The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-04-12
MNrMMNonMENr az RuIN.


RETHENCHuENT on RUIN.
Many who realize with what reckless
ness money Is being spent by the ma
tIonal government and by state and
municipal governments will agree with
ex-Secretary Morton, who says in the
Forum that such expenditure is out OF
all proportion to the resources of the
people and cannot be maintained. The
tax rate, in the aggregate, is now IN
some parts of the country, the eX-Secre-
tary says, from to 6 per cent on the
assessed valuation. 1.-THE fixed charges
of American citizenship" he declares,
must be cut down." II the republic
is to be perptuated we must return to
the ancient faith that the sole business
of the government is to protect life, lib
erty and property-not to do everything
for everybody.
In 1910 the net ordinary expenditures
of the federal government were Sl,4l
per citizen; in 1890 they were $475. At
present they are still higher. The gross
expenditures per citizen In 1910 were
$1.65; in 1890 they were $1,000 I'm pro-
| portion to cost there can hardly be
found local government" says Mr.,
Morton, chat makes so small return
to the citizen as that made by the fed
eral government" From 1850 to 1860
the aggregate net ordinary expenditure
exclusive of interest and premiums,
was $56S, 1863, 36S; from 1870 to 1880, L.
| 6S1, 1854, $50; from 1880 to 1890, $209S,34S, s.
562; from 1890 to 1896, $1,97 7S79,SS7. At
this rate the net ordinary expenditure,
exclusive Of interest, from 1890 to 1860
will aggregate 1926, Jas, or nearly
as much as for the twenty years pre-
ceding 1890. From 1890 to June 80, 1896,
we gave away in pensions $S4O, 36S,O77,
or 1880 per cent. of the net ordinary
expenditures.
Yet the government is not better The
average citizen gets no adequate re-
turn. few flourish at the expense of
| the rest but so far as public objects
are concerned our outgo is almost all
mere waste. Mr.. Morton calls atten-
ton to the fact that pensions, instead
of diminishing since 1880, have increas-
ed. Between 1870 and 1880 the pension
bounty was under s400,000,000, whereas
between 1880 and 1890 it was over $780,
100000, and in the last six years over
$S00O00,000. He explains that nobody
objects to pensions for ex-soldiers "who
incurred genuine disabilities but in
sists that the thousands who have life
insurance policies need investigation.
These policies have been obtained by
persons swearing that they are free
| from chronic maladies while at the
same time the policy-holders get pen
sions obtained by swearing that they
are victims Of chronic diseases. The
existence Of such cases calls, he thinks,
for inquiry and purging of the roll of
honor. Public building jobs river and
harbor jobs, naval contract Jobs, "sun-
dry civil jobs, exposition bounties--
| these are broad lines Of waste in con-
gressional appropriation bills The
whole scheme of the government is af-
fected by reckless expenditure The
burden 1t lays on producers is not
weighed; only the benefit conferred on
officials and a few special interests is
had in mind.
| There is much more truth than poet
ry In all this. In fact, there is no poet
ry In it, and the time Is coming when
the people Of this country will have to
wake up to the situation If they mean
to pay their debts.