Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-20

1t is even prodigal with government
money There are two reasons for this,
the most important of which is the fact
that each individual Senator has more
power than each member of Congress.
because of the rules which prohibit the
closing Of debate. If a Senator wants an
appropriation made for some purpose in
his State he can join with several other
Senators who have similar ambitions.
This little combination with threats to
filbuster usually. accompiishes what is
a member of the House is unsuccessful
in persuading that body to make an APP
preparation he goes to a Senator from his
State and gets 1t added in the Senate.
AS Speaker of the next. House of Rep
resentatives Uncle Joe" Cannon will
naturally watch appropriations carefully,
In this work he will be ably assisted BY
Representative Hemenway, of Indiana,
who will be the chairman of the Appro-
Fpriations, Committee Hemenway was
trained W Cannon, so he will be an aid
worth having. Cannon and other lead
ing Republicans appreciate that. while
the country is anxious that proper means
should be provided to meet the needs OF
a growing country, the appropriations
vestigation has strengthened the impress
sion and created the suspicion that there
has been like extravaganza in other de-
partments: In the new Congress. under
the direction of Speaker Cannon recon-
mendations made by Cabinet officers for
appropriations for the support of their
departments will be studied with excep-
tional care. That means that estimates
will certainly be cut, although Cabinet
officers under the direction of the Presi-
dent will be modest in their demands.
But that will not be the only way in
which efforts will be made to reduce the
expenses and appropriations, and keep
them within reasonable limits. In recent
wears, with the growing income Of the
country Congress has appropriated more
largely than ever before for public build
ings and for river and harbor work.
1t has been argued, and the majority of
people seem to agree that public build
teachers of patriotism. River and har-
Dor improvements are important to facii-
tate the commerce of the country and for
preventing railroads making excessive
freight charges. r'
So liberal has Congress been recently
in erecting public buildings that the Of
flee of the Supervising Architect of the
Treasury has more than it can do now
in two years in making plans for future
buildings and supervising work already
under way: The engineers who are re-
SponSible for the river and harbor I'M
provements are overrun with work. For
this reason and because economy in ap-
propriations will be popular in the year
Of the Presidential election. it is quite
no provision for the construction of more
public buildings and for new river and
harbor work OF course appropriations
ready authorized. This is the policy,
which it is believed Speaker to- be Cannon
favors.
Economy such as will be attempted in
the next Congress will mean the reduc-
ton of appropriations for the fiscal year
beginning July l. 1904, and an increased
surplus in the Government revenues.
This growing surplus is a problem diff
cult and embarrassing, which may be
solved by reducing internal taxes, be-
cause it will be a long time before the
Republicans attempt to cure the surplus
evil by reducing the duties on foreign
importations, and it is not certain but
what such a-reduction would, at least at
first, increase the revenue.