The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-06

So'NuV'VvVt lOE DeBilHlIlB tle WOrk OF
the twelfth census, 81 100000; for the
Paris exposition, 81, ,20O, 900; for new pub
| lie buildings, including the building for
the department of Justice and for q site
and partial construction OF the new
government printing office, about Sc, ,0OO,-
oO0. and for payment Of Judgment rem
dered against the government on ac-
count Of French spollatlons, and under
the bowman act, $3,100.000. The very
natural and necessary Increases in pub
TIC expenditures on account Of the pen
| sion list, the growth of the postal ser
Vice, In response to the demands Of COM
merce, the Improvement OF the great
waterways OF the country, for increasing
the, navy, the construction Of needed
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 ex-
position to be held ut Paris next year,
and the payment OF the French spoila-
ton Judgment and Bowman act cases,
SO long considered by and pressed upon
Congress, aggregate $4,000, ,OOO-more
than dissipating the entire apparent In
crease In the ordinary appropriations
by thls Congress over those made by the
Fifty-fourth Congress.
I
tlons made at this session, contracts
were authorized subject to future ap-
preparations to be made by Congress,
amounting to about s70,OOO,00O or this
amount, s44.000,000 Is for additional
ships for the navy, S22, 800 900 Is for
work on rivers and harbors, and some
thing over s3,OO0,000 Is for public build
ings. The contract system is of neces-
sity applied to the construction of new
warships, which require periods Of
years for their construction. In the
case Of rivers and harbors improve
| ments. and the construction of public
| buildings, experience has shown that
| the authorization Of contracts tends
materially to expedite and cheaper the
same"
ADcmocratic Statement.
Mr.. Dockery, Of Missouri, the ranking
Democratic member OF the house appro-
priations committee, made the following
statement, giving the Democratic
view:
This Congress easily surpasses all Its
predecessors in the stupendous aggre-
gate Of Its appropriations. 1t was
thought that the Fifty-first Congress,
| Tic ollllOIl
Congress-" had-in point of eStrava-
gance Of approprlations-touche lin
it which would not be reached, or ut
least surpassed by any Of its success
| ors.
This Congress, however, has far ex-
ceeded the appalling total of appropra-
tions then made. and 1t will be remem-
bered that the Billion Dollar Congress-
was followed by overwhelming disaster
to the Republican party at the ensuing
| election.
Confronted with war with SPAIN
| requiring the imposition OF additional
| taxation, 1t Is obvious that rigid econ
omy should have been applied In all
other directions to the expenditure Of
public money. The people were will
| ing to meet all the demands upon this
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 'approprl-
ations to the necessities OF u wise and
economical administration. These ex-
pectationS have not been realized
"The result Is an actual deficiency in
current revenues, amounting on the
first of this month to s99, ,109.554 so. This
deficiency, as shown by 4 recent con-
servatlve estimate by Chairman Can
non. Of the appropriations committee,
Will probably reach S159,O00,OOO on the
Goth of June next.
| 1T is impossible to estimate with nb-
solute accuracy the treasury deficit for
the coming fiscal year. The secretary
of the treasury. In his annual report,
made in December last, estimated 1t at
about 1000. 900: but 1t Is now apparent
that 1t will not be less than 100000 900.
1t Is almost certain, therefore, that the
government will be compelled during
the calendar year 1900 to face an actual
treasury deficiency. The $i62, 900, 900 Of
income arising from the sale OF bonds
under this administration and that of
President Cleveland will then have been
exhausted, and the treasury will pass
from the condition of borrowed sur
plus to an actual deficit. Such q con-
dition must be met, either by increased
taxation. or by an additional bond issue.
Notwithstanding this deplorable
| treasury situation, which has been call
cd over and over again to the attention
of Congress and the country, appropria-
uons have been made which, In many
cases, have not been warranted by the
interests of the public service. or which
If proper themselves, should have been
postponed until the national income
should be ample to meet all Its liablli-
ties without the necessity OF bond Is
| sues.
1.-THE appropriations of the original
Billion Dollar Congress- amounted to
l.035, ESQ., ,l09 o.. The appropriations OF
the Congress just ended reach the
mighty aggregate of s1,J66. 500, ,016 2s. It
| ts, Fnt t,, Io1, tl,t. o 400
562.0S3 Al, made necessary to meet the
liabilities on account Of the Spanish
war So IL we deduct from the grand
total the liabilities on account Of the
war with Spain. 1t appears that the ap-
preparations for the ordinary expenses
of the government are S1.094,327, 1892 81.
The appropriations OF the Congress lust
ended to meet the ordinary govern
| mental expenses exceed those OF the
preceding (Fifty-fourth). Congress by
| S39, ,747, ,S5S 81. Not only this, but the
contract liabilities authorized by the
Congress Just expired for new ships and
their armament, public buildings, rivers
and harbors and miscellaneous Items,
amount to s7O,602.524. If. therefore,. to
the ordinary appropriations Is added
the liabilities on account of these au-
thorizcd contracts, we ascertain that
the appropriations and contract llabili-
ties amount to the tremendous total Of
Sl,154,4J6 81.
'"rhese increased appropriations have
gone for French spollation claims, pub
lie buildings, rivers and harbors, Bow
man act claims. and hundreds Of other
projects, some merltorious. but many OF
them not entitled to recognition by the
national government. In nearly every
branch of the civil service OF the gov
ernmcnt there has been an increase of
| appropriations.