The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-06
raids on the Treasury.

portunity of calling attention 10 the treas
ury deficiency. They haven't a word to
say about congressional extravaganza.
The republican party is getting ready to
enact q new tariff law, and therefore as
an excuse for changing the tarln law
they are commenting on the fact that the
revenues of the government are not equal
to its expenditures.
VIII the revenues ever be equal to the
expenditures if the present extravaganza
in the expenditures is continued? We
may find new sources Of revenue and may
increase the taxes. but there will still be
a treasury deficiency if the expenditures
are increased faster than the revenues
are increased.
There ought to be a law prohibiting
appropriations in excess of the revenues
Congress knows about what the revenues
each year will be, and yet year after year
1t goes on appropriating millions Of col
lars more than the income Of the govern
ment. Is this a wise course TO pursue?
Does 1t show craftsmanship?
At the last session of congress about
$515,O0OoO was appropriated, although It
was certain that the revenues would fall
considerably below that sum- a member
of the appropriations committee says that
the appropriations at the present session
VIII reach s515,O00OOO, making $1O3O0o0cO
appropriated by this congress, and that,
too in the face of the fact that revenues
are far below that amount.
DO the republicans think they can mis-
lead the people by saying that what is
needed to make up the treasury deficiency
is more taxation, and not economy in the
expenditures? They cannot hide the ex-
travagance of their party in that way.
The people will be told the truth, and win
drive from power the party that has
wasted the public money and tried to mis-
lead them as to the real cause of the
trouble.
The great increase IN the expenditures
commenced about eight years ago-the be-
ginning of the Harrison administration
The Cleveland administration had left a
! large surplus in the treasury which the
republicans. as soon as Harrison was
made President, proceeded TO spend The
! extravaganza which was inaugurated
then has been continued. 1t has not been
checked by the failure of the revenues to
meet the expenditures
1t would seem as if congress would deal
with the financial affairs of the govern
ment in a business-like way, but it does
not About every congressman wants
money appropriated for some purpose in
which his constituents are interested, and
those desiring such appropriations join
together and force their bills through the
House and Senate. 1t is a matter of no
| consequence to them apparently what the
revenues amount to. They think the
money to pay the appropriations viii be
found in some manner, even if it has to
be borrowed.
! There are very few congressman who
have the courage to oppose extravagant
appropriations. They know that If they
interfere with the schemes of those who
have combined to make a raid on the
treasury they will not be able to get a
single one of their bills passed-that their
| bills will be sde-tracked or defeated.
They are sneered at and inundated by
the treasury raiders. They are bulldozed
into silence. They watch the rading, con-
scious that they have no power to pre-
vent it. And the republican newspapers
continue their efforts to make the people
believe that the deficiency in the treas
ury is due to the fact that the revenues
have fallen off so greatly that they are
no longer adequate for the needs of the
government. 1t is regrettable that con-
gress cannot appreciate the necessity FOL
| revenues