The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-13
Ideal but Hardly Practicable.

An interesting if not a very convnc-
ing argument is made by Louis p.
Shoemaker in the Washington Post in
favor of the creation of a permanent,
bipartisan and non-sectional COM
mission of able and expert men to make
the tariff and financial problems, with
the purpose of recommending to con-
gress. from time to. time, such modili-
cations of the laws governing these two
interests of the country. Among the
many reasons which he advances for
such step, the chief one Is that con-
gress itself with it's complex and jum-
bled membership made up mostly of
green politicians and demagogues. is
unfit. alone and without aid, to deal
intelligently with these delicate, far
reaching and vital subjects.
Mr.. Shoemaker quotes Professor
Bryce's remark in the american Com
mOnwealth" that 80 long as the debit
side of the National account is man.
aged by one set of men and the credit
separately and in secret, without public
responsibility, and without interven-
ton on the part of the executive official,
who is nominally responsible; 50 long
as these sets being composed largely
of new men every two years. who give
no attention to business except when
congress is in session, and thus spend
in preparing plans the whole time
which ought to be spent in public dis
cussion of plans already matured so
that an immense budget is rushed
through without discussion in a week
or ten days-just so long the finances
will go from bad to worse, no matter
by what name you call the party in
power. No other nation on earth at
tempts such thing or could attempt
it without coming to grief, Americas
salvation thus far consisting in the
enormous income. with practically no
drain of military expenditure" To this
passage Mr.. Shoemaker adds the fol-
lowing comment Of his own:
While Mr.. Bryce could write this in 1890
when the treasury was full of our mil.
lions OF national pecuniary wealth, and
the question was agitating the country as
to how we should judicousiy eXpend it,
what could he say today when we not
only spent the millions we then had, but
we have been forced by the neglect and
refusal of our legislators to legislatc' to
borrow millions on several different occa-
sions in time Of peace to enable us to meet
our just and necessary obligations of a
national character? Are we now an eX-
ception to the other nations Of the world
whom Mr.. Bryce says could not do, or at
tempt to do. as we have done? Have we
not already come to grief? Is 1t not evil
dent that we cannot now nor In the future
float as we have in the past upon our ma
tional, Individual, and corporate prosperi-
ty? Is IL not necessary now that our ma
tional affairs and particularly those 'of
finance and tariff, should be In the hands
of the best and most patriotic men of the
country, statesmen. not politicians?
TO these questions. the affirmative is
the only possible answer; and it is. we
believe, the purpose Of the voters of the
United States, so far as lies within
their power under the party system
of government. to take the control OF
our national affairs. just as soon asl
they can, from the hands of a collec-
ton of poor politicians who have pro-
duced only havoc and to commit them
to the hands of experienced Republic
can statesmen. Whether It will be pos