The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-07
Expenditures of the Previous Con-
gress Were $685. ,211 1897, and Of
the Fifty-FOurth $1,O44, ,5SO,273.
AN EFFORT TO MAKE CAPITAL
MIR. LIVINGSTON SAYS DEMANDS OF
THE PEOPLE WERE IGNORED.
No Money for the Nicaragua Canal
for New Public Buildings or
for Rivers and HarbOrs.

WASHINGTON, March 6. - Representa-
tive Cannon, chairman of the House COM
mittee on appropriations, and Representa-
tive Livingston, the senior Democratic
member of the committee, have prepared
statements of the appropriations of the
Fifty-sixth Congress, which will be printed
I'm the Record tomorrow. Both place the
total appropriations for the Congress at
81, ,440, ,062 5i5, placing those for the first ses-
sicn at $40, 150,S62 and for the second at
S729 9l1 ,6S3. Mr.. Cannon publishes a table
showing the expenditures of the previous
Congress at Sl,56S, PIP, ,637, and Mr.. Living
stcn makes comparison with the Fifty
fourth Congress, which appropriated s1,044,
5SO,273
In his statement Mr.. Cannon says: 1.-THE
appropriations of the session just closing
aggregate, as nearly as can be ascer-
tanned at this time, s729 9i1 ,6s3. This sum
includes sl23 ,6SS for the postal service
and 1000 for the sinking fund. The
increase over the appropriations made at
the first session of this Congress is less
than s20.00O,O0O. and this sum is more than
accounted for by the increase of $40 124, ,45O
made on account of the postal service and
by s13.5l3.057 in the bill that provides for
the maintenance of our naval establish
ment and for the construction, armor and
armament of the new ships of the navy.
One large item is the appropriation of
So, 100000 authorized by legislation at the
first session of this Congress for the st.
Louis exposition.
The total appropriations made at the
two sessions of this, the Fifty-sixth Con-
~
priations made during the two regular ses-
sions of the preceding Congress. The new
revenue law passed at this session will, it is
estimated, reduce taxes for the coming fis-
cal year 900, bringing our total esti-
mated income for the coming fiscal year,
including postal revenues, to $675, ,633, ,042. OF
the total appropriations made at this ses-
sion at least $SO,0OOOO0 will not, in the light
of past experience, be expended. This con-
siderable margin between actual expendi-
lures and appropriations made by Congress
indicates a sum total of expenditures dur
ing the fiscal year 1902 of not exceeding
$685., 911, ,6S3.07 This sum includes $53 O0O. 900
on account of the sinking fund require
ments for the fiscal year 1902, which, of
course, under the terms of law, will be met
only TO such extent as surplus revenue in
the treasury may permit. After meeting
the fullest ordinary requirements of the
public service under the appropriations
which have been made. there will remain
sufficient revenue for 1902 to meet not less
than s3O,O0O,O0O of the requirements of the
sinking fund
CAUSE OF INCREASE.
'The large deficiencies provided for
during the fiscal year 1899 by the first reg
ular session of the Fifty-fifth Congress,
amounting to $349, 772, ,3S9, were almost in
their entirety to cover the expenses of the
military and naval establishments during
the fiscal years 1899 and 1900 incident to the
war with Spain. The most marked increase
indicated in the appropriations for ordinary
expenses of the government made for the
two years 1901 and 1902 at the two sessions
of this Congress over those of the two pre-
ceding years, 1899 and 19OO provided for by
the Fifty-fifth Congress-. is for the postal
service. The necessity of these increasing
appropriations TO meet larger business de-
mands is referred to a cause for con-
graduation The appropriations have been
reduced s12S, ,150,0s2 by this Congress under
those provided for by its predecessor, and
this has rendered possible a reduction of
taxes in the sum of S41, 100000. With con-
tinuance of the wise administration now
enjoyed by this country there is every rea-
son to anticipate a further reduction of
public expenditures in the near future and
a corresponding further reduction of
taxes"
Mr.. Livingston says: THE Fifty-fourth
Congress was the last one that made an
propriations for The support of the govern
ment prior to the beginning of the Span
ish-American war. The Fifty-sixth Con-
gress is the first Congress appropriating
tor the support of the government since
the close of the so-cailed Spanish-Amcri-
can war. The difference between the an
propriations made by the Fffty-sixth Con
gress and those made by the Fifty-fourth
Congress amounts to 1895. .4S2, ,272 During the
session just closed the demands of the peo-
ple through their representatives for the
construction of the Nicaragua canal have
gene unheeded; for new public buildings
they have been persistently denied. The
river and harbor bill has been permitted
TO fail. The payment of just claims of
honest people against the government has
not been provided for. 1t is doubtless con-
ceived TO be wisdom on the part of the
leadership of the dominant party in Con-
gress and the administration TO have denied
these just demands of the people in order
to provide for this enormous increase in ex-
penditures that is almost wholly required
in order TO support the increased military
establishment that has been inaugurated
under the policy of the Republican party"
Notwithstanding the heavy taxation of
the people and the enormous sums that are
-. -
federal treasury. the public works and in
ternal improvements OF every character
throughout the country have practically