The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1897-02-23
MORE THAN A BILLION.
Reckless Extravaganza of the
Fifty-fourth Congress.
PEOPLES MONEY sQUANDERED.

For the Past Eight Years the Average An
nual Increase In Expenditures Has Been
Over 500, 900, mountaineering Condition
OF Afiairs Revealed.
Congressman Docke1y of Missouri, In
an interview with New York World
representative, made the following
alarming statement Of the extravaganza
which prevails in the national congress:
The time is near at hand when the
people will have to make the wholesale
appropriations of public money q direct
issue. They will have to do this for
their own protection. When this time
comes, individuals may not be able to
escape. -
Representative Dockery Of Missouri
made this statement with the utmost
earnestness. SAT this session. he said,
"about $515, 900, 900 will be appro-
priated. This, added to the appropria-
tions Of the last session, will bring the
total amount of direct appropriations by
this congress to the enormous aggregate
of at least 81, ESQ, 600, 600.
Mr.. Dockery said that this was bad
enough in itself, but the people could
not realize the whole evil of this riotous
expenditure until they began to realize
that there seemed to be no way Of check
ing it.
''There is no organization in the
house, he said ''to curb extravaganza.
The committee on appropriations is not
directed by any rule to look after this
matter. No other committee is interest
ed. If anybody stands in the way of a
raid ON the treasury, he is considered un-
gracious, and unexpected antagonisms
confront his bills, no matter what their
character.
"The people themselves will have to
look after this. Hank this predictions:
Two years from now the house will be
Democratic by 100 majority, and in
three years the senate will have DEM
ocratic majority"
Mr.. Dockery added that the commit
tee ON ways and means was just now
wrestling with the problem of made
quate revenue and excessive expendi-
lures.
sit is seeking new sources of In
come, - he said, Ito meet the difficulty.
In my judgment, the time is not far off
when the public conscience will be SO
aroused that the representatives of the
people will be forced to reduce expendi-
lures rather than to increase taxation.
1t is obvious that the revenues are in
adequate to meet the present scale of
national expenditures, but if the pres
erit ever increasing ratio Of expenditures
is 20 be maintained 1t will be but q
short time when it will become neces-
sary. to revise the tariff again or seek
some other additional source of income
for the government. This increase Of
public expenditures is almost wholly
abnormal and out Of proportion to the
Increase Of population, to the require
inents Of business and to the necessities
of an honest and frugal administration. 7"
Mr.. Dockery, asked to give figures
showing the increase in the cost of run
ming tue government, said:
Tho average annual actual expendi-
lures for each fiscal year from 1875 to
1888, inclusive. for the ordinary ex-
penses Of the government, not counting
payments ON the public debt and pay
ments ont Of postal revenues, were only
&a57. S6S, 714. The average for the same
purposes from $50 to 1895, inclusive,
wae e84S, 4S7. 09--that Is, the average
annual increase of expenditures in the
lest eight years has been 500, 57S, 1856, or
an aggreRato increase of the stupendous
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