The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1904-05-18
Adjournment of the Do-NOthing
Congress.

The adjournment of Congress
last week gives the country a
chance to breathe sigh of relief
1t has been known for weeks that
nothing was going to be done
which GOULD possibly be avoided
that no helpful Legislation would
be undertaken A large number
of private bills were passed and
some of a public nature, but the
important matters were all put
aside. President Roosevelt and
the other Republican lesders were
in a constant state of fear and
trembling while Congress remained
in session. Something might hap
pen. There were so many political
mines and derelict torpedoes in the
Washington waters that the admin
istration forces were afraid to move
in any Legislative direction save to
ward the treasury and to its con
tents they helped themselves plen-
tifully. The appropriations have
been enormous and unprecedented,
and show a spirit of extravaganza
and a disregard of the taxpayers
never known under a Democratic
administration. Mr.. Livingstone
makes this statement.
The appropriations for each of
the fiscal years 1895 and 1896 as
made by a Democratic Congress,
do not materially conflict as will
be seen. and the average only 1894
619,602 for each year. The table
also shows the appropriations for
federal expenditures made under
Republican administration by q
Republican Congress for the next
fiscal year have reached the start
ling sum of $7S1, 574, 629, or an in
crease of 1886, 955, 0S7 over the av.
erage of the last two years under
Democratic control, and within q
period of less than ten years."
This shows that a Republican
Congress such as that just sdjour.
ned costs nearly S300.OO0,O00 a
year more than q Democratic Con
gress. And yet Mr.. Hemenway,
chairman of the House Appropria-
tions Committee, pats himself IN
the back and is herslded by admin,
traticn organs as the Watchdog of
the treasury" We wonder what
would happen if there were few
more watchdogs like him. Sena-
tor Culbertson, in considering the
expenditures, gave a review of ap-
propriations for the past twelve
years. covering the last administra-
ton of Cleveland, and the McKin-
ley and Roosevelt administrations.
He said the total expenditures I'M
der the Roosevelt administration
had been S2,64O,OOO,OOO, or SILL
100000 greater than the four years
of the Mckinley administration,
and $88S.00O,0O0 greater than in
the four years of the Cleveland ad-
ministration. These increases he
subdivided as follows: Civil ad-
ministrstion, S160,OO0OOO; naval,
1921, 100000; military $264, 100000
He said that for 1905 the total sp
propriations on account of the
military, including pensions, would
be 1887, 100000, and said that ex-
Guiding the expenses of the Boer
war the expenditures If the United
States for 1903 were S32, 100000
more than those of Great Britain
for that year; Sl31. 100000 greater
than those of Germany, and $780,
100000 in excess of those of
France.
OF course it will be said that this
is great and rich country, and it
is SO, undoubtedly, but that does
not justify the tremendous drain
upon its resources demanded by
Republican extravagances.-Indi. /
annapolis Daily Sentinel.