Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-05

having man- committees charged with
the duty of preparing and presenting
the annual appropriation bills. then i
Is absolutely necessary To take these
and all other reasonable steps toward
constantly keeping the Congress and
the public advised as to the relation or
total proposed expenditures. as fixed by
executive estimates. as well as Nv
measures pending before and reported
by committees to the actual and pos
Sible revenues
Anti-Deficiency Law.
The gratifying operation of the 50
called anti-deficiency law is again en-
phasized in the appropriations OF this
session. OF the whole sum carried IN
the urgent and regular deficiency acts.
S20.26.. s22.69. there is the amount OF
S13. IOI 1882 that is not deficiency, out
rather an additional appropriation. sur'i
is 5000 93:,. o., for the military estah-
1shment. chiefly growing out of leSis
lation enacted at the close of the last
session. increasing the pay of officers
and enlisted men and to meet expense
growing ont of the late intervention ia
Cuba: s.: 1876 S43.1l for the navy. most
of which is for the increased pay az
onicers and enlisted men. also author
lied at the last session. some of il r,p-
feSentlng the expenses incident to oar
fieet abroad. and 10 complete a drydo, k
where the contractors had failed, So
ma canal. and about 100000 to paw
judgments and audited accounts cert
hed as due and unpaid. The remaining
sum. S6.55S.05o30, Is small indeed com
pared with our total Of appropriation
or more than a billion dollars or con-
trasted with the large deficiencies that
were annually forced upon Congress
oeIore the passage of the law.
The old practice INDUCED In ny so
many department officials Of conducting
nm hn hu-t
mates submitted. instead OF according IT,
the appropriations made by Congress. is
gone forever The common procedure
OF spending AS they pleased and then
ear0lng II as sufficient argument in be-
half or a deficiency to say, We esti-
mated for so much and are conducting
the service on that basis, and unless YOU
give us now the full measure IF our orig
or entirely suspended for portion os
the year has yielded to the wholesome
rear OF term in prison What were
then aptly denominated 'coercive appro-
Priatlons' are no longer extorted from
Congress.
Cost of War During Peace.
1T is true, as / have endeavored TO
demonstrate. that by far the greater part
or our national expenditures is for the
military side of our government on ac-
count of wars that have occurred or in
preparing for wars that may come Con-
sidering the subject from the standpoint
OF appropriations made at this session.
from which expenditures are to be made,
We find that five great annual supply
bills are devoted solely to these expenses,
as follows:
Army s1oy ,a- 40 ..
Foitincations ...-.......-.... S.170li1 ~
Mintary Academy DECENTRALIZATION 2.5Bl, Sal -
Navy 1.3S. 90, 1919 o.
PENSION .........-........... 100 ecs 600 90
I'm addition the sundry civil. the legis-
lative. executive and judicial and even the
District OF Columbia bills carry considera-
BILE sums chargeable to military expendi-
lures, and under the chapter of 'perma-
nent appropriations there are also large
amounts directly charSeable TO war; or
the results of war. including the interest
and sinking fund charges on account Of
our civil war debt. These sums, toeethcr
with the amount for the army and navy
in the general deficiency act all amount
ing to about s116.OOO,OO0. added to the
amount carried by the five bills 1 have
mentioned, bring the total Of these ap-
propriations that are chargeable to this
session of Congress up to the enormous
amount Of s525. "a, 3O1.72 which, deducted
from S1.O44 014, 1888. the whole apparent
sum OF appropriations for the session.
leaves only about fifty per centum OF
our total proposed expenditures to be de-.
voted to civil government.
The growth of appropriations for mill
tary purposes, including only those for
the military and naval establishments
carried In the army and navy acts. and
without reference to the large sums for
pensions. Notifications and other incl
dents Of the war to which ! have re-
ferred, for the eight.year period prior 10
the Spanish war, contrasted with the
eight-year period ending with the fiscal
year 1910 affords a startling exhibit. and
one that commend to the thoughtful
consideration OF my countrymen.