The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-11
BILLION DOLLAR CONGRESSES.


atoms made by the first session of the
Congress which has just adjourned was
published, many Democratic stumpers
and newspapers proclaimed that they
had great issue with which to beat the
Republicans in the cry of "billion dol
lar Congress-" referring to the appro-
priations of the preceding Republican
Congress. When it was discovered that
the appropriations of the first session of
the Fifty-second Congress would ex-
coed those of the Fifty-frst, the billion
dollar issue was dropped. Just now.
members of the appropriations commit
tees of both houses are publishing state
ments regarding the amount of money
voted away When the Democratic fig
urers find that more money was voted
by their Congress than by its Republican
predecessor, they undertake to show
that Republican legislation is RESPONSE
Bile rather than Democratic Congress.
1t occurs to the Journal that all these
attempts to show a smaller aggregate
appropriation of money by one Congress
nifty of craftsmanship. At this period
in the Nations career. with the national
debt no longer burden, and q system
of revenue which is q stimulant rather
than burden to the industries of the
people. the intelligent course is not to
show the smallest expenditure of money,
but whether or not it has been wisely
expended. If craftsmanship consists in
voting small appropriations, the naval
appropriation, the larger part of the army
appropriation, that for rivers and lar
bors, etc., might be cut off; it would also
be craftsmanship to restrict the expend-
itures of the Postoffice Department to
an amount which would have pre-
vented the recent development of that
useful branch of the public service.
But that is not craftsmanship, but the
opposite of any quality that embraces
wisdom and foresight. The United
States is great country. 1t has great
rivers and chain of lakes which it is
of the highest Importance to all the peo-
pie that they be made waterways. The
bOrs like that being made at Galveston,
Tex. A postal system which reaches
all the people frequently is one of first
importance as an agent of prog ress.
The surety of permanent peace is the
most modern war ships and the most
effective guns. The surest method to
extend nations commerce is TO have
it's flag floating on the best merchant
ships on the ocean. The way for ma
ton to lead In agriculture is to have
the government assume the cost of
experiments that will lead to more in
telligent farming. The proper expendi-
ture of money to perfect waterways, to
promote commerce, to insure peace, to
stimulate national industries and to put
the country in the van of the worlds
progress is craftsmanship. The ex-
penditures which are open to censure
are such as the $3.50, 900 by the last Con-
gress to give each member q clerk and
the voting of $4,000 to branch of. the
railway mail service which the Post
master-general declared to be unneces-
sary.
Fortunately the intelligent people of
the country have come to understand
this matter better than a few dema-
gogues imagine. No Indiana district
would to-day refuse to return a Gov
ernOr Wallace to Congress because his
demagOgic opponent should denounce
him for voting that small sum of
money which enabled the inventor to
| give the world the telegraph. We have
| got a long way beyond that sort of thing.