Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-06-04
National Expenditures.


The Baltimore American refuses to
be impressed by those Democratic
editors and orators who are trying to
make campaign material out of the
appropriations made by Congress at
it's recent session. 1t reminds them
that they raised the cry of "a billion
dollar Congress- decade ago and that
the country refused to be convinced
that billion dollar Congress was any
thing extravagant for the needs of a
billion dollar country. 1t points out
that the Democrats who talk about
1.-The appalling extravaganza of the
Republican Congress- are very careful
not to specify where the appalling ex-
travagance is to be found.
There is a vast difference between
propounding a proposition in political
economies and proving it, There is no
question that the congressional budget
for the next fiscal year contemplates a
total expenditure on the part of the
national government of $1,O0s,S04.-
S94.57. But when the list of appropria-
tions is analysed in detail neither
Senator Culberson nor Representative
John Sharp Williams nor any other Of
the political effect alarmists who are
setting up the cry of appalling eX-
i,,c.t har
the extravagant wastage is located.
The biggest item Of cost in the bill of
particulars presented by the con-
gressional session which closed on
Saturday is that of s222,962,3 1892 for the
postal service.
Approximately, this sum is collected
annually from the mail-route service,
and it has always been the policy of
the government to put back into the
mail distributing business all that is
collected from the business. The
looping off of this item reduces the eX-
pense bill to less than 1856, OOO, 900. The
continuing of annually recurring ex-
penditures, such as the $5S,000,000 for
the sinking fund, the s25,OO0OOO for
redceming national bank notes, etc.
amount altogether to $157,716.224, and
further reduce the so-called billion
dollar appropriations to $628, 126,27S
The naval appropriations, though
pared down to much lower allowance
than was recommended by the Naval
| Board and demanded by the President
provides for an outlay of $122.662, 4S5
and the Sundry Civil Bill, which in
cludes river and harbor betterments
public buildings, etc, entails an ex-
penditure Of $112,937,313. Pensions
call for something over $1G3,OoO oOO
| and the maintenance of the army for
something over $95,OOO,OOO.
| The full wealth of the United States
some years ago was rcckoned at SIG
| 00000O0O0, and is much greater than
| that now. France spent during the
past fiscal year s715, 100000 collected
from a national wealth basis OF W.
| 0O000000 These figures lead the
| American to declare: National ex-
| penditurcs. like all other monetary out
| lays, are to be fairly judged only in
connection with the uses that are sub
served by such expenditures. The
| Democratic alarmists are really paying
a poor compliment to the discriminate
| ing Judgment of the American people
in using such hypocritical phrases as
| a billion dollar Congress- AN APP
pallingly extravagant Congress- and
| so on and so on. The American people
| know something about the law OF
ratios. even if the Democratic
| politicians do not