Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-13
TO A MAN UP 4 TREE.
1.-The Amount Of Talk on Pension Bill
ST Looks Suspicious.
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senate will take its own timeAand tina
means very long time-on the Wilson
bill, AND now that the Bland seigniorag
bill Is likely to become . law II it i,
not vetoed by President Cleveland, tn
house has settled down to the mopotonou'
routine Of appropriation bills, and excit
ing events are not very numerous. Wber
the appropriations committee obtained {
fair field and a guarantee Of continued
progress, It had on the calendar the forti
fcations, passion, District Of Columbis
and sundry civil bills, the pOstoffice anf
diplomatic appropriations bills were ready
TO introduce, and the members spoke In q
general way of getting through the whole
81 then, In three weeks. The indications
80 far are that they certainly did not over
estimate the time required.
To a man mp tree, as we say In Paris,
1t looks extremely odd that the pension
bin 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 sl5, 900, 600 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-
tfon. no member on either side wanted to
increase or decrease 1t by 30 much as a
cent, no motion of any consequence was
made, and yet the house, as aforesaid, de-
bated 1t four days. The ways Of states
men are not easily found out, and yet the
,oplooker in the gallery cannot avoid s,ls-
gpicion that the amount Of talk INDUCED
4. by each orator on this bill had a Gu
r;ous,y close correspondence with the num-
I, Der Of soldiers in his district. However,
this Is but natural, and the amiable interl-
zion Of putting the president, Secretary
Smith and Commissioner Lochren ''in Il
hole' was by no means concealed.
The Appropriations.
In the general lull congressman and on
lockers are calculating very closely as to
the final result when all the 10 appropria-
ton bills are passed and contrast may
be made between the expenditures for 1895
and those for former years. 1t goes with
out saying that it is always easier to ex-
pand than to contract. and although 1T is
considered certain that about 81 900, 600
will be saved by paying no sugar bounty,
added to the amount saved on pensions,
yet many Of the Oldest heads predict
that the reduction, il any, will be but
trlfii,g. The regular annual estimates
for the year 1894 were 1890, 1903, 06l.
1lAdding the permanent annual appropria-
tons. this brought up the estimated eX-
penditures OF that year to s505, SCI ,335
Congress reduced this to n little over 1885,
1900. But 10 no long time little over
$22 900, 900 had to be added as deficiency.
including something over $4,000, 900 de-
ficiency for pensions in the fiscal year 1893
So, in spite of what were supposed to be
desperate attempts at economy, the nation
had to pay out S519, 504 1850 for the fiscal
year 1894. So far this Is ancient history,
but it can be used as basis for calculat-
ing what the nation will have to pay for
1898. The total of estimates for 1895 Is
1896, 306, $50, of which s15 ,000, 900 has al
ready been cut off from pensions. Never
theless the regular "watchdogs" do not
promise certainly that the nation will have
much less than $500, O00. 900 to pay for the
current year OF course there are enthu-
siastic spirits who talk of bringing itaway
below that point, but 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
pm below s14 900, 900 and did not rise TO
SIG 900, 900 until 1887. 1t was then that
the great. revival of interest in the navy
justified congress in liberal appropriations,
and the sum jumped at once to but little
less than SOC, 200, 900. In a subsequent
year 1t exceeded S31 200, 900, and this year
the estimates are nearly $2s, 900, 900.
). There are equally great and sudden VA
riations in the Indian appropriation bills,
which, after running for several years in
the neighborhood of $1,000, 900, suddenly
jumped to $4,000, 900 and then to consid-
erably over $4,000, 900, resulting from
the purchase of Indian reservations. As
said reservations nre now paid for, the es-
innate for this year is for not quite ST.
000, 900, and members of the committee
say that It will be reduced This mixture
of ancient history, present facts and conjec
tures for the future may serve the citizen
who wishes to amuse his leisure by calcu-
lating the probable course of affairs, or
by comparing the "good old times, when
ii cost but SO cents per capita to run the
national government, with these times,
when IL costs nearer a. per capita, but It
must not be taken rs prophecy that this
congress will very greatly reduce the ex
pense.
Prospect Of More Silver.
In this general lull the members also
have time3 to bring up their correspond
ence with their constituents and to talk
statements from all over the country is
that the revival of business has begun.
The Democrats assert that everything is
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