The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-09-02
FALSE ECONOMY.


ton the widest cxlrayagance' IL rs
true of private ar well as public bust
ness. lthjust as necessary TO plant
financial seed If we would reap o III.
ture crop of profit, a. IL Is wheat or
corn, Many promising schemes OF
business have suffered early and violent
death from penny wisdom literally ap'
Piled. A hundred acre hcId cannot be
planted veil with the same quantity OF
aocd which would suffice for ten acres
A business which requires an hundred
thousand dollars capital, cannot be-
made success with only ten thousand
True as this undoubtedly is Of private
business, it is still more 30 of public
business The severe ST Of economy
induced by the grave necessities OF the
last six years OF hard times has ex-
pended its force, unfortunately, in 81
public direction. Legislatures, senaI's
aud cabinets have been sadly affected
A few years orexperience has well'nieh
convinced Texas that the public service
of a five thousand dollar man cans
not be had for one thousand, and
right here the waste commences at
the bung, while the spiggot Is closely
guarded. We have increased the SER
vice and reduced the pay of many pub
lie officers. Men Of less ability are re-
oured to do an increased amount OF
work. The end in such cases is always
plainly in sight, and sooner or later the
public will be called upon to pay too
dearly, alas for its economical whistle.
But it is popular toy, and offices and
public positions and Importance can be
secured by the hobby, and it must be
ridden, though the public must pay the
expense in defalcations, or in business
half done or entirely neglected.
Our Legislators get but five dollars a
day, aud even then they are peremtoril'
" sent home after a sixty days session
whether the public business has been
attended to or not This is hard upon
the legislators themselves doubtless,
but it is far worse for the general public
which finally roots the bills and
bears the consequences of mistakes Of
either hasty or incompetent legislation.
Twenty hundred dollars salary
played the deuce with discipline in the
land office, and it may cost the state
hundreds of thousands of dollars in
future litigation to relieve herself from
the mistakes and incompetency of Mr.,
Groos, The new constitution created
the county court, and furnished it with
world of work to do, but provided no
adequate recomronsc. Many OF the
Judges resigned after finding out that
the pay was in no sense commensurate
with the service required. A fair class
of mon accepted the position the first
time under misrepresentation as to its
emoluments, They will not seek re-
election, but raw ana inferior men will
take their places. Does it take much
political acumen TO forecast the result 7
But then the patient, deceived but inN
nocent people will pay the bills, and
there's an end of it.
In the matter of public schools
while there should be no waste yet inN
sufficient means to secure the best talN
ent in the market is the widest ex.
travagance, because not only money
but precious time is wasted in the ems
deavor to give the young a finished ed
ucation with nm inferior or inco mpetent
teacher.
There is only one safe rule to govern
public as we'll as private expenditure,
and that is fair service for fair pay,
fair goods at fair prices. five expect
respectable service we must be willing
to pay price which will induce re,
spectacle talent to engage in the work
Texas must learn this lesson, and il is
no unpromising indication that already
her people and papers are determined
ly attacking the niggardly policy which
has already worked for her, untold evil.