Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-09-18
ABSENT MINDED,

Says the Omaha World Herald: "Some
of these days it will dawn upon the Re-
publican party that it IS the part of wis
dom to pay more attention to the reduc-
tlon of expenses. Then it will not be
troubled so much about the question of
receipts"
The World Herald seems to have we'll
developed case of absent mindedness on
hand. Only few years ago the Demo-
Gratis made terrible to do over what
they were pleased to term billion dollar
congress, and accused the Republicans of
all manner of extravsgances, limiting at
robbery in the same breath. The next
congress was q Democratic one, but at
the close of its term nothing more was
heard from the Democrats about q
"billion dollar" congress. The reason
for such painful silence on that point was
very plain-more than billion was
spent by the very men who had been
elected upon platform pledging re-
duction of appropriations. The World
Herald has evidently forgotten that little
incident.
So far as the receipts of the govern
ment are concerned, the party in power
is not borrowing any trouble. The new
tariff law has not been in force long
enough to demonstrate its revenue pro,
ducing qualities, but considering the
difficulties placed before it by the free
traders in the senate, in delaying action
and thus allowing enormous quantities
of foreign goods to come into this ooun-
try under the old tariff, anticipating its
effect for several months to come, the re-
ceipts so far have been very satisfactory
| When the Wilson bill was passed its
friends predicted that it would provide
all the revenues necessary to run the gov
eminent AID place nice surplus in the
treasury besides; in fact the free traders
professed great solicitude over that sur.
plus for fear it might lead to great ex-
travagances. When the books we're bal
anced up at the end of about three years
what did confiding people indf They
found that $262,OOOOOO had been Dor
rowed to meet the current expenses OF
the government, and an enormous inter.
est account had been saddled upon com.
ing generations besides. This is another
little item of receipts the World Herald
seems to have forgotten.
A reduction of expenses" is very
easy matter to talk about, but the truth
is the United States has reached poin!
in its development where even the most
rigid economy cannot lessen the expen-
ditures. A vastly larger navy is needed
to protect our seabosrd cities, and that
will cost q tidy sum. Permanent coast
defenses must be built, and these viii
cost at the inside few cents more. In
ternal Improvements of various kinds
are required to keep pace with rapidly
increasing population, and they will re.
quire few extra dollars. In fact many
things are needed which have not been
required in the years that have passed
The World Herald evidently has not
thought of any of these matters, and
pirates about reducing expenses in pas
rot like way just to hear the sound of its
own voice--in every day parlance, it ID
talking through it's hat.
Ia regard to the receipts and expenses
during the present administration the
NEW MEXICAN ventures the assertion
without any great trepidation, that nc
bonds, will be issued to pay current bills
aud the interest on the little legacy OF
$262, 100000 inherited from the Demo
cratic party.