The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-11
AND NOT
"A
DEFICIT.

the increase, Mr.. Dingley said, would
not be due to new legislation. but to
mere rapid administration of the pres
ent laws. 1t would, therefore, involve
no additional expense in the end.
The question as to the revenue and
expenditures for the next fiscal year.
proceeded Mr.. Dingley, was a practical
one which congress had to face. The
statement of the secretary of the
trt asury, had caused much misappre-
hension, owing to the fact that under
a new provision of law he had been
obliged to include in the estimates of
expenditures $7500O,O ,OO0 for public works
which neither he nor the secretary of
war nor any other well-informed per-
son believed would be expended. Con-
tinuing, the estimated deficit, he said,
will be $21, 100000 He violated no conf
dence when he said that the secretary
of the treasury and the president were
confident that the receipts next year
would exceed the expenditures.
DEFENDED BY DINGLEY.
Mr.. Dingley said he took it for grant
ed that congress would exercise rea-
sonable economy. The estimated de-
ficit for the present year, not counting
the money obtained and to be obtained
from Pacific railroads was sos 900 600
The anticipatory importations had, Mr..
Dingley argued, placed in the treasury
before July l, $38, 100000. Those impor-
tations had reduced the deficit last
year from $56, ,000, 900 to SIS, ,00O, ,OO0 mas
much as the importations were for
consumption this year. Mr.. Dingley
contended that in equity that sum
should be properly charged to the re-
ceipts of the current year. If they
were so charged instead of a deficit,
there would be a surplus this year Of
so, ,000, 900.
Mr. Dingley figured out a surplus
of exactly that amount G10,000,000) for
the coming fiscal year. He described
the steady manner in which the reve-
nues had been increasing at the rate
of $1,000.000 or 900 a month. AL
though December was generally bad
month for importations he said that
If the increase for the first nine days
of this month were continued the re-
ceipts this month would increase from
$25 000, 900 in November to $27 900 900 in
December. He confidently predicted
that the effect of the anticipatory rev.
enues would all be overcome during
this fiscal year, and that after May
or June, 1898, the revenues would ex-
ceed the expenditures, and the Repub-
lican side broke into repeated cheers.
Mr.. McMillin asked: 'If revenues
will soon meet expenditures, why do
you not use some of the surplus to
extinguish the public debt?"
"Oh," interjected Mr. Cannon lightly.
amid laughter, well get around in
time to stop the results of Democratic
extravaganza
Mr.. Allen Dem, Miss) concluded the
general debate with a humorous
speech
During the five-minute debate, Mr..
Linney (Rep.. n. c. made an argu-
ment in favor of overthrowng the civil
service law. which set the galleries in
a roar.
All amendments, including those pro-
posed yesterday by Mr. Alien Dem,
Miss), were either voted down or ruled
out on points of order The bill was
then reported to the house, AVID passed.
MIR. Hit, chairman of the committee
on foreign affairs, asked unanimous
consent for the passage of the bill re-
ported by his committee to prohibit
the killing of fur seals. He explained
the necessity for the immediate pass
age of the act, owing to the diplomatic
negotiations now pending
Objections were made by Mr.. Loud
Rep., Cal) and at p. m. the house
adjourned until Monday.