The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-06-30
IT SHOULD Be CONE.
D,. stok 81 Scheme for Cutting Down
Expenses.

The Washington correspondent OF
the News and Courier says Represent
ative Stokes, OF South Carolina. pro-
poses to immortalize hi nseIf by ap.
paariag in political history as public
officer willing to reduce his own sala-
ry. Monday Dr.. Stokes who was for
merlv president of the Farmers ALI.
auce in his State, introduced bill to
reduce the expenditures of the govern.
ment by cutting down the salaries OF
ali public officials and pensioners 80
p4r cent. His cut begins at the Presi-
dent of the United States and ruus
down the scale to the poorest paid
scrub woman in the departm ants. The
bill provides that after March 4. 1898,
the compensation Of all Senator'S,
members OF the House, officers and
employees and pensioners of the gov
ernment shall be readjlsted to the
changed value o. our money standard.
The President and Z cited States
Judges are exempt until their success
ors snail be elected. The readjust-
nent of salaries shall be based upon
comparative statement OF the average
prices in the first FIVE years in
comparison with the last five
years in the preceding decsnnial
period. The discussing officers of
the various branches of the
service shall readjust their pay rolls
correspondingly, 50 that the pay OF
each officer or employee of the GOV
ernment shall bear to his pay in the
previous decennial period the same
proportion that the average prices
for the respective periods compared
bear to each otner. Representative
Stokes says in support Of his meas
ure: The bill emphasizes IN q
practical way the growing evils
of an appreciating money standard.
From 1872 to 1895 the average
price OF 223 commodities in common
use have decreased fully 80 1 3 per
cent. During the same period the
compensation OF officers, employees
and pensioners of the Government
mas steadily increased, either in salary
or perquisites, or both. From 1888 to
1889 the average annual expenses of
the Government were $263, Gle, ,473 Is.
The average annual expenses from
1898 to 1896, inclusive, reached the
alarming figure Of 1855, 633, 34l40, an
increase in less than decade Of un
paralleled distress among the people
Of nearly 80 per cent. o. course all
OF this was not salaries and pensions,
but the greater part was. | do nol
think the servants and pensioners Of
the people are any better than the
people they serve, and there ought TO
bs some such method OF maintaining
the equilibrium between salaries and
pensions on the one hand aud prices
OF commodities on the other. The
bill also illustrates in a very practical
way the good Democratic doctrine
of keeping the Government out of
debt and relieving the burdens OF the
people by cutting down expenses,
rather than By piling on taxes. Upon
a rough estimate sucn 8 readjustment
as proposed in the bill would save the
Government more tnan sixty million
dollars year, without injustice to
anyone, and without detriment to the
public service. The legislative, execu-
tive and judicial departments of the
Government are responsible in large
measure of the conditions that brought
and perpetuate falling prices, and
there is absolute justice in the propo-
sitions that they should share with
the people at large IN the Consequence
es of their own action. Under present
conditions they actually profit BY the
distress Of the people.