AGRICULTURE-Continued.

other apropriations made for his own Department, but struck out the $130,000 appropriation for the farmers. I find, from the report of the Secretary of expenditures made in the Agricultural Department for the year 1895, that $23,567.90 was expended upon the conservatories and grounds of the Agricultural Department. For 1897 we find for the Botanical Garden $23,893.75; for the propagating garden for 1897, $9,000; for the gardens and grounds of the Agricultural Department in 1897, improving the lawns, and for trees, water cans, tubs, composts, labor, etc., $25,000, making an aggregate of $57,893.75. For the fiscal year 1897, we find for public grounds and parks in the city of Washington alone an estimate of $81,000 and an actual appropriation of $49,500, making altogether for these ornamental and luxurious appauages of the Government, an appropriation for that year of $105,393.75.

*

The Secretary of Agriculture, in his annual report, submitted at the beginning of the present session, undertakes to prove that the farmers are the most wealthy and prosperous class in the United States and that the bankers and capitalists are the most unfortunate.

No. 14.

AGRICULTURE vs. OTHER OCCUPATIONS,

With whom does the agriculturist have a market for his products? The official statements of Government statisticians show that where 30 per cent. of the people are farmers and 70 per cent. of the people are engaged in other occupations the farmer receives $457 of an annual income, while in States where the reverse is true, 70 per cent. of the people are farmers and 30 per cent. are engaged in other occupations, the farmer only receives an annual income of $160a difference of $297 annually to the farmer who lives in a community of diversified industries as against the farmer who lives in a community of agriculture. This illustration of a market needs no enlarged statement, for all who buy and sell are thoroughly informed of this result. Texas and Pennsylvania are fair examples of the operation of this principle.

No. 15.

ALLOYING.

Compounding two or more metals together in suitable or legal proportions for coinage. Gold and silver are alloyed for standard coins, and alloys are variously made of nickel, copper, tin, and zinc for minor coins.

ANIMALS-Exported from U. S., 1885 to 1895,

No. 15%.

APPROPRIATIONS-1st Session 54th Congress.

[Statement of Hon. Joseph G. Cannon, Chairman Committee on Appropriations, June 11, 1896.] No. 16.

The appropriations for the session just closed amount to $515,759,820.49.

The estimates on which these appropriations were based, and submitted by the Executive to Congress at the beginning of the session in the regular Book of Estimates, or from time to time in special or supplemental estimates, amounted to $529,134,193.92, or $13,374,373.43 more than has been appropriated.

The whole amount of appropriations, $515,759,820.49, charged to this session, includes $119,054,160 under permanent laws, of which amount $50,000,000 is for sinking fund and $30,500,000 for interest on the public debt, or $3,355,614.40 more than was included at the last session of Congress in the statements of appropriations, and is on account of the increase of $162,315,400 in the bonded indebtedness of the country by the present Administration up to February, 1895, the interest and sinking-fund charge on account of the later bond issue of $100,000,000 in February, 1896, amounting to $4,400,000, not being included in the estimates of permanent appropriations, as stated and submitted to Congress in the last regular Book of Estimates.

The increase in the principal of the interest-bearing debt of the country under the present administration, by the loans negotiated in February and November, 1894, February, 1895, and February, 1896, amounts to $262,315,400, which entails an annual interest charge of $11,492,616, and to meet the sinking-fund obligations the further sum of $2,623,154.

During the administration of Mr. Harrison, from March, 1889, to March, 1893, the principal of the interest-bearing debt of the United States was reduced in amount $258.192.900, and the annual interest charge was thereby diminished $10,327,716.

APPROPRIATIONS—Continued.

The regular annual bills, including deficiencies, as passed by the House, made a reduction in the total estimates submitted by the Executive of $26,083,191.67; that they were increased by the Senate $22,920,442.30, and that as they became laws they appropriate $10,636,624.06 less than as passed by the Senate, $12,283,818.24 more than as they passed the House, and $13,374,373.43 less than the estimated requirements of the Administration.

