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JULY 13, MM'
The Commoner.
5
Republican Administration Gomes Exceedingly High
Concerning appropriations mad at tho recent
session of congress, Chairman Tawney of the
house appropriation committee said:
"The total appropriations mado at this ses
sion of congress aggregate $880,183,301, an ap
parent increase of $60,000,000 over last session.
This apparent excess is more than accounted for
in the three following items: For the isthmian
canal, $42,447,000; under the statehood bill, $10,
250,000; toward the construction of new build
ings, authorized at this session, $10,321,000, mak
ing a total of $63,018,000, to which might properly
be added $5,000,000 for San Francisco. Other
notable increases are three million dollars in the
agricultural bill for Inspection of meat products
and $10,600,000 on account of the postal service."
Mr. Tawney enumerated "several items that
do not constitute a charge against the revenues
for the next fiscal year, and added: "The sums
mentioned amount to more than $139,000,000 and
when deducted leave apparent appropriations of
only $741,000,000 to be met out of the revenues of
the next fiscal year. In my judgment the ordi
nary revenues of the government next fiscal year
will amount to at least $600,000,000. The postal
revenues are estimated at $181,573,000 for 1907,
making the total apparent resources of the gov
ernment next year not less than $781,573,000, or
at least $40,000,000 in excess of appropriations
that may be charged against them."
Senator Culberson of Texas presents' an as
tonishing showing. He declares that exclusive
of the Panama appropriation, expenditures in
1904 increased over 1903 by $35,496,995; In 1905
over 1904, $34,336,233; in 1906 over 1905, $17,
908,836. He adds: "This shows an aggregate
increase of expenditures, excluding all expenses
in Panama, of $93,767,064 in three years. As
usual with this administration expenditures for
the military and naval establishments increased
for this period and of the preceding amount the
increase for the naval establishment exceeded
$34,000,000 for three years. The total expendi
tures for 1903, 1904, 1905 and 1906 were $2,933,
004,409, and deducting Panama expenditures they
were $2,866,421,890. The expenditures for the
years 1898, 1899, 1900 and 1901, the four full
years of the McKinley administration, were $2,
430,316,399. It thus appears that, exclusive of all
expenses In Panama the expenditures for the four
years of Roosevelt exceeded those of the four
years of McKinley, although he conducted the
Spanish war, by the extraordinary sum of
$434,104,699."
Under date of June 30 the Washington cor
respondent! for the Brooklyn Eagle sends to his
newspaper tho following dispatch: "Two of tho
big trusts that have beon subjected to a flerco
mauling and-pounding all tho session havo won
important victories during tho closing hours of
congress. They are tho Standard Oil trust and
the beef trust, the. opponents of which weakened
today and yielded the points of controversy which
have stood in the way of agreement on the rate
bill and tho meat inspection bill. Chairman
Wadsworth has succeeded In Imposing on tho
government tho cost of tho Inspection law, and
he also won out in tho fight to keep tho date of
inspection off canned meat products. The senate
receded on both of these issues, aftor having
made a brave show for several days o- holding
out against Wadsworth. Tho house unexpected
ly came to tho support of Chairman Wadsworth
late yesterday afternoon by voting to Insist on
tho acceptance of its amendments by tho senate.
When this news was conveyed to Senator Beve
ridge and others who had been making the fight
for tho original provisions on cost and dato labels,
' they threw up thdlr hands and quit. As tho bill
will become a law, the cost of Inspection will bo
defrayed by the government, and there will be
nothing on the inspection label to Indicate wheth
er the contents of the can are one or ten years
old. The packers, therefore, have won complete
victory on the only objections which they raised
against the Beverldge bill. The long and bitter
rate bill fight was ended when the senate decided
to exempt the pipe lines from the stringent pro
visions that apply to railroads. The victory of
the oil trust was even more sweeping and Im
pressive than that gained by the beef barons.
Under the bill as agreed to pipe lines are de
clared to be common carriers. But, the prohibi
tion agalnBt common carriers transporting their
own products is made to apply only to railroads,
thereby permitting the pipe lines to escape. Con
sequently the Standard Oil can operate them in
the future jsut as in the past save for the few
restrictions that will be imposed as a result of
being described as common carriers. The whole
effort of the Standard Oil company has been to
save its pipe lines, and in this It has succeeded."
