The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-03-09
.THB APPROPRIATIONS.
Cannon Defends Vast Amount
Voted by Congress.
sUcH DUE TO SPANISH WAR,
Ir. Docitsry Said There Would he a
Great Treasury Deficit Must Be Met
by Increased Taxation, Treasury Ger
ncates Iasue or n Bond Issue.

WASHINGTON, March 6.--The official
statement of Representative Joseph G..
Cannon Of Illinois, the chairman of the
house appropriations committee, sum.
ming up the appropriations of the Fifty
fifth congress, said IN part:
The entire appropriations made by the Fi,
ty. Hfth congress aggregate 81, l,j68 800, 628.
Of this sum S4s2,582,uS37 is directly charge
able to our late war with Spain or incident
thereto.
Dedueting this charge from the whole
amount Of the appropriations, the remainder.
81 ,08I 827 ,63!.5l. represents the ordinary or
normal appropriations made by the Fifty fifth
congress.
The appropriations made by the preceding
congress. the Fifty.fourth, amounted to 81,
044 SO, 1881. A comparison shows an tacrease
In ordinary appropriations made by this con
gress over those made by that congress, the
Fifty'tourth, Of S9,7I7 ,00J but this apparent
increase is more than accounted for by in.
creases under eight items alone, namely: For
pensions, $LUUOOlO; for the postal service, Sl6,
OOJ0D; for rivers aud harbors. including
work under contracts previously authorized.
S,6OOOOO; for new ships for the navy, 81 co..
OOO; for beginning the work OF the twelfth cen
sus, 81 ,OOO OOy for the Paris exposition, SlsGOO
CO.; for new public buildings, including the
building tor the department ol justice and FOR
site and partial construction of the new gov
ernment ptinting office. about s. 0O000J and
for payment OF judgments rendered against
the government ON account OF French spola.
tions and under the Bo @man act, 50 100 200.
In addition to the direct appropriations
made at this session contracts were author
lied subject to future appropriations TO be
made by congress amounting TO about $1,000.
OO. OF this amount. $i4,OOJ0JJ Is for addi.
uonal ships for the navy, S2!.5l00JO is for
work on rivers and harbors and something
over s3,OOD,O.O Is for public buildings. The
contract system is OF necessity applied to the
construction of new wurships. In the case OF
river and harbor improvements and the con
structlon OF public buildings, experience has
shown that the authorization OF contracts
tends materially to expedite and cheaper the
same.
Mr.. Dockery of Missouri, the ranking
Democratic member of the house an.
preparations committee. made state.
ment, giving the Democratic view, say.
ing in part:
This congress easily surpasses all its prede-
cessors in the stupendous aggregate OF its
appropriations. 1t was thought that the Fifty.
first congress, commonly known as the
"billion dollar congress" had--in point of ex.
travagance or OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES limit
which would not be reached or at least sur
passed by any Of its successors.
This congress, however, has far exceeded the
appalling total of appropriations then made
and 1t will be remembered that the 'bilIiop
dollar congress" wHs followed by overwhelm.
ing disaster to the Republican party at the
ensuing election.
IL Is impossible to estimate with absolute
accuracy the treasury deficiency for the com.
ing fiscal year. The secretary OF the trens.
ury, in his annual report made In December
last, estimated it at about s3l, ,OOO,OOO 1t is
almost certain, therefore, that the govern
yvi he led 1n
year 1900 to face AN actual treasury deficiency
The si62,OOO,OO U of income arising from the
sale OF bonds under this administration and
that Of President Cleveland will then hay,
been exhausted, and the treasury will pass
from the condition OF "a borrowed surplus Ia
an actual deficit. such n condition must be
met, either by increased taxation, or by the
issue of treasury certificates, or by an add.
tional bond issue.
The appropriations of the original "billion
dollar congress" amounted to 81 OS5 $50, loo. Va,
The appropriations of the congress Just ended
reach the mighty aggregate ot 81 ,506, so Ol0 2s
II Il fair TO deduct from this total Sls2, ,56g,.
VS3A, made necessary to meet the liabilities
OF the Spanish war. so II we deduct from the
grand total the liabilities on account OF the
war With span II appears that the appropria
tons for the ordinary expenses of the govern
ment are SlOSi,32 059sl The appropriations
OF the congress Just ended To meet the ordi.
the preceding, Fifty fourth, congress by $50.
Ti,G S.94 Not only this, but the contract Liza.
bilities authorized by the congress lust ex
pired for new ships and their armament pub.
lie buildings, rivers and harbors and mscella.
neous items amount To S7O6U2 a. II, there.
fore, to the ordinary appropriations is added
the liabilities on account of these authorized
contracts, We ascertain that the appropria.
tons and contract liabilities amount to the
tremendous total Of 81 l5i9 0,i16.sl.
These Increased appropriations have gone
for French spOhation claims, public buildings,
rivers. harbors, Bowman act claims and hun.
dred OF other projects, some meritorious, but
MANY OF them not entitled 10 recognition by
the national government. In nearly every
branch of the civil service Of the government
there has been AN increase of appropriations.
The time has come 10 reform the scale OF
national expenditures. The reckless i'm.
providence OF the outgoing congress will at
least serve the good purpose OF arousing the
people, and Of causing them To send repre-
sentatives to the national capital who viii re-
duce the burdens imposed by riotous appro-
priations.