The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-03-23
A Great Deal of Loud Talk Has Been
INDUCED in by Wise Con-
gresSmen.
The Appropriation for the Payment
of Pensions Reduced Many
Millions.
Expenses of the General Government
Will Be Greatly Re.
duced.

vetoed by PRESIDENT Cleveland, the mouse
has settled down to the monotonous rou.
tine of appropriation bills, and exciting
events are not very numerous. When the
appropriations committee obtained a fair
field and a guarantee Of continued prog
ress, it had on the calendar the fortifica-
tions, pension, District of Columbia and
sundry civil bills, the postolfice and diplo-
matte appropriations bills were ready to
introduce, and the members spoke in a
general way of getting through the whole
of them in three weeks. The indications
SO far are that they certainly did not over
estimate the time required.
10 a man up a tree, as we say in Paris,
it looks extremely odd that the pension
bill should have been debated four days
and with considerable animation, not to
say heat and acrimony, when there was
really nothing before the house. 1t had
been published long before that the bill
called for about SIS, 200, 900 less than were
given for the last year, and everybody had
heard or read the reason. Nobody found
fault with the committee for this reduc-
ton, no member on either side wanted to
increase or decrease it by SO much as a
cent, no motion of any consequence was
made, and yet the house, as aforesaid, de-
bated it four days. The ways of states
men are not easily found out, and yet the
onlooker in the gallery cannot avoid a sus-
picion that the amount of talk INDUCED
in by each orator on this bill had a Gu
riously close correspondence with the num-
Der of soldiers in his district. However,
this is but natural, and the amiable inten-
ton of putting the president, Secretary
Smith and Commissioner Lochren Gin a
hole" was by no means concealed.
The Appropriations,
In the general lull congressman and
onlookers are calculating very closely as
to the final result when all the 10 appro-
priation bills are passed and a contrast
may be made between the expenditures for
1895 and those for former years. 1t goes
without saying that it is always easier to
expand than to contract, and although it
Is considered certain that about S11 ,O0O,-
900 will be saved by paying no sugar houn-
ty, added to the moun saved on pensions,
yet many of the Oldest heads predict that
the reduction, if any, will be but trifing.
The regular annual estimates for the year
1894 were $500, 893, 061. Adding the per-
mapent annual appropriations, this
brought up the estimated expenditures of
that year to $5O5 1851 1886. Congress re-
duced this to a little over $496, 600, 900.
But in no long time a little over s22, OOO,-
600 had to be added as deficiency, includ-
ing something over s14 0OO, 900 deficiency
for pensions in the fiscal year 1893.
So, in spite of what were supposed to
be desperate attempts at economy, the ma
ton had to pay out e519, 504 $50 for the
fiscal year 1894. So far this is ancient his
tory, but it can be used as a basis for cal
culating what the nation will have to pay
for 1898. The total of estimates for 1895
is s496, 306, 7S9, of which els, OO0, 900 has
already been cut off from pensions. New
ertheless the regular "watchdogs" do not
promise certainly that the nation will have
much less than $500, 900, 900 to pay for the
current year. OF course there are enthu-
siastic spirits who talk of bringing it away
below that point, but a few important
items are to be considered.
The "Good Old Times"
The first Of these is the navy. In 1878
the appropriations for that service had run
below $14, 900 900 and did not rise to &c.
900, 900 until 1857. 1t was then that the
great revival of interest in the navy justi-
fled congress in liberal appropriations, and
the sum jumped at once to but little less
than SEC, 600, 900. In a subsequent year
it exceeded $31 DOC, 600, and this year the
estimates are nearly $2S ,00O, 900.
There are equally great and sudden va
riations in the Indian appropriation bills,
which, after running for several years in
the neighborhood of S. OO, 900, suddenly
jumped to 5000, 900 and then to consid-
erably over SIC, 600 900, resulting from the
purchase of Indian reservations. As said
reservations are now paid for, the estimate
for this year is for not quite 81, 900 900,
and mem bers of the committee say that it
will be reduced. This mixture OF ancient
history, present facts and conjectures for
the future may serve the citizen who wish
es to amuse his leisure by calculating the
probable course of affairs, or by compar-
ing the ''good old times" when it cost
but 80 cents per capita to run the nation
al government, with these times, when it
costs nearer SO per capita, but it must not
be taken as a prophecy that this congress
will very greatly reduce the expense.
Prospect of More Silver.
In this general lull the members also
have time to bring up their correspond
ence with their constituents and to talk
about it, and the general summary of
statements from all over the country is
lHdu tuC CNiNu VI pusliUsS hdS bCkuh
The Democrats assert that everything is
starting up with a wbirl, and that we shall
soon have a boom, while the Republicans
are careful to add that employment is re-
sumed with a general reduction of wages,
and that everybody is proceeding very cau-
tiously.
That the lowest price of wheat ever
known in New York city should pave come
almost exactly 80 years to a day after the
highest price in this century is a TACT much
commented on, and the granger members
draw records to show that in the year 1855
the worlds total production of wheat was
only 800, 900 900 bushels, whereas it is now
2,400, DOC, 900 bushels. They do not for
get to add that nothing will save the
American farmer but more money, mean
ing, of course, more silver. And if one
may judge from the concessions made by
antisilver senator's there really is a pros
pect that the silver bill will not be vetoed
by the president. Several conservative
members think he will sign it. But we
shall see what we shall see.