Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1903-07-17
PLUMBER Is THE Policy.

Its the Int dog that boilers Is a
honc!y froserb, and. Judging from the
noise coming from the Post Office De.
partment, public opinion is laying the
lash on well. The bowling. however, is
unseemly, judged by the established
methods OF the Republican party IN
dealing with a full treasury in the past.
10 fact, il cannot be said that Machen
and Tyner and Heath and Payne have
departed in any manner from the regu-
lar plan Of proceeding in a Republican
administration whenever the vaults OF
the trearury began to overflow.
The famou declaration Of CORPORAL
Tanner, God help the surplus when he
entered upon his occupancy of the p,st
OF pension commissioner, may be taken
as the keynote Of the Republican policy
i'll such matters. Corr Tanner went
farther than any other Of the party lead.
ems; he was fanker and more outspoken.
but he in nowise varied from the policy
winch Messrs. Tyuer, Mach-u. Heath
and others have been practicing 90 sue
cess'ully at this later day. The cor
poral's plan WAS to shovel out the
treasury assets to the army Of pension
beggars. but he made so much noise and
and rantin2 ove it that President EIar.
rison vas forced to displace him with
Gen. Green b. Raum. II eau he said
for Gen Raun, however. that be made
no substantial amendment III tie pro-
digality with which Tanner adminisirat
Ell the pension Office. What Tanner did
was done openly and by main strength
and awkwardncss; Raum reduced to a
science an equally pro1igal method OF
scattering the public n Cuder
the plea OF helping the veterans and
eIpediting the work OF his bureau. APP
plicatiors were rushed through the
the hands or examiners with such "a
pidi,y as never before known. He put
4 holder and more plausible face uFop
the matter. but he. no less thar Tanner,
helped the whole party to lay the broad
foundations for the deficit with which
the succ, ed ne Democratic Ldminis;ra-
tion Ind 10 deal.
1T is easier tn deal with a surplus
than Il deficit was another ~orscular Re-
publican uiterance. and was as easil,
justified as Tanuer's. The demoraliz4-
ton which followed Gen. Rsum IL the
pension Office was not corrected by Gen.
Blacks severe Lou-siy nor even by the
laHyer-like respect for the terhnicali.
tics and the statutes Lnvn by Coumis-
sioncr Evans. Mr.. Evans was finally
driven from office 10y the hungry pack Of
/ pension agents and soliritors. and now
his methods have been Transferred ,0
the department tina; furnished the next
best opportunities for footing. The
great revenues Of the postofice and the
/ plea OF enlarging the service afforded
the means Tor IA new nuIh-eak % crimI
nal extravaganza. Abuses Of every
kind have multiplied and lourished
until every step tina, is taken in the in.
vestigatiOu reveals new and more exten.
sive means Of plundering.
Do not blame the looters minimizing
ly. Aside from the fact that they ARE
all Republicans and following Republi,
can precedeDis, they are perhaps only
aiming to distribute the vast accumula-
tons Of the treasury. They hare needed
the cry Of Wall street that meme, has
been taken ont OF business md locked
up in the vaults Of the government
where 1t can do the people no good. II
is the sympathy with Wall street aud
with the cry for a more liberal currency
system that has set these officials tr
blowing open the vast receptacles Of tho
revenues aud IarcclIng them ont where
they will relieve those who believe then,
selves the needy. Their methods have
been effective. and they have beer work.
ing along old and respected lines OF Re
publican POI cics. What is the mora
difference between taking money from
the consumer Tor the benefit OF the rob
Der tariff barnns and stealing it frCm the
treasury by illegal contracts and gratui
ties? Certainly the distinction has tc
he finely drawn to make the one plar
appear worse than the other.-Louisvill,
Courier.JournaI.