Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-06-17
TIME FOR A HALT.
From the Glohp-Democrat I

| lcTou GlODe-DelnOcfat.1 III
The republican party came into con.
troll OF the house nt representatives last
December with the treasury iull to over.
flowing. The revenues of the govern.
ment were sufficient To pay all its run.
ming expenses, on the scale which then
existed. TO reduce tho public debt by
S5O, ,OOO, 900 u year, which is certainly
fast enough, and TO leave surplus o
500 600, 900 to $9O.000.000. This sur.
plus is taken from the people by taxa.
tion-taXation which bears heavily on
many branches of industry. There is
no pretense of necessity tor continuing
the burden, but there is, anu has been
tor long time, a very Ineligible de
mand in many quarters for relief.
Not many persons, whether in con.
eress or out, believe it advisable to con
tinue the redemption of outstanding
bonds at the present rate. To do SO will
compel, within four years, the paymen,
OF premiums on to 4 l.GL per cents, and
thus countervail the saving of interest
1t will be doing we'll enough to coniint
the debt redemption annually to tht
requirements OF the sinking fund. What
then Is to be done with the extra surplu.
which amounts this year to almost $780,.
OOO, ,OOOp
This money evidently must 10 left ta
idle in the treasury, which is not to
be thought Of, or it must be spent, or i,
must be remitted TO the people out o.
whose pockets it IS drawn, ,by o reduction,
fakes. Congress. with its new republi
can majority. came to II fork IN the ro4d
in December. A sign board stood
there. In one direction the way was
pointed out to economy, reduction OF
taxes. and political safety ;,in the Other
to extravaganza and political danger
Unfortunately. the latter road has been
travelled for almost six months, and il
now looks as though there were no easy
short cut over into the right road.
Bills which have been introduced in
| one branch or the other include every
conceivable form of congressional cx.
travagance. There is the biggest steal
of all, the arrears OF pension act, passed
ut another session but formally indOrsed
aud continued in operation by the sen-
ate In this. How many millions it will
take out of tile treasury in the course OF
the next few years nobody knows, save
that 1t will be we'll along in the hun.
dreds. On top OF this new pension
act for the benefit OF Mexican veterans
is seriously proposed. 1t is almost forty
years, ny the way, since the Mexican
war was fought. There Is the river and
harbor bill, loaded down with steals for
petty brooks and harborlets, until the
national appropriations for the Missis.
sippl river aud the great harbors are
utterly swamped. A bill has gone
through the senate alter significant
debate to give to sundry states out OF
the general treasury from 81 900. 600 to
$lO,OOO.OOO, to which they have only
the shOdew OF II claim. A $4,000. 900
education bill has made progress. Pub
lie buildings by the score have been de-
handed aud voted for. to be built in
places little better than crossroads. The
notion OF spending millions upon mil.
lions ior tho construction OF q navy
which. II experience Is a guide, will be
composed of little better than paper
ships. has found general favor, aud has
been STAYED Oft only by the unpopulari-
ty OF two men. and the widespread
public suspicion Of them. Heavy steam
ship subsidy grants have bren pest d
chIefty by tho same aud no other obsta-
oAtS' Auo wv uOuSCS uotC tIcu Will cuCu
other in the development OF schemes to
draw money out OF the strong box, and
neither has shown any anxiety to have
it kept in the peoples pockets to begun
with, rather than taken out of them to
be poured into the public Golfers.
While this is the course OF events at
Washington, congressional campaign
Is cunning on. By the middle OF No.
vember the hindsight of good many
representatives, and senators who are
voting away money recklessly at Wash
lngtou is likely to appear a good deal
better than their foresight. The demo-
Gratis ought to be well suited with their
expenditure boom; they are at all
events doing their best to help it OIL,
the responsibility, in the final analysis,
resting with the republicans. But the
people al large. In both parties. irown
ON congressional extravaganza, aud, in.
asmuch rs the republicans in congress
have control OF the purse. strings. com.
mon political prudence ought to teach
them To cali halt ON the designing per-
sons who occupy themselves with unity.
inO them