The record-union., 1899-03-06
Appropriations Of the Session Just
Closed.
The Aggregate Amount Runs Over a Billion
and a Half.
OF Course the Heavy Expenditures
of the War Swe11ed the Total
Greatly-There Was an Increase
in Pensions, River and Harbor
Appropriations and Other Things
Senator Dockery's Views.

in Pensions, River and Harbor
Appropriations and Other Things
Senator Dockery's Views.
WASHINGTON, March 5.-The Off
cial statement of Representative JOS
eph G. Cannon of Illinois, Chairman OF
the House Appropriation Committee,
summing up the appropriations Of the
fifty-fifth Congress, shows an aggre-
gate appropriation by the entire Con-
vrees of 81, 566, $780, 16, and for the SEES
sian just closed, a total of S6l365S,2Uu
with authority for contracts subject 10
fut are appropriations amounting TO
S5O.00O,000. Chairman Cannon's state
ment in full is as follows:
THE appropriations made at the ses-
sion of Congress just closed amount APP
proximately to 1913, 65S 400 and show
an apparent reduction of $219,o1l, UOD
under the appropriations made at the
preceding session. This is attribute
BILE to the large expenses occasioned by
the war with Spain that were provided
for during the preceding session. The
entire appropriations made by the
S9OO16.2S. OF this sum S4S2, 562.-
OS3. AZ is directly chargeable to our late
war with Spain or incident thereto. De-
Quoting this charge from the whole
amount of the appropriations the re-
mainder, $1,0S4, 327 ,6332.S1 represents
the ordinary or normal appropriations
made by the fifty-fifth Congress
1.-THE appropriations made by the pre-
ceding Congress, the fifty-fourth,
amounted to 81, OLA. $50. 213-S1. A
comparison shows an increase in ordi-
nary appropriations made by this Con-
gress over those made by that Con-
gress. the fifty-fourth, Of S39, I4l ,UJO,
but this apparent increase is more than
accounted for by increases under eight
items alone, namely, for pensions S4,-
100000; for the postal service Slo,-
100000: for rivers and harbors, includ-
ing work under contracts previously
authorized, $1,000 0O0: for new ships for
the navy. &6 G00,000; for beginning The
work of the twelfth census, S1.OO0.O0o;
for the Paris Exposition, ST ,2oO.UO;
for new public buildings, including the
building for the Department of Justice
and for site and partial construction
of the new Government Printing Or
flee. about S5,O00,000, and for payment
of judgments rendered against the
Government on account of French
spoliations and under the Bowman Act.
So 100 GOO These very natural and
necessary increases in public expendl-
lures. on account of the pension list,
the growth of the postal service in re-
Spouse to the demands Of commerce,
the improvement of the great water
ways of the country and for increase of
the navy, the construction of ceded
buildings to accommodate the Govern
ment service in the cities of the coun-
try. the taking of the census, the par
ticipation of the nation in the great
exposition to be held at Paris next year
and the payment of the French spolia-
ton judgments and Bowman Act cases
so long considered by and pressed upon
Congress aggregate S39, 900, 000-more
than dissipating the entire apparent in
crease in the ordinary appropriations
by this Congress over these made by
the fifty-fourth Congress.
In addition to the direct appropria-
lions made at this session, contracts
were authorized. subject to future APP
preparations to be made by Congress,
amounting to about $10,010000. OF
this amount $44, COO, 600 is for additional
ships for the navy. 22500.01O is for
work on rivers and harbors, and some
thing over 100000 is for public
buildings The contract system is OF
necessity applied to the construction
of new warships, which require periods
of years for their construction. In the
case of river and harbor improvements
and the construction of public build
ings, experience has shown that the au-
thorization of contracts tends material
1y to expedite and cheaper the same"
Mr. Dockery of Missouri, the rank
ing Democratic member of the House
Appropriations Committee, made the
following statement, giving the Demo
cratic view:
This Congress eesily surpasses all its
predecessors in the stupendous aggre-
gate of its appropriations 1t was
thought that the fifty-frst Congress
commonly known as the sBillion-D Dollar
Congress- had, in point of extrava-
gance of appropriations. touched a
limit which would not be reached OF
at least surpassed by any of its sue
cessors.
This Congress, however, has far cx-
ceeded the appalling total o, appropria-
tions there made, and it will be remem-
bered that the Billion Dollar Congress
was followed by overwhelming disaster
to the Republican party at the ensuing
election.
Confronted with a war with Spain,
requiring the imposition of additional
taxation. it is obvious that rigid econ
omy should have been applied in all
other directions to the expenditures OF
public money. The people were willing
to meet all the demands upon ths
national treasury made necessary by
the Spanish war; but it is fair to pre-
sumo that they expected their repre-
sentatives, in view of the cheerful dis
position manifested. to meet these
added burdens. to limit the ordinary
appropriations to the necessities OF a
wise and economical administration
These expectations have not been re-
allied.
1.-The result is an actual deficiency Ia
current revenues, amounting, ON the
list of this month, to 500, 10!}, oo4-3
This deficiency, as shown by recent
conservative estimate by Chairman
Cannon of the Appropriations Commit
fee will probably reach $159,OOuWt
an the Goth of June next
1T is impossible to estimate with
absolute accuracy the treasury dell