The times., 1899-03-07
TUESDAY. MARCH Z. 1899.
Criticism of Appropriations.

Criticism of Appropriations.
Congress having adjourned, the custom
airy thing happens. The Republican Chair
man of the House Appropriations Commit
Zee issues pronunciamento in which he
points with pride 10 the record of the
session and its predecessors in the matter
of public expenditure. All things consid
cred. he thinks it an excellent one. The
leading minority member of the same COM
mittee also addresses the public. but, of
course. views with alarm the unutter-
able extravaganza which, in his opinion,
has characterized the Fifty-fifth Congress.
Each of these gentlemen has done what
was expected of him. and nobody is much
surprised or agitated in consequence.
Both agree that the extraordinary cost
of the war with Spain. fo= which ap-
propTiations aggregating $4S2. 562. .0S3.41
have been made, justified those expendi
lures. On other points they are not in
agreement, but their differences are not
upon the items which the country at large
will criticise. We may leave the war ap
preparations out of the question. All pa
triotic citizens are satisfied on that score,
but are by no means so as TO other mat
ters. Considering the state of our national
finances. the River and Harbor appropri-
alton, amounting TO So. 600, Coo, and the as
sumption of liabilities on account of future
work 10 the extent of s22, 100000, are in
excusable. On the understanding that the
Nicaragua Canal bill would be passed as
an amendment to the River and Harbor
bill. the public generally was willing TO
swallow the logrolling. chicanery, and
corruption normally incidental TO this
measure. The River and Harbor job
went through, however, and the canal
proposition was killed. Neither Of the two
political parties can claim innocence or
freedom from corrupt and anti-American
influence in the perpetration of this Of
fence against the country.
While extravagant in respect OF rivers
and harbors and public buildings, both
measures being used on a cheerfully nom
partisan basis TO promote designs against
the future prosperity, glory. and safety OF
the United States, the Fifty-ffth Congress
was idiotically penurious and submissive
TO the purposes of the anti-eXpaEsion and
anu-csnal elements, in its treatment of
The navy. The leader who could have
cosXed or shamed Congress into giving US
the twelve additional war vessels asked for
and urgently needed, and made their i'm
mediate construction feasible and man
datory, would have made a popular hero
OF himself The men who really did go
into the scheme to half cripple the navy
in open terms. and wholly destroy any
possibility OF its early expansion, will not
be easily forgotten. They were not con-
fined to either house. In the Senate. one
who had a grievance against the Admin
istration allowed himself TO let that fact
obscure his patriotism and his con-
sideration for a splendid establishment OF
which he had once been the head. Two
other Senators got out their augers and
went to work to scuttIe our ships for no
particular reason other than that they
could be proven guilty before a commits
sion de lunatico inquirendo" on the
strength of anything they have done OF
said for months.
Nomina!ly Congress appropriated six mil
lion dollars for new vessels. The general
idea has been that this appropriation, with
the power added 10 contract for further
construction TO the extent of forty-fou
million dollars, would give us at least six
OF the twelve vessels asked for. AS a mat
ter of fact, il does nothing of the sort
We cannot build warships or armored
cruisers without armor, and the action OF
Congress in fixing the price of armor plate
at three hundred dollars a ton will render
IL impossible 10 do more than make plans
on paper for anything contemplated in the
bill except light-draught gunboats. Graft
Of that class are desirable, and even neces-
sary, and, Of course, they will be built at
once, but they do not cover our present
naval necessities nor the certainty that our
position as a new world power will speed
fly compel the establishment of much
larger and more powerful fleets than we at
present command.
Aside from the war expenses the Con-
agant than the Fifty-fourth Congress. The
difference on the wrong side of the ledger
amounts. according to Mr.. Dockery, TO
s39. .747. .65s.9i. II there is anything repre-
hensible in this IL should largely be
charged to the account of Thomas Bracket
Reed. the autocrat and sole proprietor of
rhe House of Representatives since March
1887. What he desired in the way OF leg!s-
lation WIS humbly handed to him on bend
ed knees by both the Republican majority
and his personally conducted and muzzled
Democratic minority. The latter are only
entitled to righteous reprehension and
punishment for abjectly surrendering their
manhood and representative functions a,
the dictation of the Speaker, and in con-
senting to be led by the individual placed
In charge OF them by the same authority