The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-18
A BILLION DOLLARS
APPROPRIATIONS BY CONGRESS
APPROACH THIS.
THE LARGEST IN HISTORY.
REPUBLICANS GETTING NERVOUS
OVER PROSPECT.


gregate $75O,OOO.OOO and Some OF
the Big Hills Are Yet Enacted on.
This Makes Passage of River and
HarbOr Bill Somewhat Dubious
and viii Also BE Used as nm Ex-
cuse to Shut or Canal Legislation.
The Former Billion Dollar Con-
sress Took Two Sessions to Reach
This Figure, But This One Threat
ems 10 Do 1t in One.
Washington, May 17.-Republican
| leaders are threatened with billion
dollar session." unless an early adj
journment of Congress is reached. In
looking over the annual money bills
which have passed the House and Sen
ate during the present session, it will
be found that the appropriations al
ready made aggregate something in the
neighborhood of $3.50, 100000 This does
not include all of the general appropria-
ton bills, for some of the latter have
not yet been acted upon by the Senate
and others are still in conference.
A few years ago the party in power
was seriously troubled with the charge
of bringing on a "Billion-dollar Con-
gress," which included two or more ses-
sions. Now the prospect that the APP
propriations for the present session
may foot up to a billion of dollars,
fills the administration leaders with
alarm, and makes them anxious to
bring about an adjournment as soon as
possible. A distinguished Republican
senator. who is directly interested in
the consideration of the appropriation
bills, expressed great surprise when in
formed to what extent the treasury is
being drawn upon by the present Con-
gress.
1T will be disastrous, from a party
standpoint, If we have to go before the
country at the fall elections with rec
ord of having expended a billion dol
lars during a single session of Congress.
We have been condemned before for
appropriating a billion dollars during
two sessions and our Democratic oppo-
nents will not be slow to take advan-
tage of fixing upon US the responsible
tty for making such an unprecedented
raid upon the Treasury at one session.
We have been very generous in our ex-
penditures, both at home and abroad,
and some of the appropriations are un-
doubtedlY open to criticism. Unless we
put the brake on and shut down on the
outflow of money from the Treasury
we will find ourselves confronted by a
deficit instead of an increasing surplus
in the Treasury"
This spasm of economy on the part
of certain Republican leaders is said
to be insincere. 1t is openly charged
that the real object is to kill off the
river and harbor appropriation BILL
which carries about $4,000, 900 and 1t
is also said that definite Legislation in
behalf of the Isthmian Canal project
is to be postponed in the interest of a
reduction in the public expenditures
during the present session. The same
argument will be advanced to defeat
the passage of the ship subsidy bin in
the House. 1t was out of consideration
for the condition of the treasury that
Uncle Joe" Cannon hesitated about
following the Senate in its generous
contribution of 100000 to the West In
dian sufferers.
- In connection with the relief appro-
priation for Martinique. it is related
that one of the nine members of the
House who voted against the original
appropriation was asked for an ex-
PLANTATION of his vote.
Il have no explanation. 1t is up to
the other fellows who voted for that
appropriation to explain to their con-
stituents and the country why they
were so liberal with the peoples money.
I am half inclined to become a self
appointed collector for the Martinique
relief fund. l would just like to see
how much money 1 could collect from
the individual members who voted for
that appropriation"
May Adjourn in June.
All the indications now point to, an
adjournment of the present session the
latter part of June. The President is
telling his friends that he cannot make
any engagements to leave Washington
until June %. as he expects Congress
to be off his hands by that time His
Judgment in that direction is based
upon the statements made to him by
Senators Lodge, Allison, Aldrich and
other members of the Senatorial Steer
ing Committee, charged with the reg
uiating the legislative programme. One
of the members of the Steering" Com
mittee in conversation with your cor
respondent, remarked:
The appropriation bills are so ad-
Vanced that l believe an adjournment
will be reached probably by the 18th of
June, and not later than July. You
as the money bills are out of the way
interest in the other legislation pending
soon languishes. After we get the ap-
preparations bills disposed of it will not
take long to reach an agreement con-
corning other legislation now pending.
To Defeat Cuban Relief.
1t is part of the programme Of the
beet sugar men and those who are op-
posed to Cuban reciprocity to insist
that the Isthmian Canal bill shall fol-
low the Philippine bill, should the lat
ter measure pass the Senate within the
next two weeks. The administration
and the advocates of Cuban recipro ity
urge that the Cuban question be taken
up as soon as the Philippine bill is dis
posed OF. This proposition provoked
a contest between the friends of the
canal and the friends of Cuban relief
AS an evidence of the insincerity of
some of the men engaged in trying to
force an issue between these two pro-
positions, l heard a distinguished sena-
tor, who is known to be opposed to the
canal bill, declare that he was in favor
of considering the canal bill ahead of
the Cuban bill, because he hoped to as
sist in the defeat of the latter meas
ure Several other senators, who are
known to be lukewarm in their
support of the canal bill and
at the same time quietly opposing
the Cuban relief measure. are pulling
every wire in sight to prevent definite
action upon the Cuban bill. 1t is in
this connection. it is said that the in
Vestigation of the sugar trust now 20