New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-08
GONE AND MORE WITH 1T.
THAT so-CALLED SURPLUS REPLACED BY
A DEFICIENCY.
HOW THE ALLEGED EXPERTS OF THE TREASURY
JUGGLE WITH FIGURES FOR PoLIT-
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. ]

[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNEl
Washington oct. The Wanted September
plus has disappeared In the whirlpool OF October
deficiency Five days of October have produced
a Treasury deficiency which more than swallowed
I'D the little surplus" which the officials able
to scrape together in September for political effect.
The alleged surplus Of September was S.22sls7.
while the deficiency OF the first five days OF October
was Sc So, lOs Indeed the people who were fooled
by the professed surplus OF last month must have
been few when the figures OF the last years opera
lions examined. Anybody who stopped to re-
member that the expenditures OF the Government
have for years averaged 100000 a day, and 80
continue az the present time would readily when
the September receipts show only H5i9673 that there
must be some humbug about claim that there was
a surplus In that month. And careful exarnina-
ton OF the figures OF the Department month by
month not only confirms that impression, but shows
that In the two months In which there has been
claim OF surplus for the new law II has been
obtained by holding the expenditures down tempo
rarlly and not by OF large receipts There
have been two months out Of the thirteen since the
Wilson law into effect In which there has been
an appearance OF a surplus. In each case Il has
been produced by keeping the expenditures OF that
month far below the normal
1t was desirable to make good a showing for
the closing month in the last fiscal year possible.
and So by methods best known to the experts
who control Treasury affairs the expenses for that
month were permitted 10 run above sl.6S3029.
The result momentary appearance OF a sur
plus But the very next month showed the true in
wardness OF the performance. for the expenditures
jumped $3s,54S063. or nearly double those OF the
month in which the experts had been working
for record. II again desirable 70 make
record" for the new law the end OF September.
for the Democratic orators must have something
favorable to say for II in October in those States
where November elections pending SO the Eek
perts" again to work to produce an appear
ance OF a surplus. Controller Bowler by an arbi-
trary ruling Off the payments for sugar bounty,
and other payments were kept down TO the very
lowest notch. The result that again. for the
month OF September. the expenditures were held
far below the normal and an appearance Of a sur
plus thus made
That these very low expenditures in June and
September have been forced for purpose is per
fectly apparent from a study Of the Treasury OPP
in the past. There has not been month
in the last four years In which the expenditures
have fallen as low by the natural process In
those months in which the experts in manipulation
have 1T artifcialy to produce small
penditure at the expense OF the following month.
In the last forty-eight months the expenditures
have been 81 .isi, o"'. or average Of sSo5oO0
month. In no month in all that time had they
been as low as those producsl 10 order on these
two occasions, in June and September when there
were political reasons for making a showing for
which produced the apparent surplus We're produced
the expense OF other months less important IN
political way Is evident from the Iact already clteu
that the expenditures OF the month following the
June surplus" nearly double those permitted
in June And IL will also be apparent as 10 the
September surplus" as there is already evidence
that the october expenditures will far exceed those
permitted last month when surplus was necessary:
ior effect in the campaign That the surplus OF
the two month"; In question was not because OF in
creased receipts is shown by the fact that there
have been three months in the present year Jan
uary July and August In which the receipts were
greater than I'm the - lrplus months, yet IN every
one OF these there deficiency.
The following table. showing the receipts and ex-
peudltures OF the thirteen months the new law has
been in operation month by month. Will enable me
reader 10 see at a glance the method by which the
surplus OF June and september obtained. The
receipts of those months not. IT will be seen
as large as some other months under present law.
but the expenditures kept lower than those
OF any Of the other eleven months in It's history
And when ii is remembered that June was the CLOS
ing month OF the fiscal year In which II was desired
10 make a good showing as possible ana thai
September is the last opportunity to make a GOOD
showing for the new law in time for effect IN the
elections this year the cause OF this ioIced SUI.
apparent.