The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-10
AUTHORIZATION AND REVENUE
BILLS.

BILLS.
A recent statement by the Washington
correspondent Of the Journal discloses some
facts in connection with the appropriations
by Congress which show a necessity for
reform in legislative methods. For many
years past there has been a steady and al
most progressive increase in the appropra-
tons made by Congress. Since 1854 they
have increased from 500. 269. 4O2 TO $l.Ol5.-
100000. an increase OF 1886. 80. 59S The APP
preparations never reached the billion mark
till the Fifty-frst Congress, 1855 TO 1890.
Since then only one Congress, the Fifty
third, has kept them below the billion
mark. The appropriations made by the
Congress just closed were about s, 0i5 600 900.
The enormous and progressive increase i'm
the appropriations during the last twelve
years is not justified by the increase in
the necessary and legitimate expenses of
the government and can only be accounted
for on the supposition that there has been
some change in legislative methods or some
departure from economic principles in favor
of extravaganza. The increase has been so
cause. and the statement of the Journals
correspondent locates 1t with reasonable
certainty. Investigation shows that the in
crease began with the Forty-ninth Congress
in 1885, when a Democratic majority took
away from the committee on appropriations
fully one-half of the appropriation bills and
distributed them among other committees.
Wa ut hat ipna
Samuel j. Randall. a Democrat but a
strong protectionist as well as economist.
was chairman of the committee on appro-
priations and the tariff reforIners wanted to
strip him of as much power as they could.
Originally the ways and means committee
framed the appropriation bills well the
bills providing revenue, and III the work is
not too great for one committee
that is clearly the best plan. No
priations be afforded the COM
mittee which provides for revenues.
That is the custom in all state legislatures.
and was in Congress until 1866, when the
work of framing appropriation bills was
transferred from the ways and means COM
mittee to the newly created appropriations
committee. AS the two committees worked
in concert this did not seem to result in any
harm but when in 1885. the further change
was made of depriving the appropriations
committee of its proper functions and dis
tributng the various appropriation bills
among different committees the result inn
medately began to appear in larger APP
preparations. The reason was that the vari-
Gus committees were more intent on getting
all the money possible for the interests they
represented than they in outstanding
the general revenue. and 1t became a sort
of race which should succeed best in get
ting ahead of the ways and means COM
mittee. Under this system the Indian APP
preparation bill has increased from $780, 900
TO $40 600. O0OO the naval appropriations from
sl5. 600 600 to s3O.OOO0Oo. the postoffice appro
priation bill from about $4,000 900 to nearly
500. 900. 600. and so on all the way through.
the average increase of the total appropria-
tions being more than 40 per cent. AS this
increase began at the very time when the
method of preparing the appropriation bills
was changed and has continued ever since
there seems TO be no doubt that the change
is responsible for the Increase. 1t stands to
reason that one committee framing all the
appropriation bills would be more apt to
exercise economy and in a better position
to exercise 1t intelligently than when the
different bills are framed by different COM
mittees. each intent on getting as much as
possible. If this Is correct view of the
case Congress should lose no time in
remedying the situation. The practice Of
distributing the different appropriation bills
among different committees should be abol-
ished and that duty should be restored
either to the appropriations committee, or
better still. to the ways amc means commit
tee where it was originally. The power of
framing appropriation bills should be con-
centrated as much possible. and should
be kept as near as possible TO the power
that fixes taxes and raises revenue.