Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-10-25
Candidate Parker Makes
a Serious Mistake.
Treasury Department figures
Had Been Printed
Which the Judges CIaimed Had Been
Withheld.

Washington. Oct. 24-H A. TaylOr
acting secretary of the treasury. today
issued the following statement:
The attention Of the department ha
been called to the statement twice
made by judge Parker that there have
been administration orders forbidding
the publication of information concern
ing governmental expenditures. This is
a mistake Mr.. Parker seems to have
| unfortunately acquired from untrust-
worthy sources considerable misinfor-
nation, especially about the manage
ment ard condition Of the Treasury De
p@rtnent and also about orders issued
to govern departmental action general
ly. The only order issued concerning es-
timate1 expenses was that no subOr-
dinate should make any estimates pub
lie until the heads of the departments
had gone over them with the President
and they had been approved.
Before MIR Parker had made his
second statement in reference to an or
der tc withhold Informal ton. the post
Office, interior and agricultural depart
ments and the district of Columbia had
made and published their estims tes.
The estimates from the other depart
ments will he given out in the ordinary
course of business. as soon 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.
MI Parker has evidently been led
into r.
seems to think that the currently
monthly expense accounts have some
relation to these estimates These esti-
mate simply represent the SUNS that
Congress will be asked to appropriate
to meet the expenses of the various de-
partments for the fiscal year begin
ming July l. 1905. and ending June 30,
1906
"Mr. Parker says further that for
the nrst two months of the present
fiscal year the expenses exceeded the
receipts by twenty-four millions OF
dollars. and adds: How much more we
have run behind since I am not able
to state because the public has been
denied all information pending the
campaign This is Il very remarkable
L
have made it on the spur of the mo-
ment without reflection. He surely
knows that the treasury issues and
publishes daily Bulletin each day and
a monthly bulletin each month Civ
ing the receipts and expenses by the
day and month. and that these bulletins
are regularly published in all the lead
ing newspapers of the country. For in
stance, the buetn Oct. 20, the day be-
fore the judge made the speech refer
red to- showed the deficit up to that
cay, from July 1, 20 be 500 335, 542 de-
crease of about four millions of dolla rs
during September and UP to Oct. 90
Should This rate of increase of receipts
over expenses continue, as is quite GER
tain. the deficit of July and August, SO
alarming to the judge. would be wiped
out during the year. The student of
government finance understands per-
fectly that expenses are heaviest ut the
beginning of the fiscal year, and tina {
4 deficit for the first months is to he
expected and is no evidence that it will
continue through the months to fol-
low.
IF Judge Parker would apply to the
Treasury Department. for informa ton
as to the methods Of government bust
ness and the condition OF public fin
ances. he would get prompt and ac-
curate information and avoid the en-
barra ssment of being led into very
palpable errors.