The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-03-10

Total appropriations made
aS8e by this congress at reg
aa ular and extra sessions
in 1S97-9S $685., 500, 600
Total appropriations to be
s#5 made during the present
4ss session, ending March f.. 675, OOC, 900
sAsS 4 rand total Of a%ppropria-
ss tiCns by the present ON
S8M SleSS ......... ....... . p ,oOi ,oUu .OCU
ss The Fifty-rGth congress will go
down on record as the most prodigal
stn the history Of the republic. 1t
puts the Reed Billion Dollar Con-
@gress' in the shade by the matter Of
1857, 000, 900. The total deficiency in
revenues for the fiscal year ending mex
June will aggregate no less than $751;
000, 900. Of the total outlay of ma
tional funds by vote Of this congress,
about 1884, 600, 900 is %chargeable to the
war with Spain.
5@ Because of the p%ro1igacy of congress
In providing ways and means for emp
Tying the national treasury, there is to
he an eleventh-hour fight Of congress
sional economists against the Nicara-
qua canal on the ground that there is
mot enough cash on hand to warrant
this expenditure.
Because Of this same p%ronigacy there
will remain in the national strong box
sSeo June 80, according to the official
Figures Of the Republican chairman of
3@the house committee on appropria-
~tions, exclusive Of gold reserve, only
8$S, 000, 900 Of the $500, coo, 0G0 war bond
Tissue.
Taunted by his Democratic col
leagues into f%rankness and figures,
Chairman Cannon of the committee IN
appropriations told the house a plain
tale, which, stripped of verbiage, sets
81 forth these facts:
# First-He will oppose the passage Of
h the Nicaragua canal billiard in this
\ he is said to reflect the ideas OF
4 Speaker Reed-because the eXpendi-
4 lures thus far made have SO stripped
l the treasury that this extra expense
would swamp it.
NNNSt Al IN tollICiNt
for this fiscal year have been eXpend-
ed, the war bond issue has been depict
ed, ard By June 80 the government
will have a deficiency Of at least $l59,-
0,U00, perhaps more.
Third-Inless congress exercises
rigid economy in public expenditures
for the next two years, there will have
to ho incroocoI ioSo4inr 1nr;o1 ~, thD
people, or there will have to be an adj
ditional issue of bonds.
Chairman Cannon did not give this
information freely and voluntarily. He
was provoked to f~rankness by the
importantly Of Republican demands
for large appropriations for every con-
ceivable purpose and by the insistencc
Of the Democrats that he state why he
was opposed to the Nicaragua canal
bin becoming a law at this session O
congress.
The sundry civil bill. discussion CT
which brought out Chairman Can
mons warning Of probable increased
taxation or a bond issue, carries ap-
proximately SAB, 000, Geo for various
public improvements and the $40, 900,
600 indemnity to Spain for r%elinquish,
ing sovereignty in the Philippines.
Chairman Cannon said that the sec.
rotary Of the treasury had made ar
error in estimating the deficiency fol
this fiscal year at only SIP, 00O, 900
of the fiscal year show that the av.
erage monthly deficit was $13, OO0, 900
not taking into consideration the $40.
600, 900 indemnity for Spain, and this
he was satisfied, would not be reduced
so that the total deficiency for the
fiscal year could not be under $3.50,
900, 900.
Besides all this, the naval commit
tee would have to report a bill pro.
viding for ten or twelve warships tt
meet changed conditions; there woulc
have to be an appropriation for thu
army sufficient to maintain sovereign
ty in the new territories. 1t was tn;
part of wisdom, he said, not to e
beyond the resources of the govern,
ment. This would happen, however, i
the greatest economy were not exer
cised.
81 am not willing to pass the bill
providing for the Nicaragua canal,
said he, until after it has been prop
erly considered; until after we hav,
negotiated with Costa RIGA and Mica
ragua for the strip of territory neces
sary, and then l am not willing t(
pass it until sufficient revenues hav.
been provided to meet the expense o
construction. In the three weeks re
naming Of the life of this congres
the time is not enough to properly
consider the bill"
"You are not in favor, then" asked
Mr.. Dockery, "of putting the Nicara
qua canal bill on an appropriation
measured"
"The time is too short to intelli
gently consider it," replied MI. Can