The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-04-09
AN OPEN LETTER
To the Members OF the
House O. Representa-
tIVeS.

your leading men.
1t is the gravest mistake to think
that economy means merely saving,
pinching, and curtailing. That is a
frequent incident of true economy, but
rarely ever the totality, or even an
essential part. Judicious and liberal
expenditure is quite as frequently wise
economy, Parsimony is generally false
economy. 1t is the expedient of the
short-sighted and the defective reasoners.
The country has been suffering for
three long, weary years from the results
of bogus economy introduced by char
latans, humbugs and blathering dema-
gogs who were ignorant and incompetent
when not positively vicious and malig-
nant. Their economies have resulted
in adding s252,000,000 to the public
i
debt, while inficting a loss of billions of
dollars to the people. In the name OF
economy" they have shut up factories,
bankrupted merchants, struck a cold
(; chill to the heart of enterprise, blanketed
farms with mortgages, shut down mines
and paralyzed industry. The mourners
90 about the streets .wailing over
/" economy" Cold furnace fires and
rusting mill-wheels, tomstones OF pros
perity, are inscribed with the epitaph
/" economy"
The country is very sick of the word
in the mouths of public men. Grown
wiser with misfortune the people loathe
the economy" babblers as the ravens
of .ill-luck. They want the men they
put in power lately and those they shall
put in power to sing more hopeful
song.
All the financial evils from which we
are now suffering result directly from
this much prostituted term economy"
In the name Of economy bankers have
called in their loans and locked the
money up in their vaults, while business
is stagnated. Rich men have put their
funds in safety deposit vaults, mill
onwers have discharged their employees.
Can any be so foolish as to imagine
that the people want the Governmental
encourage this evil by the mighty forge Of
its example? e
Not for an instant. All the recent
elections were. indignant protests against
such an nnwisei and injurious policy.
These are the times when the Govern
ment should do its utmostto restore con-
fdence, and counteract the stringent
tendencies by increasing its expenditures,
and putting money in circulation. This
has been the policy of wise rulers in
other lands, at similar periods. They
have ordered the construction of great
public roads and magnificent buildings
to give the people employment, adjust
the monetary circulation, and restore
business confidence.
We are confident that this is your
duty now. There are very many things
which must be done at considerable
outlay of money within the next few
years, and low is the very best time at
which to at least begin to do them.
This.reasonipg applies with particular
force to the passage of the Service Pen
sion Bill. Everyone admits that
Service Pension Bill is inevitable within
a very few years. Even. President Cleve-
land, when vetoing the Dependent PEN
sion Bill-Feb. IL, 1S87-expressly
admitted that the Service Pension Bill
must and should come, but he thought
it should be delayed until it would take
the nature of parting benefaction
rendered by grateful people" That
was nine years ago. He has not ex.l
pressed himself recently as to the ripe.
ness of the time for that parting bene-
faction"
Leaving out of the consideration the
justice and humanity of the measure,
the passage Of the Service Pension Bill
now would be a measure of the highest
and truest economy. The conditions
are ripe for just such wise expenditure
to start every spring of prosperity into
active life. The people have waited for