Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-01
House from the department estimates, are they

| reducing the appropriations In the next Con-
gress. since the democratic party had not re-
duced them below the appropriations Of the
preceding Congress in the Congress which ex-
pired last March.
Zone great difficulty in our way" said Mr.
Holman, ''is the contract system adopted in
making appropriations for the rivers and bar
bors. The appropriations Of the last Congress
! for this purpose were forty millions-greater
| than ever known before in the history Of our
government. Why. for the period between
1850 and 1865 the total appropriations for tho
| improvement of rivers and harbors were only
three millions. We passed an act then author
izing the issue Of bonds by the company in
| charge Of the Portland canal at Louisville. and
they were paid by the government in 1867. I
| put that through, and ! remember that there
was grave question in the minds Of every one
| OF the wisdom of the measure. At that time
the tax on steamboats, going through this canal
amounted to about 81 200 on a round trip. 1t
was ridiculous state Of affairs-one that would
not be tolerated for minute in this day. But
there was strong doubt Of the wisdom OF re-
moving this tax at the time"
"Are you going to be able to cut down the
river and harbor appropriations in the next
Congress?"
| PROBABILITIES AT THE NEXT SESSION.
"At the next session we will probably have to
appropriate from twenty to twenty-seven
millions. That is the effect Of the vicious system
OF continuing contracts. The first session VI
| the last Congress made contracts which COM
PEELED 1t. after appropriating twenty-five
! millions, then to make an appropriation Of six
teen millions In the second session. This system
| Is all wrong. 1t Is running into debt. 1t is
| trying to discount the future, as many Of the
states did years ago, with disastrous results. To
be sure. there is a clause in the contracts which
| says that the work shall be carried on only as
the government makes appropriations for it.
| But we are morally bound by these contracts
| Tha
must prepare to do this great work, and il we
encourage them by these contracts to make ex-
pensive preparations we must stand by them
That is why think that the next session Of
congress Will have to appropriate 30 large
sum for rivers and harbors. l am
afraid that this contract system has
| come to stay. l do not see how we
are to get rid of it. On river and harbor mat
tiers there is a combination Of interests AS there
| always has been-the states interested in the
deepening of the channel Of the great lakes and
the states interested in the Missouri and Missis-
sippi rivers combining and voting together
solldly on every proposition. As to the deep
enlng OF the lake channel, while the cost of the
work Is limited to three millions, that is a mere
bagatelle compared with what can be spent on
the work. 1t is beyond all calculation. How
ever. we may have a reaction on this question
As the channel is deepened the harbors are af-
fected. and Chicago is already beginning to ap-
preciate this.
pect Congress is going to be persuaded to re-
trench?"
Il hope that il the full appropriations are
made for 1895 and due warming is given to the
contractors that no appropriation is to be made
Tor the next year, the appropriation can be
withheld in the second session with injustice to
no one. That would make the appropriations
| for the entire Congress less by about one-half
than the appropriations for the Fifty-second
| Congress"
REDUCTIONS THAT MAY BE MADE.
do you expect to make any reduction in the
public buildings appropriations"
None were made in the last Congress except
for buildings in Washington end to change the
limit on buildings for which appropriations had
already been made. There Is no immediate re-
quirement for new buildings outside Washing
ton, The interest on the cost Of new buildings
world be double-yes. quadruple-the amount
which the government is now paying for rent. -"
| And where can you make other reductions?'
| People are apt to speak snecringly OF the
reductions In the appropriations AS cheese
pairing, said Mr.. Holman. That is i'll fact
| just what they are. The greatest retrenchment
ever made in the expenditure OF the govern
ment was made by the Forty-fourth Congress
| 1t cut down the appropriations 534 900 900 in
| the first and $50 900 600 in the second session
And this was done without one very great
! single reduction being made. 1t Was done by
little changes here and there. The legislative
executive and judicial bill WAS in conference
| more than two months. and in that time
million little changes were made in it. There
was great outcry against them at first, because
| it was said that they would crowd out men who
had been appointed by Jackson and Van Buren,
! men who had been in the department service
| twenty and thirty years. But when the change
was made these men were not affected. They
nil stayed where they were. The Forty-third
Congress made a reduction in appropria-
tions of perhaps S23.0O0. 000 but that
was the direct outgrowth Of the salary
bill passed by the Fortv-second Con-
gress. The members of that Congress voted
themselves an increase of salary, but the
popular cutlery great tina: the Forty
third Congress repealed the statute and then
set about retrenching the public expenditures.
That was republican Congress. The Forty
fourth Congress was the first of which the
democrats had had control for many years, and
they set about cutting down expenses still more
or course the public debt pressed more heavily
| on the Forty-second Congress than on the Forty
| third, and more heavily on the Forty third than
on the Forty-fourth. After the Forty-fourth
| Congress there was gradual increase wear
after year in the appropriations until the
| Forty-eighth Congress, when there was a slight
reduction. Then the Forty ninth and Fiftieth
Congresses increased expenses gradually and
the Fifty-trst made an increase over the Con-
gress preceding of $217, 900 900, the greatest In
the history Of the government.
| IRE QuEsIlON or PERMANENT APPROPRIATIONS.
'By the way" said Mr.. Holman, there is a
question which will come before the coming
Congress concerning appropriations which will
| become matter of grave importance, and that
is the question Of permanent appropriations
Those appropriations in indefinite sums have
been increasing until now they amount to
about Sl2l.000, 900. For twenty-five years we
have been trying to get hold of these and place
all of them with the exception of the interest
ana reduction of the public debt and perhaps
| a few others under the direction of the appro-
priation committee, so that the items of ap-
preparation could be named specifically. There
was O time when Beck and Dawes were in the
House-men who had made these matters
study-when they were considered of the
greatest importance. But other issues have
crowded them out Of late years. Mr. Breckin-
ridge of Arkansas now has tie matter in charge
and whatever the organization of the House.
think that something will be done in regard to
it."
Returning to the subject of reductions in the
expenditures of the government, asked Mr..
| Holman if he thought that there a public
sentiment in favor of such a reduction.
There is a public feeling which is growing
all the time, said Mr.. Holman. land am glad
to see it. You will find it in many of the news
/ papers of the land, especially in small commun-
| tiles. 1t Is that the expenses of the govern
ment ought TO be regulated according to the
actual needs Of the government and not ac-
cOrding to the possibilities of wealth in this