The Portland daily press., 1899-02-10
OPENING A PORK BARREL.
Raid on National Treasury for Public
Buildings.
First Opening of Thi. Kind for several
Years and Congressman Arc Taking
Advantage oft.
SPECIAL 20 THE IRxss.i


Washington. Feb. e-For the last two
days the House has been considering bills
for the erection of public buildings for
the aocomIn odation OF United States post
officers and courts in various cities of the
country. The committee reported for
about seventy five OF these buildings, of
which the total cost will be about ten
million dollars. IL is quite likely tina,
all these bills will pass before the end o
thi, Congress The passage of such bills
is called the opening of the pork barrel
IL is a great event in the Congress, and
has not occurred since nine years ago,
when Congressman Milliken. of Maine.
was chairman Of the committee. That
was the last time that the public revenues
were considered to be in such state "a
to allow of the expense. There was then
a surplus in the treasury, and the reve-
nue. of the government was in excess of
| its expenditure. Afitr 1850 the tariff then
made yielded just about revenue enough
for the government as it was intended to
But the Wilson bill destroyed the
equipoise of the finances, and they have
never been restored 1t was the aim OF
the Republican statesmen in the last Con-
ere.s and in the first part of this Congress
to keep the expenses down and get tbs
revenue up so that they should meet Mt
least For this purpose the Dingley bill
was passed, and at the normal expendi
ture of half billion dollars yearly there
seemed to be fair degree of certainty
that the bin would furnish all the reve-
nue. required or an economical admins
| tration OF the government Probably
there would have been few public build
| iugs erected under tbs plans of finance
contemplated by the trainers OF the Ding
| ley tari II.
But the war has changed all that. an
new ideas and new aims are possessing
| the thour hts and the dreamsof states
men. when everything Is expanding tn
| members OF the House will not allow tht
policy of contraction as to puhlie builu'
| ings TO prevail any longer. This explain
| the return TO the policy of erecting public
| buildings
Some of the buildings erected are abso-
lutey required; but for every meritorious
case there seems to be at least another
that has no merit. small villages get
500, 900 buildings. apparently because II
Ia necessary to conciilate enough votes /
the House to pass the bills thar are need
ed. vi COuEbG tlliS - NV MI
pheromenon In Legislative bodies a !
though the Democratic side Of the Hons
will try to throw the responsibility for the
OK penditure on to the Repu blieans the
Democrats are In 1t very deep, and per
haps get more buildings for uumeritorlous
places than do the Republicans. Nhet
the public buildings pork barrel is open d
in Congress the Democrats are sure TO ge
their share of pork, In spite Of their reluc
lance to admit any responsibility for
afterwards.
1t is TO be said that the barrel which Il
opened this session Is, relatively speaking,
modest. Ten million dollars is u large
sum; but the Chairman of the Commute
on Public Buildings and GrOGnus Il
thought to have managed very well
keep his programme within even these
limits. There are included in IL somt
cry necessary improvements, as well ~
Others wholly unnecessary.