Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-01-14

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]. o. CARPENTER,
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
This papT e entered in the Post once at
Woodbury., n. j., as second class matter.
During the two or three weeks ending
last Monday, the Ways and Means Com
mittee of Congress, with the end in view of
preparing tariff bill embodying the Nc
Kinley idea ready-made for the special
session of Congress that Mr.. Mckinley is
to call soon after his Inauguration, has
given manufacturers of the country an OPP
poItunity of presenting their ideas as to
what measure of Protection is required by
each to establish the era of prosperity of
which the PresideDt-eIect is the Advance
Agent"
People who have followed these tariff
hearings with any degree of care must have
been impressed by the narrow selfshness
that moves the seekers after tariff aid. The
idea that their interest or business should
contribute anything to the support OF the
government seems not to have penetrated
their minds. Here is a sample: When
Judge Lawrence demanded tariff that
would be prohibitory on wool. aud was
asked by Chairman DingIey how the
government would get revenue with such
tariff he replied: Why should we want
any-I mean from wool
And that is the understanding of every
seItishness has driven right ideas of their
relation TO government from their minds,
and narrowed life down to" me and mine"
The idea of our Fathers that the govern
ment is the peoples to protect and support,
is warped in their grasping minds to an
institution that is TO care and provide for
them.
The Public Ledger, a pro- eetloa paper, in
the course of an editorial on these hearings
SAYS
If Congress were TO make tariff such
as the wool growers want-and that has
been the kind that the representatives of
our other industries which have appeared
before the committee, except the woolen
manufacturers, have virtually asked for
the millions of consumers would demand
its modification long before 1900"
"The Ways aud Means Committee and
Congress should pay no attention to the
selfish, sordid dem lnds of the greater
number of those who have attended the
Committees hearings, They have proved
that they want to be served 10 the matter
of tariff by the sacrifice of the Govern
ments revenue and at the cost of the entire
nation"
The excuse for these tariff hearings and
preparations of new tariff bill and its
passage by an extra session Of Congress is
the alleged failure of the Wilson bill
yield revenue suffic ent 10 meet the needs
of government economically admins
tered AS to that allegation we quote
portion of an article from last weeks
Hdrper's Weekly, one of the most conserva-
tive publications iu the county =
when the politicians cease to talk abou,
the failure Of the Wilson act TO procure
sufficient revenue, we shall believe that
they are approaching the financial question
with the intent of dealing with it in
busiDesslike manner and for the purpose OF
relieving the Treasury from its present
straits. The truth is that the revenues
under the Wilson act were larger than
those under the Mckinley act until the
present year, when all revenues fell off,
owing to the depressed trade conditions
that existed throughout the world.
The receipts from the ordinary sources
of revenue in the fiscal year 1896 exceeded
those of 1894, the last year in which the
Mckinley act was operative, by $36 ,672, $40.
No, we must look elsewhere than to the
defects Of the Wilson law as revenue
producing measure for an explanation of
the excess of public expenditures over the
receipts OF the government. The deficiency
is due, not to lack of revenue, but to
extravagant expenditures.
Comparing the expenditures of the last
seven years with those of 1886, 1887, 1888
and 1889, we fnd that the average yearly
expenditures have increased most scandal
ously. The annual increases have been as
follows
For civil and miscellaneous items .Sis51s s45
For the War Department.......-.~......1 1856 1855
For the Navy Department 11,02s 49S
For Indians 3.945 SIS
For 3d. 751 748
Making grand total of excess in the
average annual expenditures for the years
$780, 1891, 1892, 1898: 1884. 1895 and 1896,
when compared with the former period, f
$102862, 562. There were deficiencies in
1894, 1895 and 1896 aggregating $1S7.S11,-
738 The Secretary estimates that the
deficiency tor the current year will be
1854 100000 This will make the aggregate
deficiency for the four years $202 81 1888
'sMore than the whole of this amount is
accounted for by extravagant appropri-
ations. Taking the total Of the average
excess of yearly expenditures of the present
time over like expenditures for 1886, 1887,
1888 and 1889 $IO2. 1862 .562-and deduct
ing the saving of interest on the public
debt, which amounts annually to $l4,796,-
oil, we have net excess of expeI diture
amounting to $s8,O66.351. In four years
this excess would amount to 1882, 265. 404,
or about S150,0O0,000 more than the total
deficiency for the four years 1894, 1895,
1896 and 1897 The excess of expendi-
lures for pensions alone is about $33,0O0,
600 greater than the total deficiency.
a business man dealing with trust
funds as Congress has dealt with the
finances of this country would be put into
prison. Is there not moral condemnation
and punishment that will bring these
recreant lawmakers to sense of their
duty to their country and their country
-. OH