The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-07
ScarecrOws Mr.. Steyens.

From The ~ y tribune.
The distinguished and venerable representa-
tive from Pennsylvania in proposing, last
Friday, gift OF money in excess OF their sala-
res to most OF the public employees IN Wash
ingtOn City, saw fit to deliver himself as
fOlOws:-
"Mr. Stevens. of Pennsy ylvania:-Mr Chair
man, sball not occupy my five minutes. A
word will be suthctenI Some time ago we
passed bill giving " per cent addtiional com
pensation To all whose salaries are under $500
but a soarecrow-I think that ia the uame-a
BcarCcrow came on here from New York and
coulsed over the ground one night, aud next
day the friends Of the bill scattered like the
antelopes OF the mountains, scared to death;
the bill was defeated, and the sea ecrOw went
back TO New York triumphant. (Laughter)
one.third the amount that was appropriated by
that bill, and we can surely afford 10 give this
small pittance to these men l nave heard It,
said that a good many OF them are married. /
saw lisb of the unhappy men VINO are married
0aughterC and more than three fDurtns of those
who will be benefited by tuis ameuimeut nave
that misfortune. 1 nope the amendment Will
be adopted"
Comments By the Tribune.
Mr.. Stevens illustration seems to US ex-
ceediDgly felicit0us. Crows are useful ia their
place, and do a world of good but then thsy
have weakness for getting out Of place, and
depredatng on the farmers corn. To curb
this vicious propensity and drive back the
black ravens fTom the fields whore they would
do mischief to those haunts wherein they are
useful, is the "being's end and aim" Of scare
crows. Honor to scarcecrow5 Crows are
good and bad 10y turns; scarecrOws do much
good and no harm at all.
And now to busness:-
We differ radically with Mr. Stevens on the
vital philosophy of Government expenditure.
Mr.. Stevens proposes free Silt of public
money to certain employees of the Government.
The original proposition (twenty per cent.
extra on their last years earnings) wonld
have required two millions Of dollars; Mr..
Stevens modification thereof would take at
least one million. Now all the money in the
Treasury, in our view, has to be earned in
order to be spent. Ii certain parties are given
$l,00O000 extra out of the Treasury, certain
other parties must pay 81 900 600 extra into
the Treasury. Mr.. Stevens proposition then,
raises this question, "Will justice be sub
served by taking 81 600, 600 extra from the
taxpayers and dividing it among these Wash
ingtOn taX-cOnsumers !' On that question:
we are constrained to vote in the negative.
We would like to crafty the Washington
clerks; We cannot do 1t at the expense of the
American taxpayers. We believe the great
mass of the taxes are paid 10y men who work
harder and for smaller pay than the Washing
ton cleIks-that the appropriation urged by
Mr.. Stevens could only be- made at the ex-
pense of equality, justice and the rights of the
poor. Hence, we oppose it.
Mr.. Stevens theory is radically different
from ours. He holds that Governments can
make money at will - not merely "cOn
money" but call it into being. The power of
Congress to regulate the value thereof
which we hold to be- pO6er TO declare the
true value, from time to time conforming the
legal to the actual standard-he holds to be
power to declare every leaf in our woods
dollar and thereby make it the full equiva-
lent of an American silver dollar. OF course,
our notions of economy in official management
must seem exceedingly petty aud shabby in
his eyes. When a Government has Aladdins
lamp, why should it not toss full purses about
as though they were pebbles VINO doubts
that lucky pirate is more liberal in his
disbursements than poor farmer who has
tOiled forty years for less than dollar per
day of twelve to fourteen hours hard work
Naturally, the pirate thinks the farmer
miserly, mean-sOuled skin hint but the
farmers standpoint is different; aud he could
not, if he would fling guineas and doubloons
to walters and ostlers as the pirate can well
afford to do.
We owe national debt Of twenty FIVE hun
dred millions of dollars, Not dime of this
debt comes to us or to any one in whose per-
sonal fortunes we feel an interest. But the
debt is righteOusly due; it is the price OF our
national salvation; it is to be paid by honest
sweat and toll; and we are more than willing
to pay our part of it. Call it a tenth of all the
property in the country-a mortgage of ten
per cent. on every farm and every building
and We are ready to work while We live for
its payment, while we hope to leave some
property to be taxed therefor until the last
dime is paid off, We cannot consider ma
tional debt natiOnel blessing any more than
a personal debt is personal blessing. We
greatly desire to pay of principal at the rate
of one hundred millions per annum until there
is mona left to pay. We understand that pay
ing debt means harder work, more frugal
of property than if we did not
owe. But Mr.. Stevens has a very different
notion OF debt. Our two thousand millions Of
interest bearing national debt he holds can be
extinguished by Offering the holders green
backs for their bonds, dollar for dollar, and
thereupOn refusing to pay interest on them a
day longer. That Is to say:-FOr debt which
specifically draws interest in gold at six per
cent. per annum, the principal being payable
within twenty years at furthest, he holds that
we can tender the face in greenbacks drawing
no interest at all, and payable never, and il
our creditors do not accept these we may tell
them to whistle for their money. He calls this
paying-we deem it swindling so barefacsd
that no blackleg in New York or in Washing
ton could resort TO it without being cut by his
fellow blacklegs as a low, contemplate villain
II is inevitable, therefore, that our notions o
twenty per cent. Cor any per cent? extra
should ditler widely from those OF Mr.. Stevens
Taxing Bonds.
From the PitSbUrg Commercial
AT time when the Government was hard
oaA nN oil gfI IAd nv,A - a. - Z