The regular annual appropriations, including deficiencies, made at the last session of Congress, amounted to $383,636,896.97, and included no river and harbor bill. So excluding the river and harbor aci passed at this session, it will be seen that the regular annual bills as passed by the House appropriated only $373,505,082.25, or more than $10,000,000 less than was appropriated by the last Democratic Congress, with the approval of a Democratic Executive.

The following shows by titles the appropriations made at this session, in comparison with those made at the last sesion of Congress. with the increase or reduction in each:

APPROPRIATIONS-Continued.

It will be noted from this exhibit that, while at this session reductions have been made in many of the appropriation acts, increases of any considerable amount appear in but few.

Thus the fortification act is increased from $1,904,557.50 to $7,397,888, and in addition to the latter sum authority is given te enter into contracts to the further sum of $4,195,076, making, in all, $11,592,964 authorized at this session for the work of strengthening our coast defenses, or nearly as much as had been given in all of the previous eight years combined since the Government entered on the present plans of fortification and harbor defense.

The Post-Office bill is increased from $59,545,997.86 to $92,571,564.22, which is the usual increase requisite to keep pace with the growth of population and commerce of the country.

The river and harbor bill appropriates. $12,621,800, the whole of which is an apparent increase, no bill having been enacted at the last session. The river and harbor act that was passed during the first regular session of the last Congress appropriated $11,643,180.

The inadequacy of appropriations made during the last Congress accounts for the apparent increase in deficiencies.

The permanent appropriations show an apparent increase of a little less than $6,000,000, accounted for in part by the increase for sinking fund and interest on the public debt, to which I have already adverted, and to an increase in the amount estimated to be required during the coming year for the redemption of notes of national banks that have surrendered circulation.

Aside from a necessary increase in the number of seamen and men in the Navy and Marine Corps, in order to place in commission the new ships of war provided for by previous Congresses, there has been no appreciable increase in employments or of salaries of employees authorized in any of the several departments of the General Government. On the contrary, appropriations for 337 employees, with salaries aggregating $475,190, in the internal-revenue service, have been omitted because of the failure of the income-tax law under the decision of the Supreme Court.

At the beginning of the session the Committee on Appropriations In its first report to the House called attention to the abnormal growth in the expenditures under the fee system on account of United States courts, and to the fact that they had more than doubled during the period between 1885 and 1896. With commend

APPROPRIATIONS-Continued.

able zeal the Judiciary Committee of the House took up the question and reported a well-digested measure, which was incorporated into the legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation bill, and is now the law, abolishing the fee system as to United States attorneys and marshals, and placing those officials upon fixed salaries; revising and reducing the schedule of tees of United States commissioners, and requiring their appointment to be made by the district instead of the circuit courts, and for terms of four years each, instead of for life as heretofore. This legislation will, it is confidently asserted by those in position and competent to judge, reduce expenditures annually on account of United States courts more than $1,000,000 and will reduce to a minimum frivolous and malicious prosecutions. Under the fee system attorneys and marshals received as compensation during the fiscal year 1895 $708,219.70, or $160,719.70 more than the aggregate of their salaries as fixed by the new law. The aggregate of their salaries as prescribed is $547,500, or $292,500 less than it was possible for them to earn under the fee system. As against this record of reformatory legislation inaugurated by this House, it has been developed that the present administration of the Treasury Department, under the discretion vested in it by law, has increased, since July 1, 1895, the number of employees in the customs service by 331, and raised the compensation of 281 others, at a total cost for nine months for both of $206,385.02; that it has expended or incurred expenditures amounting to $7,377,440 for the present year in collecting the revenue from customs estimated at $165,000,000; whereas for the last whole fiscal year 1892, under President Harrison's administration, there was collected under the McKinley tariff act $177,452,000 of customs revenue at a total cost of only $6,607,517, or $12,000,000 more of revenue and $770,000 less of expense in collecting it.

The following table shows the aggregate appropriations made during the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses, and at the present session of the Fifty-fourth Congress:

APPROPRIATIONS COMPARED-Fiscal Years 1891 to 1897, inclusive.