The Washington herald., 1913-02-13
AMONG
THE DEMOCRATS
1t Is Charged Public Building
Bill Has Been Framed to
Disarm Criticism.
UNDERWOOD GETS BUSY
Fitzgerald Warns that Economy Must
Be Practiced to Prevent
Deficit.

|
| A scandal has been AIDED to the row
among the Democrats Of the House ovei
1 the enormous total of appropriations that
is being rolled up. II is charged now
that the public building bill carrying
$50. .O0o. 600 has been framed with view
to disarming criticism by the responsible
| Democratic, leaders. In the case of al
least one prominent leader in the House
| hundreds of thousands of dollars have
| been apportloned to his district that he
had not sought.
The boIdness of the plan has thrown
scare into the Democrats and there
is now strong probability that the pub
lie building bill will be side-tracked. The
public building bill the members in
charge proceeded solely with a view to
passing the measure regardless of the
cost. All the leaders who are known
to scrutinize public expenditures care
fully We're allotted appropriations for their
districts and this was done, according
to current gossip. on the theory that the
bill so loaded would go through in a
jify.
For example. the bill carries an appro-
priation of $l,OOO.OoO for a public building
at Birmingham, Ala, the home town of
Representative Underwood, the Demo-
cratic leader Representative James r.
Mann of Illinois, the Republican leader,
was given an appropriation of $4,000 for
a public bull ling project in his district.
An appropriation of $4,000 was authorized
for city in Missouri in which Speaker
Clark is supp )sed to be interested. 1t is
the understanding that a large appro-
priation is made for the purchase of
public building sites in Brooklyn. where
lives Representative Fitzgerald. the APP
preparations Committee chairman, who
has been crying against the eXtrava-
gance OF his Democratic colleagues. Dis
tricts represented ny other ''watchdogs
of the Treasury are understood to be
recognized in a substantial way by the
public building bill.
May start Scandal.
The public building bill. in its present
form, threatens to stir up one of the
bitterest fights of the session. Even
members who share in the appropriations
authorized declare that the measure has
been handled in such a way as TO excite
scandal Protests have been made that
may result in the failure of the bin.
This is not the only worry on the
minds of III. Democratic leaders. They
are bcset from other directions. An in
formal estimate made yesterday likes the
Of this session at a figure
50 enormous that members OF both par
ties-are appalled,.
That the Democratic leadership in the
Iousc IS practically dcmOrdliZed was in
dicafed by 4 series of developments yes
terday. An informal announcement WIS
made by Representative Fitzgerald OF
New York. chairman II the Committee
on Appropriations. that threw the House
Democrats into state Of panic. Mr.
Fitzgerald frankly told his colleagues
that unless there was change Of policy
at once the appropriations of this session
would exceed by S12N,O0I.0c1 the high
water mark IF expenditures established
by the Republican Congress OF 1Fi0. In
that year the Republican Congress made
Of $1,h4i000.OQl The eSti-
mated appropriations Of this session will
foot up 90 81. ON,0OH. Chairman Fitz-
gerald warne1 his colleagues that If the
present onslaught on the Treasury WAS
continued there would soon be u govern
ment deficit. that il would be fatal to
revise the tariff downward, and that the
I.roposed incuInc tax would have to yield
: s1Ooj0,rCO instead of s1O0.noo,ooo in order
10 keep the wheels Of government i'll
motion.
Underwood Gets Busy.
Leader Underwood got busy in an ef-
fort to restore order in the House. He
had conferences with Representative Pad
gett of Tennessee, chairman of the Naval
Committee, and Representative Burnett
of Alabama, who has charge OF the pub
lie building bill The naval bill as agreed
TO yesterday called for an appropriation
of sl46, 600 600. the biggest naval budget in
the history of the government. Mr.. In
derwood told Chairman Padgett that at
least sixteen million dollars would have
10 be shaved of the naval bill. Padgett
demurred. but finally withdrew the re-
port on the bill that he had authorized.
Mr.. Burnett went up in the air when he
was told that it would be wise for him
to cut the public building bill in half.
Following Mr.. Underwood's conference
with Chairman Padgett. the Democratic
members of the Naval Committee met.
Mr. Padgett informed them that Mr..
insisted that all the new con-
authorized in the naval bill,
the two battleships. would
have to be sacrificed. Loud walls of
anguish Neeted this announcement
The conference broke up without reach
ing an agreement and will reasseI:lble
early this morning.
For the present the leaders are de-
voting all their energies to cutting down
expenditures. They are not over san
guine Of success, but have gone at the
task vigorously. They have plans for
the future that they believe will pre-
vent a recurrence of the present situa-
ton. 1t has been decided that a budget
system shall be adopted in the new
congress. This will take the form of a
committee. composed of the chairmen of
all committees, with Mr.. Underwood as
he presiding officer. This committee
will scrutinlze the estimates and decide !
rom time to time precise appropriation
hat will be allowed for a given purpose /
Dam Bill Faces Defeat.
A S1ow was aimed at the General |
Electric COMPANY by Senator Jones of |