The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-09-30
That Alleged Deficit.

Judge Parker seems to have followed
the advice of his managers and laid
aside his judicial reserve in discussing
public questions. There is little of the
impartial judgein his discussion of Eek
travagance' by the present administra-
ton, and his effort to make it appear
that there is deficit in the treasury
caused by the increase of the ordinary
expenses of the government. The demo
cratic candidate for president used
figures like politician, not like Judge.
Otherwise he would have looked at the
items of expenditure to see what Gre
ated the apparent deficit.
1t is true that under the Dingley law
and the republican administration the
large deficit left by the Cleveland add
ministration was wiped out and by 1900
there was surplus of $4,000, 900. The
democrats then complained that the re-
publican policy was boarding the peo-
pies money and taking it out of the
channels of business. The republican
congress in 1901 reduced internal taxa
ton by an amount estimated at $42, 0O0
900 annually; and again by the act of
April %, 1902, further reduced the in
ternal taxation by an amount estimat-
ed at $63, 600, 600 annually. In this way
the republican administration deliber-
ately reduced the internal revenues
about 81. 100000 year for the purpose
of reducing the surplus.
This reduction of revenue brought
the estimated surplus down to about
Is, 900, 900, and such it is when applied
to the ordinary expenditures of the
government But few months ago
the secretary of the treasury paid out of
the treasury the sum of $50, 1000, 900, en-
account of the Panama Canal Judge
Parker knows as well as any one that
this $50 100000. was not part of the
ordinary expenses of the govern
ment. He knows that it was an
extraordinary expenditure in connection
with the construction of the Panama
Canal which is to cost about $3.50. 000,-
900 authorized by congress, which is to
be covered by bond issue. Because
the republican policy had wiped out the
last democratic deficit and created q
surplus instead, congress authorized
the secretary of the treasury to pay the
$40, 900, 900 due to the Panama Canal
Company for the property, and the $1O,-
OO0,O 900 which we had agreed to pay to
the Republic of Panama for the nee
essary territory, directly from the treas
ury instead of issuing bonds. In other
words, the republican administration
did not propose to increase the bonded
debt unnecessarily when there was idle
monev in the treasury to make these
payments without embarrassment, and
it was done without a ripple in the
money market,
The only unfortunate thing about this
good business transaction is that it has
enabled Judge Parkers political man
ayers to persuade him to put in jeop-
ardy his reputation for judicial con-
servatism by using an apparent deficit
as text for criticism of the extrava-
gance by the present administration.
For Judge Parker either deliberately
misrepresented plain business trans
action or he is ignorant regarding such
affairs.
Congressman Joseph w Fordney was
then introduced to the audience and the
speech which he made was full of his
usual mixture of plain common sense
and contagious good humor. He was
certain. he said at the outset, that if
there were any persons present who
had been in favor of primary reform as
advocated by the democrats they must
have been in the condition of ascertain
Irishman after they had listened to the
democrats candidate attempt to ex-
pound his theories. 1t was the Irish
man who dressed in hurry and jump
ed out of third story window b escape
burning in hotel. He did not notice
in his haste that he had got into his
trousers with the front where the back
should be and announced to his inquir-
lug friend after the jump and after he
had looked and felt himself over, that
he was mot hurt but dom bodily twish-
thed.' He thought however the ad-
dress just given by Mr.. Fellows was
one well calculated to take the ''twisht"
out of the minds of the audience in re-
gard to the primary reform plans of the
democrats.
Mr.. Fordney took occasion to call to