The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-03-07
TWO YEARS OF DEMOCRATIC
ADMINISTRATION.

ministration closes its first two years
which is negative as to good accomplish
ed. and black with the marks of incofn-
potency and lack of craftsmanship. The
record of this congress- if one were to
attempt to tell what good it had accom-
plished, would occupy little space. On
| the other hand, if this were to be meas
ure1 by the injudicious and absolutely
damaging legislation on one hand, and
other, it would fill many columns. All
efforts at currency legislation, except the
repeal of the Sherman law, so-ca1led,
have failed. The record closes with the
most stupendous scandal known in many
years, the secret sale by the administra-
ton of over sixty million dollars worth
of bonds, at price far below what it
could have obtained for them had it
offered to the highest bidder; and this
sale negotiated through Mr.. Cleveland's
own law partners
1t is rather curious to study, in this
connection, the merely mechanical work
of democratic boasters in this and pre-
ceding congresses. The ffty-frst con-
gress which was controlled by the repub-
lican party, it will be remembered, was
denominated the sBillion Dollar Con-
gress" This catch-word was made of
great use by the democrats in the politi-
cal campaigns, and with considerable
effect upon unthinking and ignorant
voters.
They charged that the republican party
in that congress, made the appropriations
of that congress 81, 900, 900, 900. This was
not true absolutely, but to justify their
assertion they pointed out that acts pass
ed by that congress were sufficient to
make it the fullest sense of the word a
billion dollar congress. No congress
prior to that time had ever appropriated
| 81, 900, ooo, 900, and the title of "Billion
to the ffty-frst congress, and the repub-
| 1ican party which controlled it, undoubt-
edly did startle the people of this coun-
try.
Now what are the facts about the bill
lion dollar congress? 1t may be inter-
esting just at the close of the democratic
one, to inquire into that subject AS al
ready indicated, the ffty-frst congress
did not appropriate full $1,000, 900.
The total appropriations were SeS8, ,416,-
$50. As if it were a judgment upon the
democrats for raising the cry of "Blllion
Dollar Congress when the facts did not
justify it, the very next congress, which
was controlled by the democrats, oppro-
priated $I,o27, Io4, SAT. So the ffty-sec-
ond congress, democratic, was really the
first billion dollar congress, for it did
appropriate, in all, full $1,000, ,ooo, 900,
and it was the. first one in the history of
| the country to do So
And it looks now as though the pres
ent democratic congress will be another
of the same kind. The appropriation
bills are not yet completed, but the indi-
cations are that when they are made laws
and the total appropriations of the pres
ent congress are footed up they will
amount to a sum sufficient to make the
total appropriations of the entire con-
gress fully billion. The appropriations
| of the first and the second sessions of
this congress were $4e2, ,23o, ,6S5, and as
it usually happens that the appropria-
tions of the closing session are more than
those of the previous session, it is likely
that the total will be over a billion.
One other point, as to the work of this
congress, comes along simultaneously
| with its decease. The first half year of
the tariff law ends with the 9th of this
month. And what record this law has
made! There has not been month, nor
even week, since this law went into
effect in which it has produced sufficient
! revenues to meet the running expenses
of the government There has not been
month nor a week in which the total
receipts have reached the total exdeudi-
| tures
The result is, in brief, that the first six
months of the new law show the def
cheney of over $50, 100000. The exact
figures for the closing month cannot be
had at present, but the total deficiency
has already passed the $50, 900 line.
This IS in marked contrast with the oper-
ations of the Mckinley law during its
first six months. The receipts under that
law, in its first half year, were $Ie4 ooo,-
900, and the expenditures $174, 900,
making surplus of $2o,ooo,ooo.
So the record of the two laws, in their
first half-year, stands as follows: McKin-
ley law, surplus, S2o,ooo.ooo. wilson
German law, deficiency, $5o,ooo,ooo-
Toledo (Ohio) Blade, Feb. 18th.