New-York tribune., 1904-09-12

vvhen there were ffty-one hundreo sOi04
o,,a million three hundred thousand popuia'O
s-hsr- is now one soldier to every fourteen ~
- ,aopl. In this country-less than one-tenth
az one par cent. We cannot be asked sei- .,,
- e-gn. SIS 10 the amount of possible tyranny
-, ., these figures. The army as 1t is
,,ozv Is as small as it can possibly be ana SCI
a.. ,,r,os. as an effective nucleus for the organ
s~..,o- eouipuen. and supply Of volunteer
-, a. time of need. 1t is now used as never
-. ,o- aiding IN the CpbuildiDg OF the organ
- ,,,,,+sa of the country. The War Depart
e,+ fs engaged IN Systematic eHor'
s+renethen and develop the Natlonal 0u1iu -
.ha several States. as Witness among iii'-'
- -. ,,.,orcas the great field nlaneuvres at
ss--.~.os which have just closed. If our oppo-
-. sbould come into power. they could MOI
80 o11r army below ies present SIZE "I'AoN
--ao,,v tunpairing its efficiency ana apanuo
-. ~ +be national duty. In short IN TINS maj
- :, our opponents should come into po"ei'
49,, would either have to treat this particuiai
,.-orrise Of the year 1904 as they no" tfe@t 'He
rrornlses they made in 1880 anu io00 -
Ps-s,,,,, No binding force-or else they wouio
p0Sse'.-''e o..borl, IN a policy which would Dc
hAaS y :. the noouent and fraught with grave
~ iu1Io- = +te rational honor in the future
AN IMAGINARY DEFICIT.
49, ,nnonsnts contend that the government is
oa-o,r,stered extravagantly. ana that
-,hs-sas there was "a surplus OF SoO'Voo'ooo -
.ooo. .,,srs Is "a deficit Of more than S4O'VoO'-
oo0p. sn ths year that has just closed
This deficit is imaginary. and IS oD'aIheo %
,ncln5ine in the ordinary current expenses ',ie
sum ~ S50OO0OO0 which was paid lot the FisH'
;. ,v.v ~ the Panama Canal out OF the accuiiiu-
,sted surplus in the Treasury. COMPARING ule
current or ordinary expenditures ior ule w. W.
xears there was surplus OF nearly so0'00oOOo
for IRE wear 1900 and OF only a litue hi0te 'I-4'
SsO0ooOO for the year that has just ci0seu' DU'
This diulinution Of the annual surplus "a
b,ought about designedly by the aoonuon ol t4e
war taxes in the interval between lhe '"o 20 800
r,s acts Of March ., 1901 and April Il 1SO-'
% -. +ns internal revenue taxes TO an
a-oovr+ estimated at S105000OOo year. IN
o.,e- words. the reduction Of taxation mas oeeh
.o~s,ae-ablv greater than the reduction IN the
ennpsl surplus. Since the close Of the war with
r.,n +bere has been no substantial change in
,ba rate of annual expenditures. AS compared
with the fiscal year ending in June, lSo1r Tor ex-
annle the fiscal year that has just closed
showed a relatively small increase in expenditure
excluding the canal payment already referred
tor. while The year previous showed relatively
email decrease.
UNwIsE TO REDUCE EXPENDITURES.
The expenditures CT the nation have been
managed In q spirit Of economy far removed
from waste as from niggardliness; and in the
future every effort VIII be continued to secure
an economy as strict as is consistent with efh-
cheney. once more our opponents have promised
what they cannot or should not perform. The
prime reason why the expenses OF the govern
rnsnt have increased Of recent years is TO be
found in the fact that the people. after mature
thought have deemed It wise to have certain
new forms OF work for the public nde-taken by
the public. This necessitates sue. expenditures,
for instance as those for rural free delivery, or
for the inspection Of meats under the Depart
rnent Of Agriculture or for irrigation But these
new expenditures are necessary; no one would
seriously propose to abandon them. aud yet IT is
idle 10 declaim against the increased expense OF
the government unless il is intended 70 cut down
the very expenditures which cause the increase
The pensions to the veterans OF the Civl War
are demanded by every sentiment Of regard and
gratitude The rural free delivery is of tho
grestest use and convenience TO the farmers. q
body Of men who 1--we under conditions which
make them ordinarily receive little direct return
for what they pay toward the support Of the
government The irrigation policy in the arid
and semi-arid regions OF the West is one fraught
with the most benerIeut and tar-reaching good
to the actual settlers. the home makers. whose
encouragement Is a traditional feature in amer
ioa's national policy. Do our opponents gfudge
the S50O0ooOo paid for the Panama Canal? Do
they intend to cut down on the pensions 10 the
veterans Of the Civil War? Do they intend to
put stop to the irrigation policy or to the per-
nanent Census Bureau, or 10 immigration In
spection? DO they intend TO abolish rural free
delivery? DO they intend to cut down the
navy, OF the Alaskan telegraph system? Do
they intend TO dismantle our coast fortifcations?
II there is TO be real and substantial cutting
down IN national expenditures It must be In such
matters as these. The Department Of Agri-
culture has done service Of incalculable value to
the farmers Of this country in many different
lines Do our opponents wish TO cut down the
money for this service? They can do II only by
destroying the usefulness of the service itself.
The public work Of the United States has
never been conducted with a higher degree OF
honesty and efficiency than az the present time.
dho special need Of praise belongs to those
oIIelals responsible for the Philippines and Porto
Alco' wners the administration have been mod
els OF their kind. OF course wrong has occa-
sionally occurred, but 1t has been reIentlesslv
stamped out We have known no party in deal
ihg win offenders and have hunted down with
OUT mercy every wrongdoer IN the service OF the
hauon whom 1t was possible by the utmost
VisHanoe 10 detect; for the public servant who
oetrays MS trust and the private individual who
oeoauches him stand as the worst OF cr,ro,,.1.
because their crimes are crimes agains, 4ba e,'
tire community. and not only against tb,s eer-
erauon but against the generations that are
yet 10 be-
The PHILIPPINES QUESTION
Our opponents promise indenendenoo - a.,
Philippine Islands Here again NE '','