New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-18
THE DANGER or TXTHAJiGiNCT

The Republican party in Congress has done
well thus far. 1t has elected good Speaker,
set its foot on the tyranny OF a minority,
crippled flibustcring, adopted reasonable rules,
passed an Administrative Tariff BILL settled
several conteSted-clcctiOn cases in accordance
with the evident decision of the people, and
spent weeks of faithful committee work III pre-
pairing "A tariff and other measures of large I'M
portance. It's work has been honorable. Had
the country been offered a certainty that fill
clustering and wanton delay could be prevented
by the adoption OF just rules, after a struggle
lasting from the opening of the session until
this day. it would not have considered the time
il-syent.
A harder trial Of the faithfulncss of members
is at hand, and indeed has begun. They have
begun to vote away money. Every Repre-
sentative has influential friends who are inter
ested in one undertaking or another, some in
public buildings, some in river or harbor i'm
provementS, some in other branches of public
expenditure. 1t is not always easy for mem
Der to say no to these friends. especially when
the object of appropriation is i'll itself mcritor-
Gus, and when many other members Will as
suredly seek their local interest at any cost. and
without spending more Of the public money
than ought to be spent. The man who solemn
~ resolves in the morning that he will not help
to defeat the cause he loves by voting for cX
tiayagant or unwise appropriations, may find
himself before noon pledged 10 support an APP
preparation for a $3.50 900 public building in
"A town where the needs Of the service can all
be met By a rental Of ~ 900 year. 1t would
please constituents 10 have the building erect
cd, and there are men of great influence who
want it, and the Democratic candidate next
fall is sure to pledge himself to support it to
the utmost
Nobody can take Representatives. rcspon-
sibiity in his stead and no one else is likely
TO lie as competent As he is to judge whether
this or that appropriation for buildings or i'm
provcments is justified. TO their own con-
stituents the members must answer and far-On
criticism even if entirely accurate is apt to be
of little avail But ii is well to remember that
the Republican party in general, and many
honorable members in particular, will find it
rather harder work to satisfy the people next
fall if the aggregate of appropriations this year
exceeds the aggregate for the current or the
last fiscal year No one can go over the entire
list and explain each item to an audience. If
that were possible, it would not alter the feel
ing Of voters that an aggregate of appropria
tons, which was considered utterly indefensiblc
when they were made by the last and most cX-
travagant Democratic Congress, ought not TO
be exceeded by the first Republican Congress.
There are exceptional objects it is true, to
which money ought to be appropriated with
out hesitation. But it is equally true that cx-
| travagance and wastefulness of expenditure in
good many directions have been growing for
years, without anything to excuse such an in
crease. and Republican Congress might well