The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-02-02
MILLIONS SHORT.
Tho Republicans Leave the Treasury In IA
Sad Plight.


Sad Plight.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20.-The state.
ment of the condition of the treasury
which has just been made public, is the
most interesting contribution to the fl
nancial question that has yet been made
1t has been prepared with evident care
and the line Italian hand of that shrewa
politician. Charles Foster, is also appar-
ent all through it.
According to the statement the cash
balance in the treasury on the 31st OF
last December, exclusive of the SIOO,.
100000 gold reserve. was $40, ,U92 ,5SS. 1t
Is expected, according TO the statement,
that this balance will be decreased on
the lst day Of next July to $20OOO,UOO.
This would be Il perfectly satiSfac.
tory showing if it told the whole truth
1t does not do so. In other words, Sec
retary Foster has made an apparent
balance III the treasury by withholding
payments on the sinking fund, required
by law, to the amount of $GO,uOO,OUD
Or this amount $ll 100000 should have
Deen PAID last year. but was omitted
while no attempt has been made this
y
100000. In addition to this the treas.
ury owed on the 3lst of December, 1892
on contracts entered into under exist
ing appropriations, the enormous sum
OF 6o,OtU,UCU. 1T is true that all this
amount Is not necessarily to be rXprnd
ed IN any one year, but $50 100000 Is &c
OeSpent this year under the contracts
already made. and the balance in 1894
1t Is quite evident that If these con.
tracts are met and the law relating tC
the eXtinguishing of the public debt 10y
payments TO the sinking fund is com
piled with, the deficit in the treasury
will be at least 81 ,OOUWOOO
Secretary Foster admitted in conver-
satlon this afternoon with Il prominent
leader OF the House that it would be
impossible to meet the authorized ex.
pendlturtS of the Government next
year unless S0OOUO0tU were added to
the revenues. This view is concur Ell
III ny Chairman Springer, of the ways
ana means committee, who, in speaking
10 your correspondent This afternoon
auueQ that as Soc, Il, ,''S Tact was made
officially appart ut through the mvcStl-
cation soon to be commenced, AN en-.
deavor would he made to secure a con-
census of opinion from the Democrat,
&c majority as to the best way TO raise
this money. 1t seems impossible to cut
down the expenditures, The most rigid
economy cannot bring down the appvo
prlation bills to less than SJOO, 100000 a
year, for no matter how much rcduc.
tlon is accomplished III other directions
the pension blll continues to grow and
grow until it swamps everything.
Whether the tax Dn WhlSkpy Is to he
Increased or whether sugar is again &c
De subject to a moderate duty or Wheth
er the revenues VIII Increase Ivy reason
Or the reduced duties on impOrtatlOns
are all questions that must be fully dis
cussed before any discision is reached
There is feeling favorable to Il higher
tax on whlskey, but the proposed sugar
tarlH Is not popular and will not be re.
sorted tC unless all other methods prove
unaVailing. 1t may be too that some
o11ort VIII be ulade To amend the pen
sion laws so that expenditures in this
direction can be curtailed, and this
questions Is now under consideration Dy
the subcommittee of the appropriation
committees winch has the pension blll
in charge.
There Is feeling on the part of a
good many Democrats that it was un-
wise to ask statement from Secret ary
Foster. 1T has afforded him an oppOr-
tualLy, OF which he hiss naturally taken
prompt advantage, 10 make Il showing
OF the treasury which is favorable on
It's face. 1t would have been better, it
ls now thought, to have waited until
Secretary Carlisle entered upon his ad-
mlnlstratioI, when an examination OF
the books could have been made by ex-
pert3 who had no Interest in Disgusting
the real facts, but the step has BET en-
taken and it will devOiVe upon the
ways and means committee to prove
the 1alsity of the statement. This will
be done upon the lines Indicated in
this dispatch. News and CoNrlrr.