The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-03-08
SOME srRlcr ECONOMY.

In his inaugural address President
Mckinley takes great credit to him
scif and his party, at least by imph-
cation. for the prosperity Of the coun-
try and the overnowlng state OF the
national treasury He then proceeds
to deliver the following admonition'
sBut fortunate as our condition Is,
its permanency can only be assured
by sound business methods and strict
economy ir national administration
and legislation. We should not per
nit our great prosperity to lead us
to recless ventures in business or
pronlgacy in public expenditures
This is all very well but It IS more
easily said than done. Hard as it win
be to introduce more business like
and economical methods, under ex
istilg conditions NO effort should be
spared to accomplish THAI result All
the leaders Of the party in power
that is all the present lenders
unite in saying that we have assumed
new and great responsibilities from
which there is no escape with honor.
They may as well admit now, as they
win have to do at last. that these are
exceedingly expensive responsible
ties. They are stlll pursuing the very
coucces which necessarily make them
most expensive.
It will be found necessary. there
fore, to husband our resources or the
people win be likely 60 revolt and
find way OF escape from RESPONSE
bilities grown too onerous to be long
er to,arabie. The delusion that Re
publican ascendency necessarily
means prosperity will be dispelled-
Economic cycles win swing around re-
gardless OF parties. Depression will
COME again as it came in former
Republican administration, and it win
be deep and distressful In proportion
to the prodigality IN pubie expendit-
ures.
Not merely exhoytation therefore
but practical measures Of reform are
absolutely necessary in order TO the
continued discharge of the great re-
sponslbnities which have been under
taken.
The financial methods OF congress
have long been going from bad to
worse. Restraints upon prodigality
have been removed one after another
until scarcely any now remain. and it
w.ll be no easy thing to restore them
or substitute others.
Thlrty-flve years ago the ways and
means committee had charge hot
only of the bills-to raise revenue, but
Of the appropriation bills as we'll It
was then possible to balance expendit-
urea against receipts, and to exercise
in some measure wholesome re.
straint upon extravagant tendencies.
Then, when under the Republican
party policy It became the chief bust
ness OF the ways and means commit.
tee to devise means Of raising revenue
not for the government but for per
sons serving as captains Of pet indus
tries. the work became too much for
one committee and the care of ap-
propriations was turned over to a
separate committee, This change was
promptly followed by permanent In
al T..
Since then one after another Of the
great appropriation bills has been
taken from the general committee and
turned over to different committees,
which have made it piuint to get
every dollar they could for the sew
eral objects with whic hthey have
specially Z, do. And in every case
there has been greater prodibality.
And this fact indicates unerringly
the path OF reform. All this work OF
scattering must be undone There
must be a budget committee OF the
honsa, even II we have to go a sttep
further in borrowing from the Eng
lish political system and create a re.
sponsible ministry 70 serve as such
committee. There must be one com
mittee only TO hold responsible for
measures both OF revenue and expen-
diture. And even with that there
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