Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-19

Criticisms OF Mr.. Gorman's Speech BY Mem
beers Of His Own Party.

bers Of His Own Party.
The speech Of Senator German last Friday
on the naval appropriation bill has made an ex-
traordinary impression among the democratic
leaders in the House. The echoes Of it In the
Senate yesterday but imperfectiy represent the
extent Of the commotion il has excited There
are many who would like 10 take issue with
him, but they are anxious to avoid any evidence
Of dispute within the party Is to the question
OF economy. Most Of those democrats whose
views on the subject might be worth repeating
refuse to discuss the speech publicly. though
some OF them are willing to discuss the party
policy in way TO antagonze Mr. German with
out making direct reference TO his remarks.
Most OF the democrats who are familiar with
the question OF appropriations, though they
state that in the main Mr.. Germans statements
as to the situation are correct, do not regard
his conclusions as sound and il is feared by
them that the impression made by his remarks
will not be what he designed There is . fear
among them that the spirit which Il will
arouse VIII be that OF abandonment TO fate.
win the ready excuse on the part Of democrats
for extravaganza that the fault lies with the last
Congress and not with them. II is regarded as
undoubtedly true as he states that the great
mass OF routine expenditures for running the
government are fixed and cannot be changed
except by the united action of both branches
OF Congress and the executive and possibly a
change would not be expedient; that the last
Congress by new legislation fixed upon the gov
eminent certain liabilities for expenditures
which very largely increase the amount of alb
solutely compulsory appropriations and cannot
be avoided by this Congress. and il IL also not
denied that there is n steady natural growth OF
expenditures in certain directions year bv year
which must be taken into account But the de-
feet in his argument in the view of
the economists of the House is that this
state of affairs which he describes takes
1t out of the power Of the democrats
to put into effect their policy of retrenchment.
IL Is argued that the country will not expect
this House to make cuts in appropriations
which are fixed by law and cannot be avoided
but that the democrats will be held responsible
for every increase of expenditure which they
make themselves and also for every failure on
their part to make a reduction where thew are
free to do so. II is assumed that Mr.. German
does not dispute this proposition yet his speech.
they claimed might readily be interpreted into
an abandonment Of all effort TO d. anything
since the way to some reforms is closed. That
the speech was bold. frank and straightforward
and remarkably able is generally acknowledged.
The chief complaint Of Mr.. Germans demo-
cratic critics is that his speech was untimely
and may seriously interfere with the efforts on
the part OF the democrats in the House to save
what they can and make record for economy
in spite of the difficulties under which they
labor because of the state Of things which Mr.
German describes.
WHAT SOME ECONOMISTS SAT.
One prominent economist said to STAR re-
porter today: "Mr. German should have let us
alone; should have left usto fight the thing out
and make the issue as well as we could When
We had done our best it would then have been
time enough for him TO make his speech as an
EXPLANATION a yva had df,pa bat
As 1t is his speech will be quoted on us to prove
that extravagant appropriations are inevitable;
that We are not responsible and that We might
as well let things slide. He merely makes il
more difficult for us TO succeed in our efforts
toward meritorious economy"
Mr.. Dockery, who is one of the economists of
the appropriations committee. said that he had
not read the speech. but that he had got an i'm
preston of its general character from the dis
cussion Of it in the press. He would not dis
cuss the speech, he said. but in his opinion Laws
on the statute books would excuse this Con-
gress FOR making appropriations compelled by
those laws. but would not excuse the democrats
for failure to economic where there was no
law TO interfere. The subsidy and pension laws,
he thought, would not excuse an extravaganza
river and harbor bill. an increase in the Mill
tary Academy bill, nor an unnecessarily large
appropriation for the navy These were things
winch the House had control of and could regu-
late, and therefore must take the responsibility
for.
Mr.. McMillin Of Tennessee would not discuss
Mr.. Gorman's speech directly, but he said tina,
the democrats could economic where the laws
did not interfere with economy, and that they
would do 80. I'VE made the fight which gave
us this House on the issues of economy of ex-
penditures, just taxation and freedom from fed
erai interference at the polls. We are not going
to drop any of these issues. Where the repub-
hcan Congress has made laws which compel us
to make large appropriations for particular pur-
poses We cannot be held responsible, but in
spite Of such laws we shall carr ont our policy.
save over $40 600 900 and make the issue plain.