The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-03-08
hitFifth Congress Out
does Famous Hfty-frst.
DEMOCRATIC VIEW OF
THE EXTRAVAGANCE.

C0aim20 OF tn6 nousS SPplt.pGtastouS
committee, summing up the appro-
priatioos Of the Fifty fifth congress.
shows az aggregate ppropriation By
The entire congress of $I DOT, $780,
oi6, and, for the session just closed,
Z total Of S673 .65s. 400, with author
isy for contracts for future appropria
I lions amounting to $4,000 ,0Go.
Chairman Cannon's statement in full
follows The appropriations made
at the session of congress just closed
amount approximately TO $673, ,65S,
s4c1, and shows an apparent reduc-
ton of $2l9. $4,000 under the ap
propriasionH made at the preceding
session This is attributable to the
large expenses occasioned by the
war with Spain that were provided
for during the preceding session
The entire appropriations made
bys the Fifty-ffth congress aggregate
81, SOC, 500, ,0i6 %. OF this snm,
$4S2, $50, ,083 47 is directly ohargea-
( Bile 10 our iste wax with Spain or
incident thereto: .Deducting this
charge from the wnoie amount Of the
appropriations the remsinder, S .084,
327 ,632 81 represents the ordinary
OF normal appropriations made by the
Fifty fifth congress.
The appropriations made by the
preceding congress, the Fifty fourth,
amonnt so 81 ,044, ,5SU,2T3 81. A
comparison shows an increase in
ordinary appropriations made by this
congress over those made by that
sengress, the Fifty fourth. Of $780,
747 900 !; bu. this apparens increase
Is more than accounted for by in
creases under eight items alone,
namely, for pensions 81, ,0eo, 600; for
the postal service $4,000 900 for.
rivers and hsrbors. including work
under contracts previously author
ized, So coo, 900 for new ships for
she navy S6. coo, 900 for beginning
the sc.. of the twelfth census 81
900 ,o0e for the Paris exposition
81 ,200, 600 for new pubic build
ings, including the building for the
department of justice, and for the
site snd par,ial construction of the
neg governme ent printsng Office, about
So, ,oe6, 900 and fer payment Of
Judgments rendered against the
government on account of French
spoliaiions, and under 3he Bowman
act, S3, zoe, 900 These very natural
and necessary increases in public
expenditures, on account of. the
pension list, the growth of the postal
service in response to the demands
OF commerce. the Improvement Of
the great waterways of the country
and for increases OF the navy, the
construction of needed buildings to
accommodate the government service
IL the cities of the country, taking of
the census, the participation of the
nation 10 The great exposition TO be
held at Paris next year, aud the pay
ment Of the French spolistion judg
ments and Bowman act cases, so long
considered by and pressed upon
congress, sggregeting s3s. 100000.
more than dissipating the entire
apparent increase IN the ordinary
appropriations by this congress over
those by the Fifty sourth congress
ssIn addition to the Greet appro-
priations made at this session, con
tracts were suthorized, snbieet to
future appropriations to be made by
congress. amounting 20 about s70,-
600: 600. OF this amount S44 ,000,- :
600 is for ships for the navy, S22,.
500. 900 is for work on rivers aud
harbors, and something over:S3 .000,-
900 is for public buildings. The
contract system is of necessity ap
piled to the construction of new war 1
ships, which require periods of years
for construction In the case of river
and harbor improvements and the
authorization Of public buildings, ex-
perience has shown that the author
iza.ion Of contracts tends materially
20 expedite and cheaper the same" /"
Mr Dockery Of Missouri, the rank.
lag Democratic menSer Of the house
appropriations committee. made the
sollowiag statement giving the DEM
ocfatic view: "This congress easily
surpasses all it's predecessors in the
stspendous aggregate of its appro
priations Il was thought that the
5lst congress, commonly known as
the billion dollar congress, had-in
point of extravagsnce of appropria
tions-tcuched limit which would
not be resched, or. at least, surpass
ed. by any of its successors.
This congress, however, has far