Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-03-09
One and Il Half Billions.

Under the leave to print" granted to
members of the House Committee on
appropriations in the last hours of
| Congress, the Congressional Record of
next day contained the following state
ment from the Hon. j. Ct. Cannon of
Illinois, Chairman of the committee. 1t
IS the first complete and authentic
showing of the appropriations made by
the Fifty fifth Congress- and it reveals
the fact that the total is not so great as
mas been reported in previous partial
statements made ON the floor of the
House and the public press Mr. Can
non says;
"The appropriations made at the
| session of Congress just closed amount,
approximately, to 1878, ,64S, 400 and
| show an apparent reduction of $219,
573, 900 under the appropriations made
at the preceding session. This is attrib.
utable to the large expenses occasioned
by the war with Spain that were pro
vided for during the preceding session.
The entire appropriations made by
the Fifty fifth Congress aggregate 81 ;.
SOC, 800, 016.2S. Of this sum 1882, ,562,
OS3.47 is directly chargeable to our late
war with Spain, or incident thereto.
DeductinR this chang" r"".' t'o "iiVi,
| amount of the appropriations, the re-
mainder 81, ,0S1, 327, ,632.S1, represents
the ordinary or normal appropriations
made by the Fifty-fifth Congress.
"The appropriations made by the pre-
ceding Congress, the Fifty fourth,
amounted to 81 Ola. $50. 273S7 A com
parison shows an increase in ordinary
appropriations made by this Congress
over those made by that Congress, the
Fifty fourth, of $50, TAT 900, but this
apparent increase is more than account
| ed for by increases under eight items
alone namely, for pensions, $1,000, 900;
| for the postal service, Sl6, ,OO0,O 900; for
rivers and harbors. including work un-
der contracts previously authorized. S3,
| 600, 900; for new ships for the navy. 80,
600 900; for beginning the work OF the
| twelfth census, 81 600. 000 for the Paris
Exposition, 81 200, 900; for new public
buildings including the building FOR
| the Department of Justice aud for site
and partial construction of the new
Government printing office, about 80,
| 0O0, 900. and for payment of Judgment
rendered against the Government on
account of French spoliations and un-
der .he Bowman act. So, 100, GOO. These
very natural and necessary increases III
public expenditures. on account OF the
pension list, the growth of the postal
serysce in response to the demands OF
commerce, the improvement of the
great waterways of the country. and
| FOR increase Of the navy, the construc-
ton of needed buildings to accommo-
date the Government service in the
cities of the country. the taking OF the
census. the participation OF the Nation
i'm the great exposition to he held NJ
Paris next year and the payment OF the
French spoliation judgments 9pd Bow
man net cases. 80 long considered by
and pressed upon Congress aggregate
$40 900 900. more than dissipating the
entire apparent increase in the ordinary
appropriations by this Congress oyer
those made bp the Fifty-fourth Con
gress
"In addition TO the first approprio
tiong made at this session. cohtractS
were authorized. subject to tuture aP-
uroprintions TO be made by Congress.
amounting to about IO.00o, OOV. v,
this amount %l1. 600 600 is for ndditionai
ships for tho navy, S22, 2,5OO,oOo IL lot
work on rivers and harbors ana some
thing over $1,000. 900 is for public
buildings The contract system il OF
necessity applied 10 the construction OF
new wnrships. which require periods OF
vonrs for their construction. In the
cose of river and harbor improvements
and the construction of public luna
ings. experience has shown that the a9
th0iixntion OF contracts tends material
ly to expedite and cheaper the same