Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-10
A Dangerous Precedent.

Among the items of questionable OK
pediency which swelled the appropriations
made by Congress during the session Just
closed to a total of over eight hundred
millions, was one of $500, 900 to pay certain
rrcditors of the Buffalo Pan American
Exposition company The demand for such
| a payment was based upon the claim that
the Exposition lost heavily in gate money,
| on account of the assassination of Presi-
dent Mckinley. OF course such an unusual
appropriation. urged for such remarka-
| bic reason, did not go through without
| opposition. Hon. Joe" Cannon, chairman
Of the committee on appropriations, who
| is the best watch dag of the treasury in
the House, stoutly opposed the measure.
He showed the House that the Buffalo ex-
position company took nearly nine millions
in receipts: that nevertheless the show did
not pay; that the company paid off So
100000 of first mortgage bonds, held by Buff
falo people. before it settled all the bills.
leaving debts to various contractors. to
the amount of over half a million. which
ought to have been paid before the bonds
were paid of. He not only denied that
the general government could be held re-
sponsihle for losses occasioned by the
death of the President, but also that the
unfavorable outcome was owing to that
calamity. lie showed that the receipts in
September We're 81, $1,000: in August. 81
?G2,N c in October, 81, $50 coo, an increase of
receipts in October over September. the
month after the Presidents death, of six
teen per cent. whereas the increase of re-
ceipts for a similar period at the Philadel-
phia Exposition was only nine per cent.
! lie said:
Il tell you. gentlemen If you are going
into business of making contractors whole
| there are some poor mon in my district
who took improvident contracts and have
never got their money. We know that
there Is before this House a memorial from
the laboring men engaged on the govern
mont printing office building. proposin,
that they be paid three or four days
wages because their work was suspended
on account of the death Of William Nc
| kinley. Do you know that there Were
| three or four or five days in week when
100000 people in the aggregate suspend d
their ordinary occupations because Of that
tragedy? Who makes good to them the
| hundreds of millions OF loss? Are we go-
lng to do il out of the treasury? In cqui,y
they are more entitled to II than these con-
tractors, and telegraph companies, and
telephone companies. and lessons. Are yor
going to relieve them? Nay. nay; You are
going to turn around and tax them to re-
II lieve-whom? Men who traded with their
eyes open, men who worked for a profit
men who failed to collect their debts ir
fun. / do not believe this is good policy
] do not believe we have any right to d.
La.
| which Is liable tu cost us millions OF dol
lars hereafter. If the St Louis Exposition
proves to be financial failure, tho gov
ernmcnt will be called on to make the loss
good, and so of other unsuccessful
schemes"
Mr.. Hepburn said that IL this sort Of
thing vas going. he wanted an item of $40
added to make good loss of that amour
incurred by the "Clarinda Chatauqus
Association" on account of Il storm which
reduced the attendance from the thous
auds that were expected, to few hun
dreds. Can it be-" he asked, that thl
government, that establishes weathe
bureau for which we pay millions of dol
lars to disseminate information as to wha
the weather is and will be, can permi
these losses to be incurred and then no
, reimburse the citizens who were thus de
Z frauded of their money!"
But these and similar arguments had lit
: tie effect, the friends of the measur
= claimed that Buffalo had received los
3 money from the government than Philadel
/ phia or Chicago and st. Louis had re
= ceived for their Expeditions; that the de
, felt at Buffalo was due to the assassina
ton, and that they had moral, thougl
5 not a legal, claim, for the assistance aske
5 from Congress, So, owing not to tn
< strength Of their claim, but principally t
. Industrious canvassing conducted by tn
l Buffalo and other New York congressman
/ the money was voted
t Mr.. Haskins of Vermont voted for tn
5 appropriation, Mr. Foster of this Stat
l was paired and did not vote.
8 Harold Stanley went to Annapolis. Md
Saturday evening to continue his studio
H.