The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-09-23
War Appropriations.

AU 10 oalu 0lldt MI. LcWlS law pdTI-
ner has defined the congressman as
being "fgure-blind." This means
that he has no conception of the
meaning of figures and that he uses
them with as great liberty and with as
utter abandon as he tramples upon
the character of other men.
Lewis stated in his Wednesday night
address, opening the campaign in this
county, that the total appropriations
by congress for the Spanish war
amount to $2,OOO,OOO,OOO. He arrived
at that figure by system of doubling
up addition that was we'll calculated
to daze almost any audience. Lewis
banks on the fact that few people are
able to know on the spur of the mo-
ment whether stated figure is cor
rect or not. For example he declared,
in arriving at the vast sum of $2,000,-
100000 as the total of appropriations,
that the bond issue was $500,OOO 900
and then he Immediately added $780,
100000 interest to that and totaled it
at $S0O,000, 900 and passed quickly on
to other items. Cne must be we'll
posted along these lines not to be mis-
led by this method OF discourse.
The truth is the amount of bonds
authorized was $4O0,OOOOOO and the
actual bond issue is 100000, 900.
These bonds may be paid after ten
years and are due in twenty years and
draw three per cent interest. Adding
interest for the entire 20 years to the
principal the total would be but $780,
100000 or nearly two hundred millions
less than the sum at which Lewis
placed the principal.
In his discussion of this question
Lewis referred to the Monthly Review
of Reviews as his authority, picking
up and exhibiting the magazine. The
fact that he did this makes his mis-
representation all the more reprehen-
sible. On page 314 of the September
Review of Reviews is an article on
"Cost and Finances of the Spanish
War;" by Charles A. Conant, formerly
Of the treasury department. Accord
ing to him the entire appropriation
for the late war amounts to 1851, 1885,
09511. The bonds amount to $780,
100000. If these bonds run 20 years
the interest will amount to $12O, ,OOO,-
600. Lewis placed the collections un-
der the revenue law at $1,OOO,O0O
day, but Conant puts it at $4,000
per month. The law went into effect
July l and may be repealed before
January l, if it is not longer needed,
the war having closed, and the six
months will produce $7S,OO0,000.
This covers every appropriation.
Total, $714,78S, ,095.11 Lewis intention
ally and wilfully misrepresented the
matter to the extent of just ST. ,285, ,211,-
9O4.S9.
But of this sum OF .$714,788,095.11
only about $11O,O00,O00 have been ex-
pended in the prosecution of the war,
and Conant estimates that in CLOSING
the incident" and by July l, 1899 the
total expenditure will have reached
$150,O0O,OO0 and will leave nearly
$500, 100000 in the treasury. Of
course the $2OO,OOO,OOO OF bonds will
not be allowed to run during the 20
years but will be paid at the end of
the 10-year period, thus saving $780,,
O00,O00 of the above estimate, will still
leave about $25O,OOOOOO of the total
appropriation to be transferred from
the war fund to some other purpose.
These are the straight, uncontra-
dictable facts, and they reflect credit
upon the financial management of the