The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-03
IMPORTATION SENATOR JON
WANTS
JONES

WANTS.
| In the Senate on Thursday, Senator
Jones of Arkansas said that he would
like to have detailed account of the ex-
penditure of the $50.OOOO0o emergency fund
which Congress placed in the hands of
the President at the beginning of the war
with Spain. What a story of extrava-
gance and waste such an account would
make! 1t would be a story that would go
long way toward convincing the coun-
try that the Republican party Is. alto
gether too careless in handling the peo-
Pies money to be longer intrusted with
the control of the government.
In the course of his remarks, Senator
Jones said that he had heard that at the
beginning of the Spanish-American War
the government paid for old barges prices
equal to those demanded for ocean liners
1t is undoubtedly true that vast sums
were paid for vessels which were COM
paratively worthless The immediate
cause of the remarks of Senator Jones
was the story that John r. Hazel. re-
Gently nominated for United States dis
trict judge by the President for the West
ern district of New York, had received a
fee of 5000 for selling a yacht TO the
government for use in the Spanish-Amer-
lean War. II seems that this yacht was
owned by a man in Buffalo, n. Y. This
man had paid $4,000 for 1t, and he wanted
TO sell il to the government for 500. 900.
Hazel succeeded In selling it to the gov
eminent for $50, 900. The government found
it necessary to put $1,000 worth of re-
i've a. T.
two weeks during the war, and after
peace was restored it was valued at
$4,000.
If Senator Jones could only get at the
facts, it is probable it would be found
that many millions of dollars of the peo-
pies money were wasted in just such
transactions as this in which Hazel was
concerned. The Republicans looked on
the war as an opportunity to fill their
pockets. What a pity il is that Senator
Jones cannot get detailed account of
the expenditure of that $50, 00O, 900 emery
ency fund.
Republican extravaganza is not con-
fined to that fund. 1t crops out every
where. 1t was stated on the floor of the
NsiN Ot"eA 10y tidt Inc
position commissioner had accounted for
less than 100000 of the 81, 400, 900 appro-
priated for exposition purposes. His re-
ports gave little or no satisfactory infor-
nation as 20 how that appropriation was
being spent. For instance such items as
$1,000 for clerk hire and s3.724 for per-
sonal travelling expenses of the commits
sioner general appear. In such items any
amount Of improperly used money could
| be covered up. An itemized travelling
| expense account should be insisted upon
and 1t should be shown how many clerks
are employed and the salary received by
each. The Cuban postal scandals give
some idea Of the extravaganza Of the Re-
publicans.
1t will not be possible for the Republic
cans In the presidential campaign TO pre-
| tend that there has been economy exer-
cised by the Mckinley administration. As
a matter of fact. outside of the debt Gre
ated for purposes of the Spanish-Ameri-
| can War, the Mckinley administration
has cost about s154.OOo0oo a year more
than either the Harrison or the Cleve-
| land administration. Such reckless ex-
travagance in the use of the public money
| should be sufficient to condemn the adj
ministration and the Republican party