New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-10-28
FIRST LESSONS IN FINANCE.

FIRST LESSONS IN FINANCE.
'The World" published Tuesday on its edi-
tOrlal page this simple statement:
For october up to date the government def,
icit was yesterday 50, 765, 500. For the year 70
date It was S20,622,5 $50.
Yesterday it published this modest cOmpan-
ion piece:
The Treasury deficit for October reported yes
terday was $685. 64, against S3,5l2,262 the
previous ~ v Since July the net deficit Is
now $215l3170.
These unvarnished bulletins and nothing
more. Yet word TO the wise is often suifl-
cient, and the mission OF The Worlds para
graphs was one requiring both tactful sug-
gestion and delicate diplomacy. To play men
tor without austerity or OstentatiOn was doubt
less our neighbor's purpose, and we feel con-
fident that marked copies of both issues have
already found their way to Es0pus.
When The World" at the outset Of the cam
paign volunteered TO play prOmpter to the
Democratic Presidential nominee it did not
fOresee, perhaps that it was binding itself to
continuous performance contract. According
to its own admissions, its protests and rea-
sonngs stirred Judge Parker TO send his be-
lated gold telegram 10 the st. Louis cOnven-
ton. Later on, when the Judge declared that
he favored giving the FilipinOs not indepen-
dence but "self-government." THE World" de-
manded and finally secured, postscript inter
pretatiOn which stretched the term "Self-gOv-
eminent to cover complete and absolute ma
tional independence Our contemporary justly
congratulated itself on those two successful eff
forts to clarity the candidates ideas and rec~
tify his utterances. But it has apparently tired
of exploiting it's good work in that direction
Feeling Obliged now to warn the Judge against
| the false advisers who are continually leading
him into the grossest perversiOns of fact, it
4f,,Il,- ms
test 1t merely publishes, where Judge Par
ker cannot help seeing 1t, three-line refutatiOn
of one of his most recent and most eXtraOr-
binary misstatements. Last Friday. speaking
to some visitors from New-Jersey the Demo-
cratic candidate said
In the first sixty days of this fiscal year the
expenditures exceeded the revenues by SPA
100000 How much more we have run behind
| since we are not able to state, owing to recent
administrative orders fOrbidding government Of
fcers from making public any statement OF esti-
mates on which future appropriations are paSeu
| It is safe to assume from the making OF the or
ders that there has been no improvement
| otherwise the public would not be denied all in
formation pending the campaign.
AS we pointed out last Sunday, this utterance
| hetrays the densest ignorance of the everyday
| OneratiOns of the federal government. To say
| that there is no means of knowing what the
governments daily receipts ana expenditures
have been since August % is childishly ridicu
| lous. i'm view of the fact that the Treasury
publishes d Gay-by-day report Of it's operations,
| showing the revenues and expenditures for
| the day for the current month and for the
| current fiscal year Judge Parker had only to
consult this bulletin or to look at the financial
| columns of a New-YOrk newspaper to see eX-
| actly how far the Treasury had run behind
| from August 20 to October 20. He would have
| found that it was not safe to assume that
| there had been no Improvement. II there had
| been no improvement. as he did assume, the
deficit would have risen by October 20 to about
| S45OO0OOO In fact the deficit on that day was
| ONLY 500. 335, 542-about S4UoO00 less than it
was on August 81
But besides intimatinc that government re-
ceipts and expenditures were being concealed
| from the public the Judge went on to explain
this concealment by declaring that admnstra-
tive orders had been given to government Off
GERS to suppress the estimates which must be
sent To Congress- next December for use in
framing the appropriation bills. not for this
year, but for the fiscal year 1905-O6. No COM
pleter middle could well have been made of
the facts which the Democratic candidate was
attempting to handle. No wonder The World"
gives it up. We judge from the paragraphs
we reprint that our nelghbOr hopes, by sys-
TEN of easy lessons, to insdl in the Demo
cratic candidate in time rUdimentary knowl-
| edge of Treasury methods and Treasury opera
lions. Lessons No. / and No. . have now been
| given.
For October up to date the government def
| cit yesterday 50. 1896. For the year TO
date It was 0622, $50.
The Treasury deficit for October reported yes
| terdaw was S3.656.564. against $3,5l2. 262 the
| previous day. Since July l the net deficit Is
now S215l3119
Esopus papers please copy.