Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-03-11
fIF'TY-FIFTH CONGRESS
Authorized the Expenditure Of Over
a Billion and a Half.
DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PROTEST.
Mr.. Dockery, Ranking Democratic

Member of tho Appropriations COM
mittee, Charges Extravaganza EN-
ceeding .sBilIion Dollar Congress"
Washington March 6.-The official
statement of Representative Joseph IT,
Cannon, Of Illinois, the chairman of the
house appropriation committee, sum
ming up the appropriations OF the tlltE'
fifth congress. shows an aggregate ap-
preparation by the entire congress OF ST.
J66. S90,016. and for the session just
closed total of $6113, sos. 400, with au-
thority for contracts subject TO future
appropriations amounting to $io,oOu,oOu.
Chairman Cannon's statement proceeds:
Appropriations made ut the session
lust closed show I'm apparent reduction
of So19.5 I3.0 600 under the appropriations
made at the preceding session. This Is
attributable to the large expenses oc-
caSioned by the war with Spain, that
were provided for during the preceding
session.
The entire appropriations aggregate
81 .566, 500. O16.2S. or this sum $4S2,-
$50. OS3.47 is directly chargcable to our
late war with Spain or incident thereto.
Deducting this charge from the whole
amount Oh the dppIoPii.ttipi'S' I'm
mainder, $1.0S4327 .G32.S1, represents
the ordinary or normal appropriations
made by the Fifty-ifth congress.
The appropriations made by the pre-
ceding congress. the Fifty-fourth.
amounted to $1,044. 5S0.2IS.SI. y CON-
parison shows an increase in ordinary
appropriations made by this congress
over those made by that congress OF
$50. "a 900. but this apparent increase
is more than accounted for by increases
under eight items alone. namely: For
pensions. $4.000,G00: for the postal ser
vice, $1G.000000: for rivers and har-
bors. including work under contracts
previously authorized. S3600.0O0; for
new ships for the navy. S6.0O0OOU; for
beginning the work of the twelfth CEN
sus. 81 100000: for the Paris exposition,
81 100000: for new public buildings, in
GLIDING the buildings for the department
of Justice and for the site and partial
construction Of the new government
printing office. about Sj.000,U00. and for
payments of judgments rendered against
the government on account of French
spoliations and under the Bowman act.
S3100.000.
Mr. Dockery. of Missouri. the ranking
Democratic member OF the house appro-
priations committee, made the following
statement. giving the Democratic view:
THE congress easily SURPRISES 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 limit which would
not be reached. or at least surpassed.
by any of its SUCCESSORS. This congress,
however, has far exceeded the appalling
total Of appropriations then made. and it
will be remembered that the billion dol
lar congress was followed by oyerwhelm-
ing disaster to the Republican party.
Confronted with war with Spain
requiring the imposition of additional
taxation. it is obvious that rigid economy
should have been applied in all other
directions in the expenditure OF public
money. The people were willing to meet
all the demands upon the national treas
ury made necessary by the Spanish war;
but it is fair to presume that they ex-
pected their representatives. in view of
cheerful dispositions manifested to meet
these added burdens, to limit the or
binary appropriations to the necessities
of a wise ana economical administration.
These expectations have not been re-
allied.
1.-THE result is an actual deficiency in
current revenues. amounting on the first
Of this month to 500. 100, 534.50. This de-
fciency. as shown by 4 recent conserva-
tive estimate by Chairman Cannon, OF
the appropriations committee. will prob
ably reach $159,000000 on the 30th Of
June next.
'It is impossible to estimate with alb
solute accuracy the treasury deficiency
for the coming fiscal year. The secretary
Of the treasury. in his annual report,
made in December last. estimated it az
about SCI 100000, but it is now apparent
that it will not be less than S100.000,000.
It is almost certain, therefore. that the
government will be compelled during the
calendar year 1900 to face an actual
treasury deficiency. The $4G2. 000.00,
Of income arising from the sale of bonds
under this administration and that of
President Cleveland will then have been
exhausted and the treasury will pass
from the condition OF a borrowed sur
plus to an actual deficit. Such a condi-
ton must be met either by increased
taxation, by the issue Of treasury GER
t:icates or by an additional bond issue.
Notwithstanding this deplorable
treasury condition, which has been call
ed over and over again to the attention
of congress and the country, appropria-
lions have been made which in many
cases have not been warranted by the
interests OF the public service. or which,
if proper in themselves, should have been
postponed until the national income
should be ample to meet all its liabilities
without the necessity of bond issues.
''The time has come to reform the
scale of national expenditures. The
reckless improvidence Of the outgoing
congress will at least serve the good pur-
pose of arousng the people and Of caus-
ing them to send representatives to the
national capital who will reduce the bur-
dens imposed by riotous appropriations"
wholesale Murderer Confesses.
Emporia. Kan. March John Gil
bert. in his cell in the county Jail, con-
fessed to brutally numbering his wife
and four small children near Enterprise,
Kan, on Tuesday last. Gilbert said he
was badly in debt and had been trying
to leave Enterprise for long time. lie
could not take his family, he said. and
offered his wife a divorce. "She kept
nagging me about the children" said
Gilbert, 'and throwing them up to me-.
When asked why he committed the awful
crime Gilbert said: Il don't know; it