The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-05-22

THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF OUR Gov
ERNMENT-THE TWO DEMOCRATS
JEFFERSON AND CLEVELAND
CONTRASTED.
To the Editor:
"And Joab said to Amasa, art thou
in health, my brother, and he smote
him in the fifth rib
Willy politicians Of our time followed
this scriptural precedent. While this
government was blessed exceedingly
with commercial, industrial and moral
health, these modern Joabs' have smit-
ten it in the fifth rib till it now lies in
and political jim-jams. Plutocrats have
cornered the nations wealth; corpora
tons and spectators have monopolized
land and transportation; bankers con-
troll the national currency; unprincipled
politicians hold the reins of govern
| nlent. These are Joabs who menace the
health Of our nation. These are the rib
| crackers who are shifting the people;
| and these are the assaasins who, If rot
restrained, will eventually finish the life
of our republican form Of government.
The increasing cost OF government is
one OF the abuses that is stripping the
| public rib. The falling prices for COM
| naodities is curtailing the peoples abil-
ity to pay taxes, yet the cost of support
ing the government is growing heavier
every year. With prudent management
the governmental cost per capita should
| decrease as population increases. Yet
such is not the result. even though the
war-cry of the two dominant parties has
always been "Retrencl:rneIt and Re-
FORM" If their past history can serve
as a prologue to their future course,
when we hear the two dotarGly parties
| mumbling for economy Of administTa-
ton" VIC will recognize it as hollow
sham, shallow pretense. 1t would be
| just as consistent for Cleveland to adj
vocate prohibition, or the devil to dis
| courage dancing. During Jefferson's
administration the yearly expenses were
/ $S,000,000, or fraction over 81 head
| for the 100000 population. Up to 1871
the cost had increased tc $3.50 per cap
! tia. But the nations yearly outlay, at
| this end Of the century, would make the
| taxpayers believe that we had Mark
| Anthony or Ptoleniy Auletus empty
| ing the treasury at Washington. The
regular annual expense of carrying on
CH1S originally SIMPLE sS0SRI nMp1L Is
over 1886, G00, 900 for 1894 (probahiy $780,
100000 fer 1880, nearly 81 fer every
man, woman and child il the United
States.
We admit since Jeffersons day our
government has necessarily increased
expenses by creating new departments
and assuming new functions. But I'M
| fortunately it has also formed extrava-
CANT habits, such as giving wine-sup-
pers to plutocratic visitors, providing
| clerkships for the sons Of prominent
politicians, furnishing carriages to aba
sent members, salaries to dead men,
bers and stationery, newspapers, soap
and towels, baths and slaves, clerk
hire and police bodyguards to all con-
| gresSional members. Ring Grover is
also allowed $4,000 more yearly for
White House expenses and servant hire
than President jefferson received.
| This culpable extravaganza is one
cause that has brought forth the Peo-
pies Party, and that Will increase it's
! numbers until it shall central every de-
partment of government. Had the two
| old frauds worked as hard to demon
etize official extravaganza rs they did
| to demonetize silver they would not
now smell so much like n decoinrosed
| skunk as they do. The Augean stables
| at Washington must be cleaned of their
| filth and corruption. If the publication
i is not done soon, the people may as
we'll hang their hArps Of liberty on a
| willow tree and give up the ghost. Then
/ will Americas victorious horde of plu-
| tCcrats and rib-cracking< Joabs join