Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1890 — THE SURPLUS WASTED. [ARTICLE]

THE SURPLUS WASTED.

CNCLE SAM’S HOARD NEARLY ALL SQUANDERED. * The Treasury Depleted by Republican Raids to the Point Where the Governmeut May Ke Compelled to Sell Bonds to Meet Expense! Entertaining: Statistics. Ex-Speaker Carlisle has recently been giving much attention to the financial outlook in connection with the many Republican schemes for g tting rid of the surplus, and he has some very interesting statistics on the subject, says the Washington correspondent of the Chicago Herald. It is his opinion, as well as that of mmy other Democrats in Congress, that the Treasury surplus has practically disappeared, and that it is no longer possible to conceal the fact that the Republican Congress has started out on a career of extravagance that is sure to create an alarming deficit. Mr. Carlisle says: “Even if there should be no reduction of the revenue by a revision of the tariff or a repeal of the tax on tobacco, the Secretary of the Treasury estimates in his official report that the total receipts of the Government irom all sources lor the next fiscal year will be §385,000,000, and he estimates that the expenditures already provided for by law, including the sinking fund, will be $341,430,477, leaving a surplus of $34,500,522. But it is already apparent that the appropriations for the ordinary expenses of the Government for the fiscal year will be largely in excess of the Secretary’s estimates. It has been s ated on the floor of the House by a Republican member of the Committee on Appropriations that $442,<99,110 will be required, and, if this is correct, there will be a deficit of $57,090,110 instead of a surplus, even if none of the extra'agant appropriations proposed shall be made. “The repeal of the limitations clause in the law granting arrearages of pensions •will require the immediate payment of $471,00 1,000 on account of ponsions already allowed, i nd a great many millions every year in the future on account of pensions here fte" allowed on applicut cns now pending. The Grand Army servico pensiou bill now pending before the committee will require $114,0.10,000 per uuumti in addition to theamountnow I eing paid on account of wounds and diseases contracted in the servica. This $144,000,000 includes nothing for the widows and dependent parents of soldiers who may hereafter die whilo drawing service pensions. It is estimated thnt there arc now suiviving thirty thousand soldiers who vero in prison during the war, and the bill for their benefit proposes to ipay $2 per day for each day of imprisonmnent, which will require the immediate disbursement of about $10,000,000, and this class of pensioners will take $3,708,000 each year for the future. The dependent pension bill, now under discussion in the Senate, and which will bo pa a sed in a few days, will requ re about $ 0,( OGl.OPO por cnnum. The bill increasing the peusious of a certain class of sildiers from SSO to $72 per month has •already passed, and will increase the pension exp. nditures about $400,000 per annum. Another b.ll proposes to increase the pensions of all soldiers who have lost an arm or a leg to SSO per anonth and to pay the difference between that rate and the rate they have received from the close of the war until the present time, which, it is estimated, will cost $25,500,000. It is also proposed to grant pensions of $25 per month to all army nurses, which would require an annual ■expenditure of $4,000,00(1. "These are not all the general pension bills pending in Congress,” said Mr. Carlisle, “but they are enough to show the reckless manner in which the Republican party proposes to legislate upon this subject. The bills which I have enumerated, if pa-sed, will add $708,d>CS,OOO to the $100,000,000 now annually -evpcnlcd fcrpens’ons. Besides this, the Wbisi to refund the direct tax will lequire $17,000,0C0. A bill will also be passed to pi y subsidies to the owners of steam- • ships for a period of ten years, which will require about $8,000,000 the first year •and at least $9,000,000 per aunum before the time expires. A bill has already been ireported in the Senate appropriating $126,000,000 for coast defenses, $21,000,*OOO of which is to be expended during the ensuing year. And it is proposed, also, in another bill to appropriate $31)0,•000,000 for the construction of vessels, •guns. etc., for the navy. I have not mentioned the French spoliation claims, a laigo p.ait of which will almost certainly be allowed by the present Congress, because opinions differ widely as to the ■amount. Some estimate them as high as $40,000,000. The Blair educational bill proposes to appropriate $79,000,000, of which $77,000,000 is to be expended for educational purposos and $2,000,000 in tbe erection of school houses. ” “Will all these bills be passed?” was Asked of Mr. Carlisle.

“Of course it is impossible for me to .'say whether they will or not. But one thing is certain, smd the country ought to • understand it—they will be passed if the Republican party wan sto pass them. It i has the Senate, the House, and the President, and the rules have been so changed 'that the Democrats can neither defeat nor •delay any measure that the majority may «ee proper to introduce- The pension hills can be taken up any day and passed, and so can all the others. If the repeated pledges made to ttie soldiers and others by the Republican party ;.re not redeemed (by this session of Congress it will be simply because that party does not want to .redeem them and does not intend to do .so. It has no excuse whatever for a failure promptly to pass all these bills, and if this session closes without their passage it will be useless for it hereafter to pretend that it is in favor of them. The •lime and opportunity have come, and the party must take the whole responsibility tor action or non-action. It is true that the passage of these bills or any considerable part of them would make it absolutely necess ry to impose additional taxes upqp the people or largely to increase the public debt by the issue of new bonds, but the Republican party knew this just as well when it made its promises to the soldiers as it knows it now, and, therefore, it cannot-escape responsibilities on that ground. All through the last campaign the Democrats insisted before thepeoplh that the redemption of the promises made by the Republican party would bonkruptjthe treasury and require

a large increase either in taxation the public debt." Just One Samp e Steal. [Washington special to Indianapolis Sentinel.] The House went into committee of the whole on Friday for the consideration of bills on the private calendar for the first time this session. The first bill on the calendar was in favor of allowing $175,000 to Albert H. Emery for constructing a dynometer for testing structural iron. This is an old claim and has been before Congress ten years. Speaker Reed was always one of its most earnest and this probably accounts for being brought in so euly and placed at the head of the calendar. A history of this claim will enlighten the people as to what they may expect before this Congress terminates. Emery contracted with the government in writing to complete the machine for $25,000. While the plans and drawings were being prepared, the represents, tives of the Government concluded to have heavier material used than had been stipulated in the first contract, and Emery was asked to state the amount he would take to make the change. He agreed ir writing to make the change for the additional sum of $6,500. The machine was completed, and Emery was paid the contract price, $31,500 in cash. Ever since then Emery has been persistent in trying to lobby through Congress an additionaJ appropriation. The Senate passed the bill once or twice for $200,000, and once for $225,000, but in the House the bill has always been defeated. The committee in charge of the same last Friday showed great ignorance of the merits of the claim, and it was apparent that the same had been railroaded through without proper investigation. When it came up, a few old members, who had fully investigated it in past Congresses, exposed its fraudulent character, but did not get an opportunity to defeat it. It is strange that such a claim should be the first reported, when there are thousands of bona fide claims of small amounts pending before the committee. This Congress, it mußt not be forgotten, is organized for action. Farewell, surplus!