Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-26
APPROPRIATION BILLS
Not One of Them Has Yet Been Passed by
the Senate.
Senator COckrell Thinks an Cnlimit-
ed Blanket Bill should BE Passed
to Provide for Salaries.

U
fiscal year finds the government without
dollar appropriated for the maintenance Of
any of its functions. The insistance with
which the democratic managers Of the
tariff bill have kept that measure before
the Senate has prevented action by the up
per house on any of the regular bills that
have been promptly passed by the Repre-
sentatiyes, and result the Senate calen-
dar is now choked with bills of all kinds,
including six appropriation budgets, while
seven others are being slowly put in shape
by the subcommittee of the general ap-
preparations committee. There is no need
of haste on their part. there is already
material enough on the calendar to occupy
the Senate for fortnight. should the tariff
bill be suddenly passed.
Meantime the employees of the govern
ment are beginning to wonder whether
there Is to be provision made for them or
not. This state of things exists nearly
every summer. though never before has the
government been left in just the situation
as now. without a single act on the statute
books. Usually it is the sundry civil bill
that hangs nre; again, IL is the legislative,
executive and judicial; or il may be one or
more of the minor bills. But never before
has the Both of June found the treasury un-
authorized to expend a penny in the sup
port Of the nation.
blanket Appropriations.
Yet Gjs' condition is not bothering the
treasury officials. the legislators or the
stipendaries who depend upon the fort
nightly o. monthly output of cash for their
revenues. There is a vast amount of COM
fort to be derived by these individuals from
the custom that has sprung up of passing
what are known as blanket approDria-
lions at the last moments, extending the
Old approprat tons for certain periods This
year the blanket will have to be of ample
dlinen5ions-wide enough to cover every de-
pa. tment of the government and long
enough to last until some action has been
taken on the regular bills. 1t must orisi-
nate In the House. where other appropria-
ton bills are required by the Constitution
10 start 1t is understood that such a meas
ure which has al. eady been discussed by
the House committee on appropriations
VIII be reported to the House and acted
upon on Thursday, so that ii may reach and
pass the Senate Friday, and be sent to and
signed by the President on Saturday lust
I'D the nick of time This may be dallyiug
with tate, but 1t is not considered good con-
SressiJnal form to be in too much of g hur-
ny with these resolutions.
senator COckrcIrs Idea
This blanket will be adopted by the
House, it is said. for thirty DAYS ex-
tension. but Senator Cockrell chairman of
the Senate committee on appropriatiops
believes that there should be no limit to
this morning: Il think it would be much
wiser and better to pass an unlimited ESQ
luton, 10 expire of its own force when the
regular bills become laws | do not s.s
why such a resolution cannot be drawn in
Good legal form. 1t could instruct ;ie Sec
retary of the Treasury to extend all the
standing appropriations until such time as
the President shall have signed an act
relating to specific account, when the
extension would cease in that particular
instance and the regular supply would take
It's place. | do not believe very much IN
this piecerneal business of appropIiating
for the maintenance of the government for
ten days. fifteen days or for thirty. days
at d, time In all human probablIity We
cannot get through all the regular lils
In thirty days, though l shall. of course.
make an effort to do SO, and so why should
We do this extension business by little
bits? l should like to take my bills into
the Senate and have them considered how
but 1t would be impossible for me 10 dis
place the tariff bill. Nor would II be right
to do SO If could. That bill VIII be out OF
The way in fev days and then the Sem
ate can go ahead on the appropriation
bills on the calsniar while the committee
continues its work on the other bills that
have not yet been reported.
Il do not know just which bill will be
taken up first when we get to them. bat 1
suppose we may well work On them I'm
the order in which they have been reported.
There IS not much difference between them.
They all have to be passed, and, with an
extending resolution in operation. haste is
not such a great essential"
Six Bills on the Calendar
The six bills now reported to the Senate
and on the calendar are as follows In the
order Of the dates on which they were
handed back from the committee: Fortitca-
tions, March -; pensions, March -; Mill
tary Academy, May l.: diplomatic and con-
sular. June 5; army, June :; post cfice
June II.
The following bills are in the hands of
subcommittees of the appropriations com
mittee: District of Columbia, suniry civil
rivers and harbors, naval. agriculture leg
isative and Indian. The general deficiency
Dill Is still under consideration by the
House.
TO EVEN THINGS,