Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-03-06

| Washington, D. c., March 5.-The Of
eph G. Cannon, of Illinois, the chair
man of the House Appropriations Com
mittee, summing up the appropriations
| by the entire Congress of $1,566 $780,
DIG, and for the session just closed a
total of 1878, 65S.40, with authority for
contracts subject to future appropria-
tons amounting to S70,OOO,OOO, is pub
lished. Chairman Cannon's statement
in full follows:
"The appropriations made at the ses-
sion of Congress just closed amount
approximately to 1878, 65S, 400, and show
an apparent reduction of $219,573, 900
under the appropriations made at the
preceding session.
| This is attributable to the large ex-
penses occasioned by the war with
Spain that were provided for during
the preceding session.
''The entire appropriations made by
the Fifty-ffth Congress aggregate ST.
566, S90,016.2S. Of this sum $4S2 ,562,-
OS347 is directly chargeable to our late
war with Spain or incident thereto. De-
Quoting this charge from the whole
amount of the appropriations, the re-
mainder, $1,0S4, 1927 ,632.S1, represents
| the
ORDINARY OR NORMAL
appropriations made by the Fifty-fifth
| Congress.
1.-The appropriations made by the
preceding Congress the Fifty-fourth,
amounted to $1,044, 5S0,273.S A COM
parison shows an increase in ordinary
appropriations made by this Congress
over those made by that Congress, the
Fiftyfourth, of $39, 747,oO0, but this
apparent increase is more than ac-
counted for by increases under eight
items alone, namely; For pensions, $4,-
900, 900; for the postal service, $4,000
600; for rivers and harbors, including
work under contracts previously au-
thorized, $3,600,000 for new ships for
the navy, S6,000,000; for beginning the
work of the twelfth census S1,000,000
| for the Paris exposition, 81 100000; for
new public buildings, including the
| building for the Department of Justice,
and for site and partial construction
of the new government printing Office,
about $5,000,000, and for payment of
| judgments rendered against the govern
ment on account of French spoliations
and under the Bowman act, s3,100,000.
THE VERY NATURAL AND NEG
| ESARY
| increases in public expenditures on ac-
count of the pension list, the growth
| of the postal service in response to
| the demands of commerce, the i'm
provement of the great water ways of
| the country, and for increase of the
| navy, the construction of needed build
| ings to accommodate the government
| service in the cities of the country,
the taking of the census, the partici-
| patton of the nation in the great ex-
| position to be held at Paris next year,
| and the payment of the French spoil
alton judgment and Bowman act cases,
so long considered by and pressed up
on Congress, aggregates $39, 900, 900
more than dissipating the entire ap-
parent increase in the ordinary appro-
priations by this Congress over those
made by the fifty-fourth Congress.
In addition to the direct appropria-
lions made at this session, contracts
were authorized subject to future ap-
4 70 ha do nv
amounting to about $4,000, 900. OF
this amount, $4,000 900 is for addition
| al ships for our navy, S22, $780, 600 is for
work on rivers and harbors and some
| thing over SO, 100000 is for public build
ings. The contract system is of ne
cesity applied to the construction of
| new warships, which require periods
! of years for their construction. In the
case OF the river and harbor improve
ments and the construction 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 Appropriations Commit
tee, made the following statement, Civ
| ing the Democratic view:
| This Congress easily surpasses all its
predecessors 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 extravaganza of appro-
! priations-touched a limit which would
not be reached or at least surpassed by
! any Of its successors.
This Congress. however, has far ex-
ceeded the appalling total Of appropria-
tons then made and it VII be remembered
| that the Billion Dollar Congress was
| followed by Overwhelming disaster TO the
Republican party at the ensuing election.
confronted with a war ~ith Spain. re-
curing the imposition Of additional taxa
| ton, it is obvious that
| RIGID ECONOMY
| should have been applied in all other d.
| rections to the expenditure or public
money. The people were willing 10 meet
all the dema nds upon the national treas
ury made necessary by the Spanish war.
but ii is far TO presume that they expect
| ed their representatives, in view of the
cheerful disposition manifested to meet
l these added burdens. to limit the ordinary
appropriations to the necessities of a wise
and ecdn omical administration. These
expectat IS have not been realized