The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-05-28
FIGHTING THE APPROPRIATIONS.

A large number, perhaps majority
of the members of the House violently
attack many of the items of the appro-
priation bill after it has been care
fully prepared by the Executive and
carefully revised by the Senate.
The community will thank men who
after careful investigation, enforce
economy in the public service. But
it does not thank them. when they
fail to investigate carefully, and rash
ly strike out items of expenditures
that have been fixed by those who
are responsible for the administration
of the laws. The House should aid,
and not block the administration.
If the Government was suspected
of wasting the public income, or 1t
was an accepted fact that 1T was ex-
trayagant, the members would be Justl-
fed in putting on the brakes. There
is 10 belief of this kind among the
tax payers. On the other hand, it is
conceded that the Government SER
vice is carried on with singular
honesty.
The Senate has been disposed to
be critical in it's review of the appro-
priation bill But it has generally ap-
proved of its items.
What then is the matter with these
members of the House? The officers
of the Government, with some years
of experience in the public service,
devoting their time to it's details,
DESTROYS of improving and charging
it, refusing in many cases to ask Tor
appropriations which might well be
made for the benefit of the people, are
suddenly met by these members with
the foolish comments: What do you
know about administration? What do
YOU know about the needs OF the
service? Give us a dice box, and we
can throw for the amounts needed in
the public service, as accurately as
YOU who have been in it for years can
estimate them. We have an instinct FOL
grasping the needs of the Government
that is better than all of your eX-
perience."
There must be some adequate cause
for this singular attitude of these
members of the House. No one, we
believe, has any doubt about theh
honesty.
Perhaps. they believe that the dut!
of statesman" is to make it hot TO
the Government. Perhaps they desir'
to make the Government and Senat
feel that they have a high and solemn
duty" to perform in refusing to agre
with them.
Perhaps, after all, it is only cas-
of fits" common to young children
in Legislative Kindergartens, as vel
as in other schools. AS the most o
the members are inexperienced in tn
making of laws, and the administra
ton of them, the too rapid eating o
the green fruit of Legislative hOnOrs
has brought on these severe fits o
distressing economy. In such case
Mrs. Lydia E. Pinkham's pills of pur
modesty are often beneficial. The com
munity, like a good old aunt make
due allowance for these diseases o
Legislative childhood, and the an
noyfng capers of the teething period
School will close in a few days. Unit
then, it is the fervent hope of al
that these fits" will disappear, an
these guileless Legislative youths vii
not do more damage, or make any NOR
faces at the Government and tn
Senate than their inexperienced ma
lures will permit.
1t is quite remarkable too, tina
some of the other inexperienced mem
bers of the House seem to instinctivel
respect the experience and knowledg
of the Government in the way of con