Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-09-09
nrcn1recr or the treasury deicit. Shaw

arcn1recr or the treasury deficit. Shaw
IS running for president, don't you
know, and must have scapegoat;
hence Lyman plays goat.
Strange that it never occurs to pub
lie official so eminent, so astute and so
ambitious as Mr.. Secretary of the
Treasury Shaw that there are two
ways for the government to make buc-
kle and tongue meet-the one is to in
crease the revenues, the other to cur
tail expenses. The latter method nev-
er suggests itself to Republican. The
present congress Is the most eXtrava-
CANT one that ever legislatcd for the
American people. Its appropriations
were wicked and wanton waste Its
motto appeared to be "after us the
deluge," and the chances are that it
Will be deluge indeed. Personally I
like Governor Shaw. He is an able
and amiable man. II he has the cour-
age to act on old Ben Franklin's mot,
"a penny saved is penny earned"
and to insist that the expenses Of the
government shall be retrenched, as he
knows they ought to be, he will pass
| into history as a great flnancier along
with Gallatin, Walker and Chase, and
as a great public benefactor. whether
| he gets to be president or not. A mere
| petty squabble with Lyman j. Gage
| as to which created the deficit in the
, revenues will not avail Governor Shaw
in his quest of the presidency. The
public memory is short. He is in Of
| flee. If he has to issue bonds to raise
! the money to run the government, he
will stand no more chance of reaching
the White House than he has of be-
coming autocrat of all the Russias.
Utopian.
1t is really refreshing to run across
somebody who believes in Utopia and
the political millennium. The Mime
apolis Journal proposes, apparently in
good faith, to realize both by reviving
the old scheme, the utterly exploded
theory Of permanent tariff commits
sion as the solution of the ills that the
body polite is heir to, for it says:
When will the day come when our gov
| eminent will be ready to adopt the plan
| which is quite generally regarded as cal
culated to protect the country in a large
degree from that disturbance of business
which periodical agitation of tariff re-
vision as a political issue is likely to
produce? 1t Is to be hoped that some day
we shall refer this matter of the tariff,
which should be purely business affair
and never allowed to become political
issue, to strong commission in which
business men of all political faiths would
have confidence and which should be non
partisan in character. Recommendations
Of such q commission made from time to
time would commend themselves to the
judgment of the country as basis of
| congressional legislation, the notifications
OF the tariff being not general and sweep
ing as the result of long agitation with
consequent hesitation and decentralization
Of business, but gradual and incidental,
affecting but few articles at time and
justified always by thorough investiga-
ton.
Such an administration Of our protec-
tive principle and revenue policy by q
permanent commission and the conse-
quent greater or less elimination of the
subject from the field of practical politics
Is contamination most devoutly to be
wished. 1t has received the commenda-
ton of public men and students of public
affairs and the Endorsement of political
conventions, but it has yet to be actual
lied in legislation and intrusted with the
discharge Of service Of great impor-
lance to the commercial and industrial
interests of the country.
Certainly nothing more guileless than
that has ever been printed since Faust
invented movable type. Fancy the
conclusions Of commission made up
Of such eminent business men as Tom
Johnson, Charles NJ Schwab, Mr..
Cramp, Mr.. Serene e. Payne and Sen.
ator Aldrich! Bah!
A Missouri Humorist.
Tom Lloyd, the young son of Con-
gresham Lloyd of Missouri, bids fair
to rival Mark Twain as q humorist.
Not long since he wrote his father as
follows:
Hon. James T. Lloyd, Shelbyville, Mo-:
Dear Sir-I would like for you to look
up my pension claim and if possible have
my check sent to me Immediately
have served for about one week in the
First volunteer corps Of the Lloyd House
cleaning brigade, commanded by Lieuten-
ant General H. H. Duckie (mamra). My
back is nearly broken, and my hands ars
covered with blisters so that l am unfit
for any more active service My number
is 432,176,9 1884, 1882 Trusting that you will
have the check forwarded me, I remain.
respectfully, THOMAS L. LLOYD,
Private in Rear Rank.
A Hot fractional Fight.
The latest news from Nebraska is to
the effect that Hon. Edward Rosewa-
ter, editor of the Omaha Bee, is hot
foot after the flossy scalp lock of Da-
vid II. Mercer, present congressman.
Both are Republicans, and unfortunate
ly so is the district.
mn H.