New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-14
BEHIND THE TINES.

Z Some Democratic statesmen seem little SLOW
q, nroft nv the lessons of the Presidential cleo
,44on In last wears canvass Democratic spell
flinders of all classes kept ringing the changes
on the periIs Of "miIitarism" and the extraVa-
teance Of our military expenditures. Figures
were industriousIy compiled and exploited show
ing that the government was spending more on
the army the navy and the coast defences than
zt spent in the halcyon days of the second Cleve-
land administration when we had only the be-
.Kinnings of a modern navy, an understood and
-1nderequipped army Of $4,000, and a system
of harbor Notifications slowly developing after
years of absolute neglect. The Democratic can
bdidates for President and VicePresident had a
good deal TO say before election about the folly
and wastefulness of our military policy. But
since election the fervor Of most Of those alarm
Itsts has oozed away.
There is one Democratic leader, however, who
1rlinks that there is still a scare left In this
lS1raw stuffed boyle man. The Hon. Leonidas
It. Livingston, Of Georgia, the ranking minority
member on the House Appropriations Commit
etee has undertaken to breathe fresh life into
the spectre Of military extravaganza which SO
haunted Judge ParkeTs and Mr.. Dayis's dreams.
In preparing his review Of the expenditures Of
the last session of Congress Mr.. Livingston tries
TO startle the country by the statement that
$500 100000 has been wasted on militarism"
J
TO support this assertion he too, falls back on
the record of the second Cleveland administra-
don. In Mr.. Cleveland's second term, he saws
1.-THE appropriations for the army and navy and
for Notifications were S205. 100000 For the last
-four sessions of Congress the total is S7O3, 12O-
B93. The difference S500OO0000 in round num-
sbers-Mr. Livingston thinks, or processes to
think, is waste"
: An argument so extravagant must, of course.
40 ia
agree with Mr., Livingston In CHASING the Sec
'ond Cleveland administration as a golden age
or in wishing to go back to the political and
financial conditions which ruled from 1893 to
1887 Least Of all would they care to lapse
again into that state Of military weakness and
unpreparedness which any clash with another
nation during that period would have made evil
dent We had a1oat then only the nucleus OF n
modern navy. We had an army shr1nken and
scattered, lacking organization and eouipment
and a military system honeycombed with de.
fects. Our harbors were half defended and
our isolation alone would not have served To nro-
tect US from humiliation even at the hands of
q third class power
ahe war with Spain opened our eyes To the
need OF thorough military reorganization We
saw the necessity for a standing army o4 ~
least double the old size, for ADEQUATE barbor
ana coast defences and for navy large enough
10 maintain our position and discharge our re-
sponsibilities as q world power. We have snan+
great sums 70 accomplish these objects. We
have more than tripled the military expenditures
Of Mr.. Clevelands second term; but the real
point 70 consider is whether we have or have
not made prudent and patriotic investment
1t is ridiculous To say that because we are now
paying a greater price for military efficiency
than we paid ten years ago we are wasting the
Reoples substance" five are getting the re-