The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-14
LET'S CALL A HALT
CONGRESSIONAL ENTRANAGANCE
DISCU SSED.
STARTLING FIGURES SHOWN
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS TO he
$500, ZOO, 900.

Cost of Running the Government
Has Increased From S4.I5 to $40
Per Capita in single Decade.
Total Appropriations Exceed Those
for 1864, the Most Expensive Year
of the civil Wnr-Strong Words
From Mr. Cochran.
Washington, Feb. 1S.-The House de-
voted to-day. excepting AN hour and a
half consumed i'm counting the electoral
vote and promulgating the result of the
presidential election to the sundry civil
appropriation bill. General debate upon
this measure was completed and the bill
was read for amendment, Little actual
progress, however, was made with the
bill During the debate the opposition
opened general assault upon the eXtrav-
agance OF the present Congress, Messrs.
Bell of Colorado Richardson of Tennessee
and Cochran of Missouri, in turn made
speeches.
Messrs. Cannon of Illinois and Moody
of Massachusetts defended the record of
Congress in the matter of appropriations.
Fifteen OF the 1874 pages of the bill were
disposed of.
Mr.. Bell of Colorado, a member of the
Appropriations Committee. produced fig
ures to show that in a single decade the
per capita cost of carrying on the gov
ernmental machinery had increased from
$40 to over $40. The speech was inter-
rupted TO permit the counting of the
electoral votes. aud was concluded imme-
diately after that ceremony
Mr.. Cochran declared that the total APP
preparations for the next year, if reckoned
in gold, would exceed the appropriations in
1864, when the Federal government had J.
POO ships on the sea, maintaining block
AIDE from Galveston to the Chesapeake,
and 1,eO0,0G0 men on land engaged in the
most tremendous military enterprise in
the history of the age.
Talk about progress and Christianity"
he continued. IF progress and Christian
ity mean marching under many flags of
plumber and the swords of Christian SOL
diers dripping in the blood of p,undered
people, it is time 10 quit or fling away the
masquerade and say Progress has turned
free booter, Christianity slumbers and
God is dead " Democratic applause.
Mr.. Richardson of Tennessee said the
total appropriations at this session would
reach $S00.0000C0. Four years ago when
President McKinleys administration be
gan, the annual appropriations were
about $40, 600. He conceded that the
appropriations would naturally increase
every year, but. why, he asked, this pro-
digious increase of over $500 100000.
The war had been over two years and
could not be charged with these increases,
for the increases We're not confined to the
army and navy appropriation bills. There
was an increase in every one of the ap-
preparation bills.
Mr.. Richardson referred to the appro-
priation for the New York custom house
| as an item that could have been omitted.
| This aroused considerable controversy
At the close of the general debate the
bill was read for amendment under the
fve-minute rule.
Upon points of order made by Mr..
Olmstead, of Pennsylvania, the appropria-
ton of $4,000 for a tender for the in
spector of the ninth lighthouse district.
and $4,000 for a tender for the tenth dis
trict, $4,000 for tender for the thirteenth
district, and $4,000 for a tender for the
sixteenth district, were stricken from the
bill.
At 5:35 p. m. the House adjourned.