Representative Williams of Mississippi, the
democratic floor leader, issued the following
statement: "The only notable .things congress
did was to adopt the democratic policy of rail
road rate regulation and the democratic policy
of admitting Oklahoma into the union and to
refuse to tie in indissoluble wedlock Arizona and
New Mexico. The democrats regret that congress
did not do some measure of justice to the Fili
pinos by passing the Philippine tariff. This con
gress will bo almost as much celebrated for what
it failed to do As what it did. Whatxit did was
distinctly democratic in Initiative, origin and
character. One of tho things congress failed to
enact which will need much explanation was
some moaauro to chock tho collection of vast and
corrupting campaign funds. Nothing radical or
oxtremo was domandod, yet congress rofusod to
keep national banks from contributing to campaign
funds; it rofused to prohibit corporations en
gaged in interstate commorco from contributing
tho money of stockholders to campaigns; it re
fused to provide for publicity of contributions.
Even that could not got through a congress the
republican members of which fool that without
a fund they could not go through a campaign and
realize that tho sources of contributions muBt bo
kept secret. Aftor tho president thundered In
the index about insurance frauds and wanted con
gress to do extreme and unconstitutional things
this failuro to do a very reasonable and constitu
tional thing will bo hard to explain. Congress
failed to lop off a single abuso or excrescence of
tho tariff system. It would not agree that a slnglo
duty should not be over 100 per cent of the cntiro
value of the thing taxed. They would not oven
untax diphtheria serum nor heed the cry con
cerning it of tho little children all over the land.
They refused to reduce the duty on Iron and
steel, although proof was mado and finally ad
mission was had that our steel manufacturers aro
habitually selling their products cheaper abroad
than at homo, oven stool for building ships, there
by building up a foreign merchant marine at tho
expense of an American merchant marine. With
a plg-headedness that is remarkable Oklahoma
was uselessly kept out of the union for nearly
six months, while the children of tho Indian Ter
ritory wore growing up In Ignorance without
schools. The congress Is to be congratulated
upon tho fact that it did riot follow the lead of
the president In tho now Roosevelt doctrine that
he seems bent upon substituting for the Monroe
doctrine. This was shown in tho refusal of tho
senate to ratify the Dominican treaty. This re
fusal threw cold water upon most of the presi
dent's big stick policies, and tho senate was able
to make this refusal offectlve by democratic votes.
Congress passed a very good naturalization bill
aftor several good amendments offered by tho
democrats had boon adopted. It refused to pass
any immigration biir, and it is rumored that tho
refusal was due to the petulancy of Senator
Lodge, who found the times out of joint because
tho house had amended the bill offered by his
son-in-law. The bill as amended contained many
excellent features, and' ought to have passed."
WHAT "INFLUENCE" DID IN THE REPUB
LICAN CONGRESS
(Continued From Page Four)
is, indeed, making progress; yet hardly enough to
warrant a sweeping indors3mrt of congress and
silence As to Its crimes of omissi-jn.
"There is more difference between what
congress has done and what the people wanted
it to do than there is between what congress
has done aud what it had hitherto not done. And
i o cause Is served, save vthe unworthy cause
of political expediency, by emphasizing the things
congress has done and remaining silent about
the larger things congress has failed to do.
Glowing words of praise for house and senate
may help in the approaching campaign, and are
of course calculated for their effect on the elec
tion. They will not help to bring about the right
settlement of the questions which a corrupt house
and senate have refused to settle right, and which
they have -not most certainly have not, if Mr.
Roosevelt will pardon us considered with 'dis
interested high-mindedness.' i
"Nor will these questions be settled right
until the men who have had the largest share
In postponing their adjustment are driven from
public life."
THE PRIMARY PLEDGE
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by some one not familiar with the details of the
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crat is asked to pledge himself to attend all of
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the voters of the party desire to speak. Those
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Commoner approving the object of the organiza
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the roll, or they can fill out and mall the blank
pledge, which is printed on page 14.
Extracts from letters to1 The Commoner fol
low: C. H. Davis, LeSueur, Minn. I can get
many democrats here to sign the pledge if
I had the blanks. This state is strongly repub
lican, but strange things have happened, you
know. We can work at any rate.
George S. Steele, Spraguevllle, N. Y. En
closed you will find my 'pledge. Whatever. I can
do to help the cause you have been fighting for
and are still fighting for will be given. As I
am heart and soul for democratic principles, I
believe we will win out in the end.
Otto Welch, Omaha, Nebr. I send you three
signatures to the primary pledge.
Charles Richard, Nye, Mont. You will Jlnd
enclosed primary pledge. I shall do all I can
to help the democratic party. If I can help any
way let me know.
P. H. Conklin, Cedar Run, N. J. Find en
closed primary pledge sheet with twelve signa
tures. Send me another blank. Success to The
Commoner.
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