The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-26

THE VICE is IN THE SYSTEM.

]. Sterling Morton treats of the strik-
ing increase of the national expense
account, in the current Forum, under
the caption "Retrenchment or-Ruin ?"
written hastily, he says, merely as a.
suggester of serious thought among
tax-paying and patriotic citizens upon
the need of economy in the admins
tration Of the government" He goes
over the different heads under which
the ordinary expenditures are CLASH
fed, noting the annually swelling
amounts in each since the Inaugural
ton Of the policy of diminishing in
come and increasing outgo by the Fiji
ty-frst congress-, and appends the sum-
mary made by Secretary Carlisle in
one of his reports. That notes how the
expenditures of the war period fell
below $780, 900 annually by 1870. and
calculating, but on the whole decreas-
ing, reached their lowest point in 1886
at $243, 4S3, 1850. From 1885 to 1889 the
average annual expense account was
263,016, 473.1S, and between 1889 and
1888 it rose rapidly to an average of
$345, 405 so, or $82, 33S, $780, AZ each year
Had the average spending of the 1858
period been maintained, the ordinary
receipts of the treasury in 1896 would
have paid the expenses and left a sur
plus of $63, 1853, 1920.
Striking, even alarming as these fig
ures are, they will create no impress
sion on the country, as they certainly
have not on the congress elected to
reverse the policy obtaining between
1883 and 1889, and to restore that pre-
vailing from 1889 to 1898. They have
been sedulously taught by the papers
and orators of the Restoration that the
one thing needed is more income, not
less spending, and the country is edi-
fed by the sight of the congress Of the
Restoration calmly and confidently
adopting precisely the same means to
increase revenue that its predecessor
in 1890 adopted to diminish it. Nor
does the absurdity Of this financial
quackery appear to impress the mass
put - accepted as the therapeutics of
the aIlopathic school of finance While
this process is going on legislatures are
In session passing their annual bud
gets. and municipal councils are con-
slder1ng their expenditures for the COM
Ing year. Here there is no apathy, but
legislators and councilmen are scam
ming the expense accounts, looking for
places where outgo may be reduced
while those from whose pockets the
money must be drawn keep watchfuI
eyes on those who hold the purse
strings. 1t is safe to say that in no
state or city in the land could the mol
Icy Of congress be emulated: none
where spending is regarded as a vir-
tue, and none where first attention is
given to getting money, with little. if
any, to its frugal spending.
We say that Mr.. Morton's alarm
will fall on deaf ears, and receive
scant attention. If noticed, it will be
only to draw the comment that Mr.
Morton was a mere parer Of cheese in
the administration of his departments
and has no appreciation Of the great
ness, the dignity and the magnificence
OF this country. And this results. not
from any spirit Of extravaganza or
wastefulness among the people, not
from carelessness in money matters.
but solely because the system by which
national revenues are derived blinds
the eyes of the mass to the fact that.
as Mr.. Morton says, this government
like all others, is penniless and pau
per, except for it's power to tax it's citi-
gems. 1t was born without money. It
can create no money. It handles only
tax-raised money" and, he might have
added, It gets no money save that
which it draws from its own citizens
Not only do the mass not realize that
they pay nothing to support the federal
government, but have they not the au-
thority Of the present president that the
foreigner pays all the taxes laid on
Imports? How can a people thus
taught look with disfavor innrAaS-