St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-31
n RAYS TURNED ON A sHREWD
REPUBLICAN SCHEME IN THE
HOtISE.
THE sunDRY CIVIL BILL.
AN EXPEDIENT BEHIND 1T SHOWN
UP BY MIR. SAVERS, OF
TEXAS.
THE BILL is FALSE ON IT'S FACE
Republicans Are Juggling the Ap-
preparations in Order to Make
Campaign Material.

| WASHINGTON, March 30-The house today
| took up the consideration of the sundry civil
appropriation bill and disposed of fifteen of
the 100 pages before adjournment During the
general debate Mr. Cannon, the present head
of the appropriation committee, and his prede-
cessor, Mr.. Sayers, OF Texas, interchanged
opinions as to present and past appropriations.
The action of the committee in appropriating
for contract work onlyauntil March, 1897 was
attacked, but Mr. Cannon justified it on the
ground that the same thing had been done
last year in the case of the Notifications bill.
But few amendments were added to the bill
| today.
After the house had adopted the senate reso-
lutions authorizing ex-Presdent Harrison TO
receive the medals conferred by Spain, and
transferring to Mr. Green the duties of the late
Gen. Casey, the sundry civil bill was taken up
in committee of the whole. Mr.. Cannon. chair
man OF the appropriation committee who was
in charge of the bill, briefly explained its pro
visions. Although this was great reduction,
Mr. Cannon argued that the bill cared for the
public service as well. and In some instances
better than the current law
This method does not diminish the apuro-
priations to be made, interieeted Mr. McMil-
lin Oem., Tenn.), "bat seems to diminish
them for this session. -,
'It does not diminish them'' replied Mr..
Cannon.
I'm other words" said Mr.. McMillin, "it
makes record for this congress and bridges
matters over until after the elections"
Mr.. Cannon impatiently denied that there
was any political move behind the action of
the appropriations committee. In conclusion
Mr.. Cannon said he did not think the appro-
priations for this session. not taking into con-
sideration authorizations for naval and river
and harbor work, would fall below $506 OO0 :
0oe The public service in his opinion, could
not be provided for for two years for less
than billion dollars. Now, however, the
government was borrowing money to pay cur
rent expenses. In view of this fact he ap-
pealed to the house to keep down appropria-
ticns and be content with caring for the
public service as it existed, and not to enter
upon any work while this borrowing was
going on.
Mr.. Sayers Oem., Tex.), ex-chairman of ap-
preparations, replied at some length TO Mr..
Cannon. In general way he Endorsed the
items in the bill, but declared 1t was a false
pretense on its face. It purported to be a
bill providing for the shndry civil expenses
of the fiscal year ending June 80, 1897 where
as it was admitted that in all contract work
the appropriations did not extend beyond
March g., 1897. He referred to the adroitness
with which appropriations aggregating a
million dollars had been inserted in the de-
fciency bill which properly belonged on this
bill. BY putting them on the deficiency bill
they were charged to the last congress. He
compared the appropriations made by Demo-
cratic committees and those made with Mr..
Cannon as the head of the committee ap-
propriations, and said the latter was perhaps
trying to make record for presidential
campaign.
After some further remarks the bill was
read for amendment under the fve-minute
rule. The salaries of the lighthouse super
intendents for lakes Ontario Erie, Michigan,
Huron and Superior were increased to S1,S00.
The committee rose after completing fifteen
pages of the bill, and the house adjourned.