for hi:
services, while the collector of internal
revenue at Peoria, who handles about
five times as much money, receives but
$4,000.