The record-union., 1897-06-07
UNwARRANrED AUTHORIZATIONS.


raging torrent, and the waters from the
melting SHOWS of the far-away mount
aims cover vast areas of land. Along
the bottom at FL Paso, lot of Mexi-
cans who live in adobe huts, have been
flooded out. They are on the American
side of the line and therefor an ap-
peal has gone UP to Congress to ap
propriate $4,000 for the relief of these
people, who have had TO move tenn
porarily to higher ground
In support of the appeal the prece-
dents of the relief for Americans in
Cuba and the appropriation for relief of
the sufferers in the Mississippi Valley
are cited. Why did not these petition
ers go beyond these instances, and cite
the case of the money appropriated from
the National Treasury without warrant
of law or reason, for the relief of the
families of those who lost their lives at
the burning of a theater in Richmond,
Va, many years ago? Why was the
cause of relief extended to a communi-
many years ago overlooked?
If this thing is carried to much great
er extent we will pretty soon have the
public strong box made a charity box,
in lump sums by Congress to communi-
ties that are unfortunate in business,
suffer from epidemics, or are damaged
by riots, and so on. The simple truth
in these askings for relief in cases of
personal misfortune. Congress has no
right to use the public funds for any
other than the usual and necessary ex-
pense of conducting the Government.
The donation in the case of the Rich
mond. fire was at the time denounced
as an outrage, and no reply has ever
been made sufficient to justify the ex-
penditure. The same is true of all
these donations. In the case of the
Mississippi floods the Military Depart
ment was authorized to issue rations
and furnish tents. But rations mean
money, and they are paid for out of the
public treasury and are legitimately for
the army only. But the excuse for
the Mississippi donation was that the
flood and consequent suffering amount
ed to national calamities. In a sense
so they We're, but the sentiment of pity
was never intended to enter into the
national financial scheme
In the Cuban case there was some
thing more nearly like good excuse.
There citizens abroad We're in peril and
appealed to the Government to aid
them, on the ground that the Govern
ment should protect the lives and prop
erty of our citizens abroad. But it is
obvious that if Congress has lawful
power to vote $4,000 of the peoples
money to be expended for the FL Paso
sufferers, it can by the same warrant
vote S10,000000 or $100,000000.
The matter of the amount does not
affect the principle involved Open this
door of illegality a bit wider and all
manner of excuses will be trumDed up
to fleece the Treasury, in the name Of
charity. Scores of other communities
have met with greater disaster than
that at FL Paso and no thought of ap-
pealing to the Federal Government to
meet the cost by unlocking the strong
box of the nation entered into any mind
because of these unhappy chances
| Congress ought to call a halt on all
this class of relief measures referred
| to. 1t is not convened to disburse char
| ity funds. The Treasury it may draw
upon, and perhaps there is no one to
negative it save the President. But
that very fact should make it all the
more cautious that there are no more
of these bad precedents set Let char
/ ity relief spring from individual pity
and community promptings and person.
al sympathy, but not from the National
Treasury. There are charitable objects
enough strictly within the lines of the
law for the exercise of Congressional
liberality, such as the pension list, the
promotion of scientific discovery and
research the advancement of educa-
| tional schemes, and the like. But re-
| lief such as is asked for in the FL Paso
case will be, if granted very little short
of looting