The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-03-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.

traVagant approprIatloos-more than
billion and haIf-made by the
Fifty fifth congress, now happily
dead, would a few years ago have
been sufficient to drive any political
party from power. Only ten years
ago a billion dollar congress drove
the republicans out and put the dem.
ocrats in But it is easy to educate
men into not only condoniDg public
extravaganza, but into commencing
it, especially if some Of the money
be spent 10 way to give them some
personal profit The war is the ez
cuse for the large total of the sppro
priation. but i! is not valid one, and
it should be the duty of every man
opposed to public extravaganza to
appoint himself a committee of one,
to see that no man with whom he
comes in contact shall accept that
excuse for lack of the actual facts.
With every appropriation connected
with the war deducted. the appropri-
atoms made by the Fifty fifth con
gress would still be largely in excess
of those made by any congress- in
our history Keep this fact in your
mind and in the minds of ethers, and
congress aud president may be
elected next year to check the era
of extravaganza into which we have
drifted.
There has been more or less talk in
certain quarters about the anxiety of
Secretary Long to get rid of ihe
cares of Office, but it should cease
now. His acceptance of the bunili
alton Nr. Mckinley placed upon him
when be compelled him to do justice
to Schley by preparing an entirely
new list of naval promotions, which
made Schley rear admiral, two
numbers ahead of Sampson, Instead
of two numbers behind him, as the
original nominations had been was
proof enough that be will not will
ingly reliquish the naval portfolio.
Mr. Mckinley acted because he saw
the administration was catching it in
all directions for its attempt to jump
Sampson over Schley's head, and
that the senate had baked on the
nominations The new nominations
were confirmed by the senate. as
coon as received, just as was that of
Dewey to be admiral
In refusing to take up the resola
iion unanimously reported from the
judiciary committee, declaring that
the four members of the house who
accepted army commissions, thereby
forfeited their seats in congress, the
house merely accepted an opportuni
ty to pay Gen. Joseph Wheeler q
q high compliment, by lodging a
vote that must have been in favor of
the resolution had it been taken
Representative Bailey, however, de
clined to see it in that light and
formally announced that as the depo.
Gratis had declined to follow his
leadership to enforcing plain clause
of the Constitution, he would not be
candidate for that leadership in the
next congress.
Senator Pla.t, of Connecticut,
struck the bulls-eye of truth when
be told the senate few hours before
final adjournment, that the session Of
congress just then closing would go
on record as the most extravagant
ever held. but he started too late, if
be really expected to stop any of the
extravaganza A careful considera-
ton of the appropriation bills will
show that a concerted grab game
was played from start to finish In
the wind up, when the bills were in
conference, and some things had to
be thrown overheard to reach an
agreement, the appropriations of
those having the weakest "pull" had
to go Senators Warren, of Wyo
ming; Wilson, of Washington: Car
ter, of Montana, and several others
who had been admitted to the game
in its early stages, publicly protested
when they found themselves bun
coed by the conference report, but
that didn't do them any good in the
Senate, and will probably not do
them any good at home.
Senator Morgan's attack upon
Gar Reed from the floor of the Sen.
ate was unprecedented, but many
think it was deserved He started
by saying that the action of the ruler
of the House in working through
what has several times been referred
to on the floor of the house as the
clog Combine; for public building
Legislation was ga fraud and an out
rage" and concluded by saying: 81
want to protest against that sort of
legislation | know where the incen-
tive of this performance comes from.
| know the origin of that wrong |