Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-03-06
A TOTAL OF s,.see, sso.oie.
OF This S482 .562 .O83 is Charseable Di
rectiy 10 the War With Spain.

washington, Mdrcn J.-Ine OH1cla
statement of Representative Joseph G.
| Cannon of Illinois, the chairman of the
House appropriation committee, sum-
| ming up the appropriations of the 55th
Congress. shows an aggregate appro-
priation by the entire Congress of
! 81 $50. S9O,016 and for the session just
closed total of $685. 400, with au-
thOrity for contracts subject to the flu
/ ture appropriations amounting to $7O-
| 100000 Chairman Cannons statemen.
| follows:
The appropriations made at the ses-
sion of Congress Just closed amour;
approximately to $673.65S. 400. and show
an apparent reduction of $219573, 900 un-
der the appropriations made at the
! preceding session. This is attribute
| BILE to the large expenses occasioned
by the war with Spain that were pro-
vided for during the preceding session.
The entire appropriations made by
the 55th Congress aggregate $1,566. $780,
| Ol6. OF this sum $482. 1862. O83 is directly
chargeable to our late war with Spain
or incident thereto. Deductng this
charge from the whole amount of the
appropriations. the remainder. $1,Os4.-
'-'sV"s' iSPi TIC VI IiOT-
| NAL appropriations made by the 55th
| Congress.
| The appropriations made by the
preceding Congress. the 54th amount
ed to $1.O44.5S0,2 73. A comparison shows
an increase in ordinary appropriations
made by this Congress over those made
| by that Congress. the 54th. $39, 747, 900;
but this apparent increase is more than
accounted for by increases under eight
items alone. namely. for pensions, a.
| 100000. for the postal service. $4,000
! OOO:i for rivers and harbors. including
work under contracts previously au-
| thorized. $3.60O,000: for new ships for
the navy. $6.000.00O: for beginning the
| the work of the 18th census. 81, OOO, 900;
| for the Paris Exposition, 81. 200. 900: 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.OOOO00; and for payment OF
judgments rendered against the gov
eminent on account of French spoila
| ton and under the Bowman act, So, 1OO.-
900.
These very natural and necessary
increases in public expenditures aggre-
| gate $39, SUV. OOO-more than dissipating
the entire apparent increase in the or
binary appropriations by this Congress
over those made by the 54th Congress.
In addition to the direct appropri-
atoms made at this session contracts
We're authorized, subject to future ap-
preparations to be made by Congress
amounting to about $4,000, 900. OF this
| amount, $44,0O0.OOO Is for additional
ships of the navy. $500. 900 is for work
| on rivers and harbors and something
over $3.OOO,000 is for public buildings.
The contract system is of necessity ap-
Piled to the construction of new war
| ships. which require periods of years
! for their construction. In the case of
river and harbor improvements and
the construction of public buildings ex
perience has shown that the authorize
| ton of contracts terds to expedite and
| cheaper the same
Mr. Dockery of Missouri, the ranking
democratic member of the House appro-
priations committee, made this statement
giving the Democratic view:
This Congress easily surpasses all It's
predecessors in the stupendous aggregat .
Of its appropriations. It was thought that
the 5lst Congress. commonly known as
the Billion Dollar Congress- had, in
! point of extravaganza OF appropriations
. touched limit which wound not he rat:-
/ he'd or at least surpassed by any Of its
successors.