The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-29

OF representatives, Speaker Sam j.
Randall left the presiding officers
chair, went upon the floor of the house
and delivered an energetic speech in
| opposition u the plan, in the course
of which he said; If you undertake to
! divide all of these appropriations, and
have many committees where there
ought to be but one, you will enter
upon a path Of extravaganza, the
| length and depth of which you cannot
foresee, until we will find the treasury
Of the country bankrupt"
That prophecy of Randall has been
fulfilled!
Although Randall was able to stem
| the tide, temporarily, the rascals, pol
| iticians, and lobbyists ultimately tri-
| umphed; and at the beginning of the
Forty-ninth congress the rules were
changed. Then the treasury fell into
the hands of thieves and robbers.
They looted the treasury systematical-
ly, until Randalls vision became real
ity, and eve find the treasury bank
rupt."
Congressman Pitney, of New Jersey,
after careful study of the condition Of
affairs, briefly stated the case by say
ing that, during the hard times which
followed, after the panic of 1873, the
Democratic party secured control of
the house of representatives upon the
For some years thereafter expenditures
were kept down to a reasonable linn
it,S under the sagacious leadership of
Sam Randall. He was three times
chosen speaker, and for several con-
crosses he was chairman of the COM
mittee on appropriations. He was one
of the greatest practical statesmen
ever sent to the house by the Demo-
cratic party. He was steadfast
economist, but was leader of a wing
of the Democratic party which be-
lieved that a tariff should be levied
not merely for revenue only, but also
to protect American industries.
In the Forty-eighth congress, Mr..
Carlisle was chosen speaker and Col.
Morrison, of Illinois. became promi-
nent for his peculiar project for the
horizontal reduction Of the tariff. Mr..
Randall, as chairman of the great
committee on appropriations led the
Democratic opposition to- the free
trade majority, and Joined with the
Republicans in defeating the Morri-
son bill.
The Carlisle free traders determined,
on the assembling of the Forty ninth
congress, to. clip the wings" of Sam
Randall and they proceeded to do &c.
and succeeded, after a hard strug-
gle. The chairman of the great COM
mittee On appropriations proposed the
power to block free trade legislation
They could not afford to take that
Craftsmanship from Randall, but they
proceeded to divide his committee, and
parcel out the appropriation bills
among the other committees of the
house of representatives, and they did
so by a revision of the rules. They
gave the army appropriation bill and
the military academy appropriation
bill to the committee on military af-
fairs. The agricultural appropriation
Dill was given to the committee on
agriculture. The naval appropriation
bill was given to the committee on
naval affairs The Indian appropria-
ton bill was given to the committee
on Indians affairs. The diplomatic
appropriation bill was given to the
committee on foreign affairs The
postoffice appropriation bill was given
TO the committee on postoff1ce and
postroads. Thus. because the two
wings OF the Democratic party could
not mop together the committee on
! appropriations was divided, and ONLY
SIX OF the fourteen regular appropria-
ton bills were allotted to that COM
m1ttee, while eight important appro-
priation bills were given to seven 9TH
er committees
| fractional disturbances in the Demo-
cratic party at that time brought about
| eiiis oepiol dple STATE OF aHalrS, and no
| partisan majority in the house of rep
resentatives has been courageous or
honest enough to revoke that shameful
rule.
| The result has been exactly what
sam Randall predicted. The COM
mittee on naval affairs has prepared
its bill, regardless of the appropria-
lions being made by other committees
| Ihe committee on postoffices and post
ROADS has nr6narpd jtc rio%
bill, regardless Of the appropriations
being made by other committees Thus
with divided responsibility, each COM
mfttee has annually increased it's ap-
preparations until We have come face
to face with bankrupt treasury. The
people have suffered. The politicians
| have fattened. The lobbyists have
danced with ghoulish glee.
There has been and there is no COM
mittee charged with the responsibility
OF keeping the sum total within reas-
| enable bounds, within the capabilities
! OF the treasury to meet the rapacious
demands made upon it.
People who stand away off, hundreds
or thousands of miles from Washing
ton, have been accustomed to sneer at
| the United States senate; many writer's
referring to it as "a millionaire club"
and deriding that body for it's aristo-
| cratic tendencies.
The narrator of this true story of
government extravaganza and crimi-
nal prodigality has closely watched
the proceedings of congress for fif-
teen years. 1t is simple statement
| OF fact to say that the senate has been
| the bulwark Of the people, ever since
| the house of representatives threw
| open the treasury to the hungry hands
of spoilsmen.
The committee on appropriations of
| the senate remains unchanged All
of the appropriation bills go before one
committee, and that committee, under
| the chairmanShips of Senator Allison.
Of Iowa Rep), and Senator Cockrell'
| Of Missouri, Oem.), taking a broad
view Of the responsibility of all ap>
preparations, has persistently and sue
cessfully resisted the assaults made
| upon the treasury, so far as their work
was concerned, but they have been I'M
| able to curtail the enormous appro-
| priations made by the various com
mitteeS of the house of representatives
Two years ago, the allied lobbyists
and spoilsmen infesting the capitol cor
ridors made a tremendous effort to in
| duce the senate to divide it's great COM
mittee on appropriations. For a time
the senate stood on the danger line
Not only were the spoilsmen very
much in earnest, but they were aided
| by several of the most capable sincere
and honorable men in the senate; gen
tlemen who sincerely and honestly be-
lieved that a division of the committee
| would be wise.
| Nobody questions the sincerity of
those senators, and nobody questioned
| their integrity at the time. Moreover,
nobody ever questioned the integrity
of Speaker Carlisle and his followers,
when the house committee was divid-
ed. 1t is simply a statement of fact,