New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-28
IS To APPROPRIATIONS.

Judge Ilolmans defence Oh me appropriations
of the Lid Congress does not defend. lie
realizes this. and starts cut with the propcS-
ton that our National Legislature has long been
spauGingt,o much money. The excess OF wna'
is spept over what should be he attributes 10
90 local enterprises and favOritism." but he 0mI's
to enumerate the expenditures OF this class ana
to give an idea of their amount. An analysis
of this kind would have been interesting ana
! instructive. 1t would have enabled the pubic
to institute comparisons between the sum Vi
expenditures admitted by such economical per-
sons as Judge Holman to be just ana neces-
sary and the sum of those, denounced as cx-
t,avagant. on which, in the future the Ie2is-
| lative pruning knife might adviSably be 'seu'
Mr.. Humans omission TO prepare such STATE
| mcnt is significant. If he could have done SO
with advantage we think he would. 1t Il only
| necessary to point cut that we are spending AZ
the rate CT over So 900, 900 year to make
il plan that we are spending too much and
! vet the difficulties in the way of reduction are
not easy to surmount. They are implanted III
human nature rather than in the necessities OF
| the county. They appcitain to the desire OF
each Congressman to get as much as ne can i1r
his own district. in the fultmcnt OF which de-
sire he il naturally willing to give as much as
he must to his associates.
| The insincerity of Judge llolmanS statement
appears quickly ard conspcuously upon the
| SLIGHTEST examination of II. lie tries to make
Ont with the figures dead against him, that
the appropriations Ct the last Congress were
less than those If the List and that they would
have been very much less had not that Con-
c,ess imposed on this enc burdens that it would
never have voluntarily assumed. but "hlch.
bciup thus imposed could not be avoided. But
that SOFT of thing is true Of every Congress ana
fell as heavily OH the List as on the Lila.
These authorized expenditures. not APP rrated
for when authorized. so far rs they fell on the
! Congress which has just expired, amounted 10
less than $4,000 ,00O-a very small proportion
Ct the total expenditure OF over Dlihoh.
They were all subject 10 dlsavowai, ana the
Democratic excuse that they had to be met IS
void of truth The Pension act the World $
Fair act. the act providing for additional clerks
fer the Pension Office, for the revival OF the
merchant marine for the payment OF the
bounty On sugar for the support OF the Phila-
dephia Mint ard for the payment OF the Indian
depreciation claims, might all have been re-
realcd il the Democratic Congress with Judge
J Holman at the head of its Appropriations Com
mittee had wished to repeal them. Instead, 1t
admitted that they were wise legislation, ana
it cannot now escape the consequences OF It's
own acts The truth of the matter Is that the
resolutions pledging their party TO reuehch-
ment,' adopted by the Democrats IN the early
DAYS of the last Congress. were dishonest. They
we're intended to deceive the public. they
were beIied almost from the moment OF their
adoDtion and the record as finally made up
fastsns en- the Dem cratic Congress OF 1s9l-92
the offence of having exceeded the appropfa
tions of the Congress they 50 avishly denounced
by the sum of S3S, O04,s66.
Looking at the matter of increased expcndi-
tues honestly and not for partisan effect 1t IS
evident that in the main they were jistliiable
and useful. The increase in the civil and mis-
cellaneCus account from March /, 1889, TO
March 1. 1898, over the four previous years
compcsing the term of Mr.. Cleyclands first
Administration. amounted to $50 600, 900, ex-
pended in the refund Of the direct tax, in paying
the bounty on sugar, which was about ST.
900. GOO i'm paving the expenses OF the eleventh
census in erecting public buildings, in settling
the Choctaw Judgment, in municipal expenses
Of the District Of Columbia, in the establish
mmt of agricultural colleges and experiment
stations. in providing for the Worlds Fair, in
refunding the tobacco tax and in the growth
of the service here and there The increase in
the War Department during the same period
was S34. OOO, 900, SS.000,O00 Of which went
for the highly justitiable purpose OF providing
Notifications and armament. Nearly S24,-
00O. 900 Of this increase was put into rivers
And harbors, and here undoubtedly great
saving could and should have been made. The
increase of S37, 100000 in the Navy Depart
mont was wholly invested in ships and guns, and
tho country is well satisfied with the result.
The increase of s11,OOO,OOO in the Indian
service was caused in chief part by the pur-
chase Of lands and will be more than recovered
by their sale. The only ether increase was for
pensions. One part of the problem OF how to
reduce expenditures will be solved when we
have found out how to stop the growth OF the
country the other when we cease to demand
of our particular Congressman that he shall
obtain for cur particular district favors and adj
yantages which we are unwilling 10 conccde
to all other parts of the country. so long As a
Congressman understands that his seat and all
political preferment are the cost OF his omission
to procure appropriations peculiar to his dis
triu, 50 l,ng will our National expenses con-
, tinue to increase.