The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-10-20

The public mind is being disillusloned
of the pretension OF the Kepupllcah
marty. so long and SO arrogantly
made that the material prosperity
Of the country depends upon It's own
ascendancv. Thoughtful and patrl-
otto people are becoming more ana
more distrustful of the heady and
nersonal element of the present ad-
ministration, and are more than
willing to see it replaced by one that
better recognizes constitutional a1iu
other lawful restraints. Ihey de-
mand that the present wasCelui tA-
travapance in the expenditure OF the
money, drawn by taxation from the
industry of the people, shall cease
opd that economy and honesty III
the Dublic service shall be again re-
parded as virtues in the high places
of the government.
Expenses OF Government
The expenditures per capita OF the
government are increasing "' all
alarming rate. When the present
administration went intOpower there
was Il large surplus, but notwlth-
standing the enormous TAXATION the
revenues therefrOm are not now aue-
ouate to meet the demands made by
reckless appropriations; Ihe reve,
nues fell short during the last hscal
wear of over $4O,OOO,OOO. In the
first sixty days OF this fiscal year the
expenditures exceeded the receipts
bv 100000, and if this rate OF
excess should continue, the deficit Tor
the present fiscal year would be III
the neighborhood of $14O,OOO,OOO.
This needless deficit is due to the eX-
travagance OF the administration,
and can only be met by imposing
taxes or selling bonds, thereby i'll
creasing the Understanding debt OF
the government. Which course will
the Republicans adopt? The cost OF
government during the fiscal year
was $714 per capita, which means
that the average tax paid i'll some
form or another by every family OF .
persons toward the support of the
national administration OF public
affairs was over S25, which, i'll the
case OF wage-earners, is a consider
able percentage of their entire earn
ings for the year. No more money
should be taken from the people by
taxation, direct or indirect, than Is
necessary for the needs of govern
ment economically administered. To
show the rapid growth of the cost OF
government it is only necessary to
give the total expenditures i'll the
last fiscal year of the following adj
ministrations:
Buchanan. 1S60.......................S 63,0oo,ooU
Per eapita. ................. 81 .0l
Cleveland, 1892 .ooo. ooo
Per capita ...... ......... S5.29
Roosevelt 1904 80 0Oo,O
Per capita. STA
The Army.
In answer to criticisms upon the
size and expense of maintaining the
army, the President has said that
the number of soldiers now is nc
greater per capita than in former
times. But an army then was neces.
sary to protect settlers from the In,
dams and to do other police duty in
the unsettled portion OF the country
conditions which do not now exist
The army, however, has greatly III
creased in cost, much faster relatively
than it has in numbers.
The expenses were:
Under Buchanan in 1s6O.........S 1880, OOC
Under Hayes in 1SSO.............. $4,000, 00C
Under Roosevelt in 1904 5000, O0C
Panama.
We all hail as the harbinger of the
new era in the commerce of the world
the inception of the great work oil
building the canal that is to Join the
two great oceans; but we deprecate
the action of the present administra.
ton, which inflicted a wound upon
our national honor by its disregard
of the rights of weaker nation, in
order to gain a doubtful credit for
energy in forwarding that great en-.
terprise. Territory of neighborine