Omaha daily bee., 1889-01-01
RECKLESS ExTRAvAGANCE.


The official figures presented in THE
BEE Of Monday, showing the extraor-
dinary and unjustifable extravaganza
OF the last legislature, should warn the
present Legislature 10 carefully guard
against repetition of such waste OF
the public money. The power 10 prevent
the plundering of the people rests
wholly with that body, and it cannot
shift to other shoulders the responsible
lity for failure to perform its duty in
this respect. Having before it the facts
which show the unexcusable cXtravag
ance OF the past, itcan have no difficulty
in providing against their repetition.
These facts show that the
public treasury was pluudered to the
extentof from sixty to seventy thous-
and dollars, which went into the pock
cts of INSCRIPTIONS officials of the leg
islature and their lccches. Walter
Seelcy, the secretary of the senate, APP
pears to have been the vampire with
the most vigorous appetite. He was not
only successful in securing pay for his
services at the rate of ten dollars Il day
for session days, but he was enabled TO
generously provide for several people in
positions never before required, and
which must have been little less than
sinecures. These leeches of his own and
of his mate Boncsteel received public
money to the amount of nearly or quite
one thousand dollars, which was simply
a steal. In addition to his very liberal
per diem, Secley also mulcted the state
in the sum of three hundred dollars for
preparing the senate journal. Yet this
man has the supreme impudence to
seek reelection to u position whose
duties he performed but inditferently,
and whose opportunities for plumber he
took the fullest advantage of.
The overtaXed people Of Nebraska de-
mand a reduction in the expenditures
of the state government, and they know
that this can be done without impairing
the efficiency of any department
| of it. The legislature should be-
gin by reducing it's own expenses.
An increase of one hundred thous-
and dollars in two years cannot
possibly be justified, and an oppressed
people will not meekly bear a continu-
ance of such extravaganza. If the pres
| ent legislature fails of its duty in this
| matter, the next will be composed of
men chosen with reference to protect
ing the public treasury against the raids
| of the reckless and unscrupulous. The
| annual cost Of the state government for
the past three years has been quite two
| dollars per capita of the population,
| which is greater than in a majority of
| the states of the union. Nebraska has
| expended more money in propor-
| tion to population during the
last three years than has Penn
| sylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, In
diana, Iowa or Wisconsin, all older and
more fully developed states, and there-
fore in better condition to be liberal to
the point of extravaganza in state ex-
| penditures. Moreover, most of them have
| much larger debt to provide for than
| Nebraska. Their resources of taxation
also are more various, so that the cost
of supporting their governments does
not fall so largely as in this state upon
the farming class.
Justice to the people, who are OPP
| piC py SASCo-iNO pstNttuiOi.
and every consideration affecting
the material growth and pros
| perity of the state, demand that the eX-
| penditures shall be reduced in every
| department of the government whore it
can be done without impairing the etfic
cncy of the public service. Leakage
must be stopped, the avenues to plunder
| closed, sinecure officials or employees
dropped from the pay rolls, all appro-
| priations of public money refused that
are not absolutely necessary, and a gem
eral reform inaugurated in the direc-
tion of judlcious and systematic
economy. With this accomplished, and
change made in the revenue laws
which will remedy existing inequalities
in assessments, the farmers of Nebraska
| will experience a relief stimulating to
their industry and thrift, an era of
more vigorous prosperity will ensue,
and the state will become more inviting
| than ever to the home e-seeker and the
| investor.