Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-05-27
SESSION SPENT BILLION
sIxt|eIh Congress W||| Break Al
Previous Records.
The SENATE INCREASES FIGURES
Adds Ninety Million Dollars to APP
preparations Whitfield Down in
house-Postoffice, Pension, Naval
and Army Bills Show Largest
Growth.

WASHINGTON. d. G. May &c
All records III the matter of public
expenditures nave been broken BY the
now drawing TO close.
The billion dollar Congress Of 1891
and 1892. so severely criticised for
what was termed eXtravaGanc", dealt
modestly with the public funds com
pared with the way the present Con
gress has thrust its hands into the
treasury Accurate figures az his
time are not obtainahle. but careful
estimates put the total appropriations
of this session al $1,000. u0hUnn. OF
500. 600 600 more than any other SEES
sion of Congress expended. The larg
est increases over previous. years are
in the pOstOfficP. pension, naval and
army appropriation bills.
Exceeds War Expenses.
The high water mark OF public ex
penditur,s was thought TO have been
reached when tn" Fifty fifth Congress.
which ended in 1900. exceeded the
billion dollar Congress by half Iii
lion and more. This great total was
largely due to war expenditures. but
since that day every succeeding Con-
gross has done almost AS we'll in dis,
posing Of the public moneys.
The Congress of 1902 spent 81
40. 900. 900. and that CT 1903-4 spent
81 .533.212.167. The Fiftv-righth Con
gra SIS. of 1866. earned championship
honors. breaking all records with ap-
preparations aggregating sl.6"l 900.
600
The distinction achieved by the
Fifty-eishth Congress was shor-!iv
as the Fifty-ninth Of 1903 ran its TO-
tai appropriations up TO $500 ,"ov.o 900.
The best that the Fifty-ninth Con-
gress could do at its first session was
1929. 900 600 What the second SEES
sion will do no member is willing 10
predict.
viii Exceed All Totals.
1t is safe to assume the grand TO-
tai for this Congress will far exceed
any that has gone before.
The House struggled vigorously to
keep appropriations down. Estimates
We're crt right and left. and "A pos
sible deficit OF sl1S.000.oo0 in the race
OF the estimates was whitfield down
to $4,000 900 This is the figure
named by Mr.. Burleson. of the Appro
priations committee. and. if h" Is ac'
curate. il wOuld appear that tn" Sen
ate added about s9o000,o0 TO various
appropriation measures.
Later the Senate recedsd and &C
ceDt.d the Houses action.
The amounts of the various appro'
priation bills reach total Of $S6s,
600 600 to which must be added $l'+,'
14i.2 9G. which was appropriated in
laws enacted in past years. hut when
b, comes available, this year. making
the expenditures for this year $l.o23.'
1896
This sum may be itemized as 10!
lows: Urgent deficiency. $e4.11l.3oo:
rugent deficiency (additionaD, $e.l6''
500: Indian. $S.7iC Gs7: legislative
&C.. s32,al5.G31: army. $95.3Se.ss' A.;
pos.offica. 1924 0S5.142: pensions,
s1cs o53 600: Publications. sa.1"".145
agriculture. SIG 72.10G: District o.
Columbia. sI0.0?7 .n+2: diplomatic and
consular s3.s47.539: naval. sl22.ss2
ZIG: snndry civil. s112o00.0"0: e'ner'
al deficiency. sIS.0606"0: Military
Academy. s9I4.sss: public lTlildinEs
$50 OOa 600: previously authorized
a1a4 oeS. total. $f.O23. 410S2i.