The St. Louis Republic., 1900-08-22

the, declaration of war with Spain, IT. the
United States has appropriated $613, ,so9.-
2S.79 to meet Spanish war expenses. 10
| subjugate the Filipinos and to uphold the
| Republican colonial policy of conquest and
, criminal aggression" The actual war eX-
| penditures during the last fiscal year were
| Sl.1S for each one of our population.
! Already the regular army has grown uIo
der this administration from 5000 to 100000
men, and yet the demand is for still further
increase. That accomplished soldier. Gen,
eral Lawton. whom ! personally knew and
loved. yielded up his life at the front of our
lines fighting the Fiipinos in far-away Lu-
! Zon. Before this intrepid soldier fell upon
the field of battle, he left upon our official
records the opinion that at least 10000 sol
| ptnos. 1t is said that the war in the Philip
| pine Archipelago is practically ended. That
Is to say, the censored dispatches so de- de-,
presence of that appalling danger to our
| Minister and our missionaries at Pekin,
with thousands of semibarbarans clamor-
| ing for their blood the Government was
unable to send only a few thousand soldiers
from Manila. because General Macarthur
insisted ms they could not be sent. except al; at
| archipelago. Pelin is only Il little more
| than weeks voyage and travel from the
pines. and despite the heroic but pathetic
| appeals of Conger to rescue our women and
children there, these soldiers dared not go:
American. whose heart beats In sympathy
| with that gallant band of Americans be-
sieged In China; know he sent every sol
dier from Manila that could safely go. but
| the limited number who have gone dis
closes the real situation in the Philippines.
| 1t Is condition of war. and the end of the
war no man can foretell Feilow-citZens,
before the administration finally consum-
mates Its policy Of Criminal aggression |
fear the regular army will be swollen to not
less than 100000 men. Are the people ready
: to welcome this weight of additional taxa
| t!on and this menace to republican institu-
| tions2
|
| I am In most hearty sympathy with the
struggle for liberty being made by the pa
triots of the South African Republics 1t is
a matter of profound regret that during all
the months that the British Empire has
| been marshaling its armies to overwhelm
these feeble Republics. there should have
at Washington. These heroic men in South
| Africa are slowly but sulenly retiring be-
fore the conquering armies OF Great Brit
ain. II the contestants were somewhat
F! equally matched, the occasion for sympathy
might not be so .exigent 1t is not so, how
ever. England has resources in men, at
| sprung from the great Teutonic race. have
held England in check for months. and
made a fight for liberty, that should chal-
These people have demonstrated their
capacity for self.government by the, estab-
iishment OF repupiies. but because they are
| war. W ich must be practically one of ex-
termination before the Beers will surren,,
|
seem that every American familiar with
| the story of Concord and Lexington, and
Bunker Hill and Valley FORGE and York
town, would sympathize with, this liberty
| loving people. l believe the hearts of the
| great masses Of the people do beat in uni
son with them. but the administration at
| Washington Is SO entangled with under
| standings and alliances with Great Britain,
| which exist, II not in words. yet in spirit
voice the overwhelming sentiment of our
| people.
Republican Extravagance.
Mr. chairman and fellow-citizens, there
Democratic platform of commanding inter-
! est to the people. The denunciation of con-
t:nqed war taxes, after the war has closed.
| llcan Congress are exceedingly timely.
We have already reached an enormous
| total of Federal appropriations amounting
, practically to the coniscation of a large
part of the earnings of the people. Year
after year the Republican party has been
tive leaders. that halt must be called
upon the ever Increasing scale of national
fallen upon deaf ears. Appropriation fol-
lows appropriation with ever acceleratins
8, speed, until now the liabilities imposed by
a single Congress are SO stupendOus as TO
be almost beyond the power Of computa-
ton. The appropriations of the first ses-
sion of the last Republican Congress. en-
Guiding all the estimated amounts neces-
sary for the army and navy growing out of
sgsresate Of $751; 7oz s. Contract la
authorized, which must be met by appro-
priations hereafter. 1t must be borne IN
mind that TIL. this amount Is aPpr9priated to
ment, and exceeds by $s1S95, 1850 the
amount, appropriated for the fiscal year of
| 1896, when the House OF Representatives
was last controlled by the Democracy.
| The increases are apparent in almost ev-.
cry avenue of expenditure. The clamor of
every department has been for more, more.
The tax-eater is indubitably in the saddle.
. The taxpayer Is staggering, not only under
the exactions of the usual tariff and internal
revenue laws. but with the added tax load
imposed to meet war expenditures. The
Spanish war closed In 1898. but the war
taxes stIll remain to ,S, vex the people and
extravaganza.
Mckinley Administration.
| Fellow Citizens I desire at this point TO
call your attention to the appalling extrav-
agance of the Mckinley administrat ton,
which has been shown not only in the total
In the multiplication of new officers and
the increase of existing offices.
At time when the people are paying ex-
our colonial dependencies, the recent Repub-
lcan Congress mustered in more than two
full brigades of new. Federal ofEiceholders
and increased the salaries of nearly a reg
iment of other officials now on the pay
roll. That Congress, only a few weeks
since, closed its first session, and with the
the appropriations, exclusive of Spanish
war expenses. by $24,G2i,Sil. over the
amount appropriated for the last fiscal
year.
/ hold in my hand an official table COM
prising S23 printed pages. disclosing the
details of the shameless looting of the Ma
tionai Treasury. This exhibit. among other
things, shows that the net increase of new
offices, specially created by the last Repub-
lican Congress. was 2.27O carrying annual
salaries amounting to s2.593.015.T. The .ex-
hibit also shows net increase. of s26il.-
officers out Of lump appropriations 1t
further shows that s13S, 529.75 has been added
legations imposed by raising the salaries Of
Federal officials already in office.
In other words. my fellow-citiZens, the
Mckinley administration has just appropri-
ated S5,36S. 1896 to pay the yearly expenses
of new offices created and of salaries in
creased
Comment upon this stupendous waste of
public money is unnecessary. IT would seem
that the time had come when the people
must interpose TO protect our ravished
Treasury.
Mr.. Chairman, I now desire to submit a
comparative statement of expenditures
which also concusively establishes the ex-
travagance of the Mckinley adminstra-
ton This exhibit deals with expenditures
only, which. after all. is perhaps the best
pended. l submit a comparison of the
last three years of the administration o
President Cleveland with the first three
years of the administration of President
Mckinley. This statement includes every
dollar of governmental expense, with the
exception of the estimated expense conse
quent upon the war with Spain and witt
the Filipinos
The total money actually expended by the
| Government for the three fiscal years end
ing .Iune 20 1885 Amounted n 81 3ID l62 S39 10