The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-04-23
BILLION DOLLAR
SESSION CERTAIN


WASHINGTON, April 4.-The wisc.,
and most experienced Legislators VI tho
capitol do not expect any rctreuch.
ment that VIII make "the billion. dol.
lar session msnomcr. They will
try 10 pui on the brakes, but 10 the
aggregate the saving will be small,
There ls no decp-seated sentiment for
Federal economy. The people think of
but one thing at time. Economy has
not yet had its turn. Public senti-
mont, if sufficiently earnest. could halt
ibe1r legislators in the voting of an
preparations. A President could do
much, because he could compel the eN-
ccuiive departments TO frame their an
nual estimates on careful lines.
The blame for extravaganza during
the last decade rests in considerable
part upon these departments There
has been little sense of responsibility
IN that regard among cabinet heads.
Congress has forced upon them some
corrective measures. II has killed the
practise of piling up deficiencies. by
which officials ran their departments on
the basis of annual estimates, rather
than upon annual appropriations. The
creation of a deficit, except in specific
instances, was made prison offense.
The real deficiency appropriations of
the last session of Congress were less
than S7.0O0,0O0. The remaining $l3,-
900, 900 and more carried on the urgent
deficiency and the regular deficiency
bills was chargeable 20 insufficient APP
preparations to meet authorization of
previous sessions of Congress, such as
the pay of Army and Navy officers and
enlisted men.
a further step toward placing re-
sponsibility upon members of the cabi-
net has been ,aken in a provision re-
quiring the Executive hereafter when
the annual estimates exceed the total
of estimated revenues to point out
''where the estimates could with least
injury to the public service be reduced
so as to bring them within the revenues
or else, if in his judgment such esti-
| mates can not be reduced without un-
due injury to the public service, to
| recommend to Congress such loans or
news taxes as may be necessary to cover
the resulting deficiency
But in spite of such precautions, Con-
gress will probably not retrench. A few
years ago it was almost unthought of
that an appropriation bill should ex-
ceed the estimates. 1t was taken for
granted that the bill would be mate
rally less than the estimates. The
labors of committees, that have the
preparation of supply bills, was devoted
to cutting down, not building up, totals.
In the session of Congress just closed
three appropriation bills for the In
dians, the Navy and the Postal services,
respectively, Were in excess of what
the Indian Bureau, the Navy Depart
ment, and the Postoffice Department,
respectively, asked for.
There is every prospect that appro-
priations for the Navy will increase as
rapidly during the next decade as in
the past decade. Appropriations for
the army will grow less slowly. The
army is recruited up to its authorized
strength. Before long the expendi-
lures for coast defenses, as far as the
installation of material is concerned,
will become comparatively small. But,
with the present military spirit of the
people, the clamor for a much larger
standing army can not be resisted.
The Coast defenses must be provided
with at least one manning detail, which
means over 10000 soldiers. The move
ment for organizing a very large mill
tia force, which is popular, will entail
enormous expenses. 1t will not be
many years before the demand for a
retired list for militia officers will be-
come Irresistible. A total annual out
lay of 15O,OO0,OOO for the army and
| $200,000,O 900 for the navy is not far
away. The cost of pensions, $l6l ,000,-
600 for the year that begins July ],
will not fall much below that figure
| for some time. These and other mill
| tary items, including Notifications, in
terest on the public debt and the sink
ing fund, promise before long to make
an aggregate of over $600,000000 every
year.
Some men, even Republicans, argue
that no great check can come in gov
ernment expenditures till there is a
Democratic House of representatives..
A House of the opposite political party
from the administration can better re-
sist appeals from the executive and
from the Senate. 1t has been demon
strated in the matter of appropriations
several times in the last forty years.
The last half of the second Grant ad-
minstration furnished pertinent IL
lustration. The 43rd Congress, which
expired March 3, 1873, had more than
a two.thirds majority of Republicans.
1t had been voting $3OO,000,0O0 year
to run the Federal Government, less
than one.third the amount voted at
present.
A great cry of extravaganza had
been raised. Much to the surprise of
| to4k nan,nora 10 and nbliaanS the