Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1908-06-05
A BILLION DOLLAR CONGRESS

The session of congress that has just
closed has been the most cxtravugant in
the history of the country. The schemes
for tilching money from the treasury
buildings, intended to save the senators
and representatives from defeat, have
been authorized with a lavish hand.
The party i'll power, ever watchful of
its own. has attempted to bride Nevada
to retain Senator Nixon in his seat. the
bride being in the shape Of public build.
ings, II ut Elko and the other mt Gold.
field.
The appropriations made by this ron.
gress exceed one billion dollars. a sum
so vast that the human intellect fails TO
comprehend il. In order that the peo-
pie may get some idea of the amount of
gold it will take to pay these %appropria.
tions, we quote the following from Il
speech made by Congressman Hamlin
of Missouri the other day. After stat
ing that the appropriations would reach
a round billion dollars. Mr.. Hamlin
said:
We can not comprehend how much
that is. We are SO accustomed to talk
ing of millions and billions that we fail
to comprehend the magnitude of these
appropriations. This morning | con.
cludcd 10 try to put it i'll a little differ
cnt form i'll order that we might have
some little comprehension of the mag.
nitude of the amount of money that has
been appropriated by this congress, and
i'll doing that | called up the treasury
department over the phone and asked
them 10 give me the number of twenty
dollar gold pieces that is required to
weigh II pound. | figured this out
on Il gold basis out of consideration for
the feelings of my republican friends, as
they want everything figured on Il gold
basis. | was told, after they said they
would have to weigh it, and they did
weigh it, that thirteen twcnty.dollur
gold piece weighed lot ounces avoir-
dupoiS. Figuring on that basis, in
round numbers 1900 twcnty.dollar
pieces weigh 100 pounds. Twenty-six
Thousand pieces would weigh 1000
pounds, or | ton, and figuring ~, GOO
pieces to make mp the odd fraction of
ounces would be | ton of twenty.dollar
gold pieces. Twenty-sevcn thousand
twenty dollar gold pieces. or / ton.
would be equivalent to $5i0.OOO
One billion dollars, the total amount
of this appropriation, divided by $40.
000, or the | ton. makes the ]stupendous
amount of 1851 tons of gold appropri-
atcd by this Congress nj this one
session.
Taking the average ~wagonload as |
ton. it would take 1851 wagons to haul
It, and if yuu put Il ton of gold i'll each
wagon and string them out, touching
each other, allowing : yards to the
wagon and team, they would stretch
over an approximate distance of u
miles.
Let us figure it in "A different way,
The average freight carload is 90 tons.
hh'iNi'i', i't"iiilS = loilS III II var, IL
would require 92l freight cars to haul
it, which would he equal to nearly five
train loads of gold. If you were to try
to carry it of Oh your backs and each
nan carry 80 pounds, it would require
the services of 81, 0G3 men T. carry it.
BY consulting the congressional direct.
DRY I see that there were 22,SOi votes
cast for the speaker Of this house at the
last election. 1t would therefore re,
quire every man who voted for the
speaker of this house at the last election
each carrying $50 pounds, to carry of
the amount of gold appropriated by this
congress, and it would then require the
additional services Of 1.2Sj democrats to
help them carry it away.