People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-03-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
MRS. ANNIE L. nIoCS MAKES
SOME OBSERVATIONS.
The Way to Economic i5 to Cut Down
EKpenses-SOme Very Pertinent sug-
gestIOus Presented in a Very FOrci-
BILE Way.

nave OSeu running mIIItOHo III cACoSa
of receipts for many months, so re-
ports the secretary of the treasury.
The government in the sense above
1sed, is simply a business firm.
What would common business sense
and common business honesty suggest
to any other business firm under SINH
lar circumstances? To cut down ex-
penses, OF course. What did Carnegie
he seems to have been a pretty good
business manageE-do? What did
every business firm, big or little, from
east to west, from north 20 south. do
during the recent panic as soon as ex-
penses out-aB profits? They drew in
their lines, Topped off every sup+rhu-
ity, dropped every needless expense
and postponed oil projected enter
prises. That was business sense
Why doesn't the big government firm
proceed the same way?
Could the government cut down ex-
penses, Top off any superiority or post
pone any projected enterprise? If l
were to call in the sharp little news
hoy who is just now yelling out,
"Stah, yeh," and ask him this ques-
tion he would answer, you bet"
Even the bootblacks about the capitol
have business sense enough to see
straight on this line. Everybody ex-
eept our great statesmen and con-
gresSmcn can see it.
Numberless clear-sighted people,
public speakers, newspaper writers,
together with several congressman,
have striven 10 call the attention of
our statesmen who are managing the
government bus ness to numerous
items upon which retrenchment could
be exercised without the slightest
detriment 10 the firm.
Premiums to Shipbuilders.
More than 81, OOU,O have been paid
by the government firm to shipbuild-
erS in premiums on war ships.
To begin with we don't need the
war ships They have never done our
firm cents worth of good, they
never will, and they have been an
enormous expense to man and run
them. The builders knew when they
made their contracts with our firm
Just what rate of speed they would be
able TO produce, ard the premium for
excess of speed was a clear steal. The
trial trips which decide the amount of
premium are made under such avora-
BILE circumstances as would not occur
in actual service. Hand-picked coal
is used, expert service is EN- loyed,
and every possible means is used to
force the highest rate of speed.
EIIhe premium money goes to wea thy
capitalists, many of whom are En-.
glishmen who do notreside in America.
This is paternalism of the most az
gravating sort.
The other day the Marblehead in
dulged in pot-house, farcical trial of
speed and made such jolly good time
that our firm agreed to give the
builders, j. e., the capitalists, who
never did stroke of work on the
boat 100000 more than the thing was
worth. The agreed upon price with
out the premium would have netted
the gentlemen contractors fine profit
= Our firm is pressed for cash; why
not lop off that present of 100000?
Lop off the proposed premium
moneT on the whole outfit of new war
vessels and thus save cool million.
y Its too late, alas, to compel the
scheming ship building firms to dis
gorge the $l,UOO,OOU ill-gotten gain
which they have filched from our firm,
but it's not too late to prevent any
more such hi. h-handed robbery.
Retreneh, Mr. Secretary Of the Navy,
like any other good business manager
would do.
Rivers and HarbOrs.
Another big annual steal which
could easily be Topped off is the river
and harbor expenditure.
Nearly if not ali of this money goes
, tofmprove waterways, and for coast
improvements directly in the interest
Of large private monopolieS Specula-
tors buy large tracts of pine lands and
then come to congress and ask, a d
get, big app opriations to improve
streams which serve no other earthly
purpose than 10 float their lumber YES
sells out to sea. Other private monopo'
lists get congress TO grant them water
fronts, and millions of dollars for i'm
provements, and these same rich fel,
lows wlo have been so favored by oul
paternalistic firm refuse to permit q
poor fisherman with a few dozen catch
to land his canoe at their wharf. The
selfish scoundrelsl
Lop off this steal. Stop the $4,000
600 which our firm expects to spent
this year.
Retrench; we are poor.