New-York tribune., 1904-10-23
mDDLED STATESMAN.

Judge Parkers decision not TO take the stump
in his own behalf seems 70 have been based on
very potent common sense considerations. In
the discussion Of public questions he has shown
so fsr an amazing lack Of cogency and eompre-
hension. HIS unfamliarity with governmental
concerns ana governmental methods is pain
fully apDarent. He has as little first hand
knowledge Of the details OF federal legislation
and administration as he has about the internal
economy Of the Russian Empire We have
called attention from time 70 time to the reck-
Jess manner in which the Democratic candidate
accepts and fathers mistaken statistics and ir-
responsible campaign eXaSgerauons. In many
such instances Judge Parker has doubtless been
imposed on by ignorant or unscrupuous ad-
risers. Yet his own inability 20 comprehend or
master the subjects he discusses lays him open
20 the most surprising errors Of inference and
statement and makes him almost pathetlcally
ludicrous and Ineffective as political critic
How completely at sea Judge Parker is when
lie attempts TO explain the ordinary operations
0f government IS made plain by a passage IN
bis address last Friday to some visitors 10 ESQ
pts. IN that speech he said. among other
fbings:
u the last fiscal year the revenues fell short
over SA00000O5. in the first sixty days Of this
fiscal year the expenditures exceeded the re
oeipts by S25DNttuO How much more we have
ruu behind since We are not able to state. owing
10 recent administrative orders forbdding gov
crnnleut officers from making public any state
snent of estimates on which future appropria-
ti0ns are based. II Is safe 20 assume from the
making Of the orders that there has been no i'm
pTOFenlent. Otherwise the public would not be
denied al information pending the campaign.
This statement betrays an ignorance too child
Ssh not 70 be genuine We have shown again
and again that the ordinary expenditures Of the
government for the last fiscal year-1903- '04-
did not exceed the ordinary revenues. The
deficit Of 'OVeT $4,000. .0O07 which Judge Par
keF speaks OF was caused by the exceptional
and extraordinary expenditure OF $50.000,0OO
Tor the Panama Canal strip and the Panama
Canal plant That $50O00O0O was never in
tended tO be charged 20 the current revenues
Of lS03-'O4, but was meant TO be taken from
fhe accumulated surplus OF preceding years.
omitting this exceptional outlay. the years
operations showed a surplus OF about 100000
Possibly Judge Parker knows this. but does not
want TO be frank about it.
But the Democratic candidate saws further
that for the FIRST sixty days of the present
nscal year the expenditures exceeded receints
oy S24.oO0ooO. and adds: How much more we
have run behind since. We are not able 20
state" Why Is he mot able 70 state? There
ts no secret about st. The Treasury Depart-
ment Issues a daily bulletin showing the reve-
Rees and expenditures for the day, for the cur
rent month and for the current hscal wear
evidently Judge Parker does not know this
otheTWise he might have got the issue for
oetooer So-the day before his speech was de-
hFered-and found out exactly how far Eve
naEe rnn behind since" That bulletin shows
tlst toe oencit for the year, up 10 and including
Vei'od ~. was S20SS5, ,5A2-about 100000
less than Il was on August 81. II vrould oIso
have shown that October OF this wear ra,ir,o,,oI
gain over October Of last year OF about So 200 :
900, and would have disposed entirely or hts
lnrounoed assumption that there has beop M
improvement otherwise the public would NOT ha
eenled al Information pending tie campaia,n =
2hs dgsasurys gain during OCTOBER forecasts a