The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-06
EXPENDITURES
ARE APPALLING

from First Page.

ooVyOVU
of bonds under this administration and
that of President Cleveland will then
have been exhausted and the treasury
will then have passed from the condi-
ton of a borrowed surplus to an ac-
tual deficiency. Such a condition must
be met either by increased taxation or
by the issue of treasury certificates
or by an additional bond issue.
Notwithstanding this deplorable
treasury situation, which has been call
ed over and over again to the atten-
ton of congress and the people, appro-
priations have been made which, in
many cases, have not been warranted
by the interests of the public service
or which, if proper in themselves.
should have been postponed until the
national income should be ample to
meet all it's liabilities without the ne
cesstty Of bond issues.
The appropriations of the original
billion dollar congress amounted to
81, 035. $50, 1884. The appropriations of
the congress just ended reach the
mighty aggregate Of 81, 566. 1890, 016.28. 1t
is fair to deduct from this total $780,
562. OS3.47. made necessary to meet the
liabilities of the Spanish war. So. if
We deduct from the grand total the
Liabilities on account of the war with
Spain, it appears that the appropria-
lions for the ordinary expenses of the
government are $1,0S4, 1927, 932.S1.
THE appropriations of the congress
just ended to meet the ordinary govern
mental expenses exceed those of~the
preceding .Fifty -fourth) congress by
$39, TAI, 658.94.I Not only this, but the
contract Liabilities authorized by the
congress expired for new ships and
their armament, public buildings, riv-
ers and harbors and miscellaneous
items amount to $70,602, 524 If, there
fore, to the ordinary appropriations are
added the liabilities on account of these
authorized contracts, we ascertain that
the appropriations and contract liabil-
tiles amount to the tremendous total
of 81, 154, 930, 1851.
These increased appropriations have
gone for French spoliation claims, pub
lie buildings, river and harbors, Bow
man act claims and hundreds Of other
projects, some meritorious, but any of
them not entitled to recognition by the
national government. In. nearly every
branch of the civil service of the gov
ernments there has been an increase of
appropriations. u a5lsa s.7;'. ~.
THE time has come to reform the
scale OF national expenditures The
reckless ,improvidence of the outgoing
congress will at least serve the good
purpose of arousing the people and of
causing them to send representatives
duce the burdens imposed by riotous
appropriations. 49,
REPUBLICAN SIDE OF IT.
The statement Of Representative
Joseph G.. Cannon, of Illinois, the chair
man of the house appropriations COM
mittee. summing up the appropriations
for the Fifty fifth congress, shows an
aggregate appropriation by the entire
congress of 81, sec, S9O,O16, and for the
session just closed a total of S673, $685.
400 with authority for contracts sub
ject to future appropriations amount
ing to $4,000, 000 Chairman Cannon's
statement follows:
The appropriations made at the
session Of congress just closed amount
approximately to $673, 65S, 400 and show
an apparent reduction Of $219, 573, 900
under the appropriations made at the
preceding session. . III.
This is attributable to the large
expenses Occasioned by the war with
Spain that were provided for during
the preceding session
The entire appropriations made by
the Fifty-fifth congress aggregate ST.
566,S90, 016.2S,- OF this $482, Sc, OS3.47 is
directly chargeable to our late war or
incident thereto. Deducting this charge
from the whole amount of the appro-
priations, the remainder, 81, OS4, 327, 632. 81,
made by the Fffty-fifth congress.
THE appropriations made by the
preceding congress-, the Fifty fourth,
amounted to 81 ,044, $50, 273 81. A COMPARE
son shows an increase in ordinary ap-
propriationsa made by this congress
over those made by that congress. the
Fifty fourth. of 9,747, 900; but this ap-
parent increase is more than account
ed for by Increases under eight items
alone. namely for pensions $4,000, OOO;
for the postal service, SIS 900; rivers
and harbors. including work under con-
tracts previously authorized, $4,000. 900:
new ships for the navy, $4,000, 900; for
beginning the work of the twelfth CEN
sus, ST, O0O,O 600; for the Paris exposition.
81, 2O0,O 600; for new public buildings. in
Guiding the building for the depart
ment of justice, and for site and par
tial construction of the new govern
ment printing office, about S., 000 900,
and for payment Of judgments render
ed against the government on account
of French spoliations and under the
Bowman act, $31O0.OOO
--'-' INCREASED EXPENSES.
''These very necessary and natural in
-creases In public expenditure on ac-
count of the pension list, the growth
of the postal service in response to the
demands of commerce, the improve
ment of the great waterways of the
country ana Tor increase of the navy,
the construction of needed buildings to
accommodate the government service
in the cities of the country, the taking
of the census the participation of the
nation in the great exposition to be
held at Paris next year and the pay
ment of the French spoliation iudg
ments and Bowman claims, so long
pressed upon congress, which aggre-
gate $3;;f00,0Q0, more than account for
the apparent Increase in the ordinary
appropriations by this congress over
those made, by the F'ifty-fourth con-
gress.
''In addition to the direct appropria-
lions made at this session. contracts
were authorized, subject to future an
propriat16nss TO be made by congress.
amounting to about $70,0OO,OOO OF this
amount $AQ0O.000 is for additional
ships for the navy, 22,50O,OOO is for
work on rivers and harbors, andesome-
thing over So, 100000 is for public build
ings The contract system is of ne
cessity applied to the construction of
new warShips, Which require periods of
years for their construction
In the case of river and harbor i'm
provements and the construction of
public buildings, experience has shown
that the authorization of contracts
lends materially to expedite and
cheaper the Same''
Ten Per Cent Increase.
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