The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-29

lars more, and still more families whose
income would be many times six dollars
less il it were not spent. It is also rather
a taking thing 10 say that 100000
could be better spen fors education or
charity. and yet. on the other hand.
800 900, 600 spent in the employment Of
labor is the very best use to which it
can be put.
'The great question Of the day as to
wealth is its distribution. While few
would say that the community should be
taxed for the purpose of distributing the
proceeds of taxation, yet it is some com
fort TO know Of ! tax which. when it is
laid on the community all returns again
10 it. IF s1eoOc0.ooO shall be appropriated
for the navy by the present congress.
q small part will go to the purchase Of
raw material and something for salaries,
but the great bulk of it viii so for labor
in every part Of the Union.
Somehow. it just now happens that
with larger revenues than we have ever
had before in time Of peace, and therefore
with more direct and indirect taxation,
there is more prosperity and more money
in the pocket OF the citizen than ever be-
fore Students may speculate over the
economic causes, but this is the 'demni
ton total
Undoubtedly Uncle Sam ought to re-
duce taxation wherever he can. On the
other hand. it is shrewd ana wise in him
to run things so as to keep business good;
and # as a result his income in large, he
2
than he would by hiding it, Whenever
the interests of the country require, he
should reduce his receipts. but as they
are now excessive. the great question
SENS to be- how he shall get the proceeds
back among the people Another year he
may not have so much money to spend,
but if this year. having d surplus, he
spends S100,000o00 for the navy. let Us re-
member that while It is spent under that
name, it is really spent, as 7 said before,
in the employment of the peoples labor
ard in the purchase of material they have
to sell. and the people get rather more
out Of it than the navy does, for they get
it all back again
Nor is it true. as suggested in the cir
cular, that great navy necessarily in
flames the fighting spirit and leads to war.
If my recollection serves me right, while
Great Britain has had troubles in Egypt, I
and Africa. and elsewhere, she has had no
conflict on sea for many years: and yet
her navy has been twice as large as
that of any other power. The recent
increase in our navy did not induce the
war with Spain. which. as things were.
seems TO have been inevitable. on the
- S. hot
i'm the beginning of 1898 we had had even
as large a navy as we have now, Ger
tainIy as large a one as is now pro-
POSED. there would have been no war
with Spain, and that country would have
come TO terms. as she was very near
coming without battle. At that time.
however. il was the general impression
among foreign powers and probably in
Spain. that her navy would blow us out
cf the water.
'AlI the foregoing deals with questions
Of expediency. which are the only ques-
tions raised in the circular. But this is a
question of principle. and that question.
strangely enough, the circular does not
touch. The signers. it seems to me, in
stead of raising the question of how big
the navy should be. should have raised
the question Of whether there shall be
any navy at all This do not propose TO
argue, as until the world moves much
farther towards the millennium, it is hard
ly worth while to argue it.
In determining the question, what shall
be the size OF our navy, there are a great
many things to be considered, some of
which have referred to.
For instance. our world relations have
expanded vastly in the last three years. /
in territorial extent, and vastly more in
extent. il has not been an
extension upon the continent, but upon
the ocean itself. and the islands Of the /
sea IN both hemispheres. our commerce I
has greatly increased in volume and area !
and our American marine is likely to |
follow suit. II there is navy at all. it /
should be commensurate with al these /
extended relations and demands. We are /
the richest nation in the world. with a
larger income than any other. If. then. /
the size Of our navy should correspond /
and we have the cash on hand, il would /
seem 70 be the simplest good business (
sense. the simplest good business care of I
cur own interests TO increase the navy, .
and whether this shall cost S2o.o19 0ea or /
So. .elo.eo3 or Siooc9.eo is not an extrava- 7
gauCe To cut our garment according TO /
oar cloth. ana especially as last year
there was no appropriation Cor such an (
increase. It is like The rich man grading (
his expenditures 10 his incomes and thus 4
making it serve the general welfare AS (
wen as his own. ID is like having police I
rner, cr-ourh instead of having a number (
so limited that the taughs ore tempted I
to riot. There certainly is a heap of corn- 1
fort in feeling that II the millions are now /.
spent for the navy. The money is IN the /.
tiu 70 spend ig a case where die pso- .
pla San have their cake and eat it too 4
They can have gheir ships. and they can 4
have in their pockets the money paid for 4
building them
II VIII not pursue the topic further, !
lut q United States naval vessel cslrTsing /
our aag into 5he ports and harhors of 4
tho woria is something more than 1ght- i
ing machine It means relations with 1
those rorts. * means ar awakening ani f
lsveIy respect Ter our country, ID sueans .
ratien. coFnmeree ard aH0lences x means /
slsi WHIST would oe meant i 9 enc rep I
resentstise os NeE Eoyk OF Boston, car +
ry3sg her prestige. exploiting her iater- (
ssts Nere ia every other city IN the 4
t-n1on. /
y i.,. Anderson sa Re sroushs 8 ers
Guthre o Pee &-SheriT % Brlen /
of Cilahe-na c,aaly se1cred 3 resutsi-
iiea hers to5sg f7r use extra4iloa 8. 4