New-York tribune., 1904-10-25
PARKER'S BLUNDERS.
Acting Secretary Taylor Refutes
Charge against Treasury,
EFhoM THE TRIBUNE sUREAU.I


Washington, Oct. 24.-The untrustworthiness
and recklessness Of ex-Judge Parker's campaign
utterances are daily becoming more apparent
and are causing grave concern TO the Democratic
managers, who appreciate the danger of allie
cations that be so easily refuted. The can
didate's errors, unmistakaby due TO his igno-
rance Of public affairs and his credulous accept
ance Of every loose statement put forth by the
disreputable element in his party are coming
to the front as the most important issues Of the
canvass. and the Democracy finds itself con-
tinually compelled to defend the paIpable mis-
statements Of it's candidate, which have only
his personal assurances as a guarantee of their
accuracy.
David B. Hill. TO whose peculiar political
methods and deals may be credited the norina-
ton Of Parker. recognized the limitations Of his
candidate and insisted that he maintain abso-
lutte silence prior to the St Louis convention
The political sagacity and good politics of the
New-Tork boss" in sealing the lips Of his
protege before the nomination was made are
now fully realized by the Democratic managers.
and quite fully understood by the intelligent
voters Of the country,
Since Parker became the candidate of the
party his statements on public questions par
ucularly those relating to conditions in the
Philippines, have been so glaringly inaccurate
that some Of them have actually been repudi-
ated by his own party associates. Mr. Parker
has also demonstrated his inability to under
stand the figures Of government receipts and ex-
penditures and instead Of relying on official
Treasury statements, always accessible and not
hard to understand. he has evidently accepted
the misleading figures Of extravagant Demo-
cratic "spellbinders' without making the slight
est effort to verify them. His assertion that
access to the Treasury accounts is denied is
absolutely untrue The Treasury Department
issues daily and monthly statement of re-
ceipts, which is widely published. Ignorance
OF this can hardly be pleaded as an excuse for
mtsstatements of candidate seeking the con-
hdence and votes Of the American people
MR. TAYLoR's STATEMENT.
H A Taylor. acting Secretary Of the Treas
ury, to-day completely refuted Parker's latest
charge regarding the methods Of government
business and the condition of the public finances.
which, following so closely on Governor Wright's
vigorous and convincing reply to Parker's crit
icism Of the government Of the Philippines,
places the candidate in peculiarly unenviable
position before the public. Acting Secretary
Taylor said:
The attention Of the department. has been
called TO the statement twice made by Judge
Parker that there have been administration or
ders forbidding the publication OF information
concerning governmental expenditures. This is
mistake. Mr.. Parker seems to have unfort-
unately acquired from untrustworthy sources
considerable misinformation. especially about
the management and condition Of the Treasury
Department, and also about orders issued to
govern departmental action generally. The only
order issued concerning estimated expenses was
that no subordinate should make any estimates
public until the heads Of the departments had
gone over them with the President and they
had been approved. Before Mr.. Parker had
made his second statement in reference to an
order to withhold information. the Postofnce.
Interior and Agricultural departments and the
District of Columbia had made and published
their estimates. The estimates from the other
departments VIII be given out IN the ordinary
course or business s as they are made and
approved, just as they have been in previous
years. The practice Of the departments in this
respect has not been in any manner departed
from this year.
Mr.. Parker has evidently been led into an error
on another point. He seems TO think that the
current monthly expense accounts have some re-
lat!on to these estimates These estimates have
no relation whatever to present expenses. They
simply represent the sums that Congress will
be asked to appropriate TO meet the expenses
Of the various departments for the fiscal year
1905
Mr.. Parker says further that for the first two
months Of the present fiscal year the expenses
exceeded the receipts by S24OO00O0 and adds:
How much more we have behind since I
am not abe to state because the public has
been denied all information pending the cam
paign This is very remarkable statement.
and Judge Parker must have made 1t on the
spur Of the moment, without reflection He
surely knows that the Treasury issues ana pub
fishes bulletin each day and a bulletin
each month giving the receipts and
penses by the day and month, and that these
bulletins regularly published in all the lead
ing papers Of the country. For instance the
bulletin Of October 90, the day before the judge
made the speech referred TO- showed the deficit
up to that day, from July I, to be $50 S35. $40,
a decrease of about 81 40O00OO during September
and UP to October 20 Should this rate Of in
crease OF receipts over expenses continue, as is
quite certain. the deficit Of July and August.
so alarming to the Judge would be wiped out
during the year The student OF government
finance understands perfectly that expenses
heaviest at the beginning OF the fiscal year,
and that a deficit for the first months is to be
expected and is no evidence that IL will con-
tiuue through the months to follow.
II Judge Parker would apply 10 the Treasury
Department for information TO the methods
Of government business and the condition Of the
public finances. he would get prompt and
curate information and avoid the embarrass-
nent of being led into very palpable errors