Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-11
THE FEDERAL HOUSE
,r PASSES THE PENSION BILL AND
ApJouRNs OVER TO-DAY.
, STATEMENT FROM Mr.. DlNGLEY,
Al. claims That After May or June.
1895, the Revenues WIZ Exceed
the ESpenditurcs--His surplus for
Next Year sio,Ooo,ooo.


q, correct alleged existing abuses were
IN ruled out. on the point OF order, that
,,ev were new legislation.
A. passed. the bill carries sl41 .26s. $50.
The debate to-day covered wide
..rqe. II touched not only the question
- our pension policy. but that OF civil
,,ryice reform. and the receipts and ex-
,.,8rures CT the Treasury under the
pngloy law.
Consideration OF the pension appropria-
,,on bill was resumed soon after the
creninr Of the House.
NJ Brown (Republican), of Ohio, at
..,ke5 the civil-service law, because 1t
,.-,tsc,ed some OF the pension examining
,,sr3s appointed under the last admins
,-,,,on. Ho styled Il an determination"
.,5 vas Justify applauded by many OF
81 colleagues. He said the soldiers OF
Is district regarded this law as inimical
=, frair interests. and he favored its re-
,s,l or radical modification.
80 Maxwell PopulisD. OF Nebraska,
.,b,0itted some remarks in favor OF the
i,.sr,lity 81 pensions. and was followed
=, G-osvenor. OF Ohio. who said that
,,trs hts colleagues from Ohio seemed to
S,gsr on the civil-service question, he
,so,ght they were practically Of one
mind.
g., support OF an argument against the
,svuent q pensions to those who We're
S,,s.Itbv and did not need them, quoted
a., Icncth from an article recently writ
,so hv General II. V. Boynton, whose
testimony against abuses in the present
.,s-su he said, was entitled to respect
~ consideration by the other side
M Johnson Republican,. Of Indiana.
Co defence Of civil-service reform, reite-
,,-sd his statement Of the other day, that
cirg-service reform was an essential
r-lnciple Of Republlcanism. Mr.. Johnson
declared that the enemies Of the law
dare not attack 1t openly.
no you favor lfe-tenure in Office"
asked Mr. Pearson (Republican), Of North
Carolina.
Il do in the civil service" replied Mr..
Johnson. emphatically. II believe that
The offices are public trusts. held by
rao9Ie who deserve them. and that they
are not owned by politicians, to be used
s9r rewsrding their friends"
Messrs Carmack. Gaines, and Sims
Democrats), Of Tennessee. spoke briefly
IN favor OF retrenchment in pension ex-
renditures. The last-named expressed
the opinion that the Dingley law would
not supply sufficient revenue for the in
creasing pension expenditures.
STATEMENT FROM DINGLEY.
These remarks drew out an important
statement from Mr.. Dingley regarding
he prospective revenues and expenditures
Tor the coming fiscal year. Preliminary
10 the statement. Mr.. Dingley gave a
Few Interpretation OF the estimated in
.rease in pension expenditures. contend
ne that the maximum was reached In
S3. when the pension payments amount
a 20 $l59.O0O,OO0 In 1894 they fell TO SAL
900; in 1895 they were Sl4l 100000: in
~ they were $139, 10000. and in 1897 they
rsre S14i.OJ0.0OO. If the expenditures for
s1sions during the next fiscal year
hould beSlss 10000. as had been estimated,
be increase, Mr.. Dingley said, would not
% due 10 new legislation, but TO more
spld administration of the present laws.
d would. therefore, involve no additional
xpense in the end.
The question as 70 the revenues and
expenditures for the next fiscal year,
.roceeded Mr.. Dingley, was a practical
lle which Congress had to face. The
statement of the Secretary Of the Urea
iury, he said, had caused much misap-
owing to the fact that under
new provision of law he had been
obliged 10 include In the estimates Of
expenditures S7300O0O for public works
which neither he nor the Secretary Of
War. nor any other well-infOrmed per-
.on, believed would be expended. Count
Ing this the estimated deficit, he said
would be 81 10000.
Ha
when he stated that the Secretary Of the
Treasury and the President were conf
Dent that the receipts next year would
exceed the expenditures. Mr.. Dingley
said be took il for granted that Congress
would exercise economy. 1t was not eX-
pected that the expenditures for public
works next year would exceed $OOJOOco.
Continuing. Mr.. Dingley pointed out the
fact that the actual cost Of the admins
tra'ion o. the government the ordinary
expense per capita, had remained about
stationary for many years. The cost
was about $3.50 per capita. At the pre-
sent time the expenditures were slightly
N excess OF that. About $3.50 per capita
vent Tor pensions, and about % cents
Tor interest on the public debt. The es-
innate Of the Ways and Means Commit
Zee had been that the tariff law, with
)iher receipts. would bring in an income
u FIVE and oEe-eighth dollars per capita.
md Mr.. Dingley declared that when the
expenditures were brought within that |
INIT there would be no difficulty.
The estimated deficit for the present |
year. not counting the money obtained |
and 20 be obtained from the Pacific rail- |
roads. was $2s.Oo0OO0 The anticipatory |
mp0rtations had. Mr.. Dingley argued, |
placed IN the Treasury before July 1st, |
100000 Those importatlons had re-
luced the deficit last year from S56coOON |
70 N60pWO. Inasmuch as the importa-
ous were for consumption this year.
Mr. Dingley contended that in equity |
hat sum should be properly charged TO |
ne receipts OF the current year. II they |
were so charged. instead of deficit, |
here would be a surplus this year of |
100000.
A DINGLEY SURPLUS.
Mr. Dlngley figured out a surplus Of
Exactly that amount G10.OC0,ooO for the
oming fiscal year. He described the |
steady manner in which the revenues had
'een increasing at the rate OF one or two
niilons month. Although December
vas bad month for importations, he
all. II the increase Of the first nine days
II this month were continued. the re-
Yis this months would increase from
-''"yv In November 10 $27.0o0,0O In
december.
when he confidently predicted that the
.aeei Of the anticipatory revenues would
'n Or overcome during this fiscal year,
,Du hat after May or June. 1898, the
sFenles would exceed the expenditures
ne Republican side broke into repeated
.,se'A When pressed by Mr.. Richards
W INNfral |
bhion as 20 the time when the effect
me new schedule would be manifest,
IT, Dingley replied that the date must