The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-02-13
cosTs THAT MUST BE MEr.

The country is confronted by the ne- cessity of providing itself if some way with much larger sum of money with which to meet the legitimate costs of a proper maintenance of it's government. This fact, so plainly foreshadowed tor some time past thatit can come as a surprise to only the least observant, gets final and complete confirmation in the announcement that, notwithstand- ing all the efforts of the leaders Of the two houses to economize an appropria- tions, the total carried by the appro- priation bills this year, even if the river and harbor bill is omitted alto- gether, will be considerably greater than that rolled up last year. That is, it has been found absolutely impossi- ble to cut a decent garment from the cloth provided.
 And the trouble is not with the cut ters. When congress assembled last month it was fully recognized on all hands that with the revenues running considerably behind expenditures and with no prospect of an improvement in that respect economy must be the con- trolling spirit of the session. This was duly impressed upon the members in the reports of the executive officers, 1t was generally accepted without dis pute by the members themselves and there is no reason to question that as a rule they have honestly and earnest fly tried to live up to the requirements imposed upon them. Everybody who has observed the labors of the appro- priation committees, who has noted how even the most modest estimates of the departments have in most cases been cut down in the bills reported, must admit that there has been a real attempt to economize. Nevertheless, | we are now told that unless there is no provision made for new river and harbor work the appropriations for the | next fiscal year will aggregate nearly \ nine hundred millions of dollars.
 l Such an enormous cost cannot be met out of the governments present revenue, which, even with the smaller appropriations for the current year, is giving us steadily increasing deficit, On the other hand, it is evidently no | ldISGE d COSL tticah lCauii Cu hot hCCp I ing the government equal to it's grow | ing and inevitable duties and for pro- | viding the public service that is neces sary to comfort and convenience There doubtless are small items ir some of the appropriation bills thai might be cut out without serious loss but in the main the sums carried ir | these measures are for entirely legiti. mate and necessary purposes. Int
 chief increases in this years bills arc Ifor the maintenance of the postal ser vice; and nobody can say that thest are not branches of the government which really require liberal provision
 Even a river and harbor bill if care fully and honestly prepared, is meas ure that at least once in two years tn
 actual needs of the country demand We cannot afford by inadequate pecu
 niary support to reduce the efflcienc,
 of the government for it's imperativ'
 duties at home and abroad nor t
 check the development of those publi
 utilities on which the growth of tn
 country in wealth and comfort il
 large measure depends.
 There is no alternative. We mus accept the fact that big, up-to-date
 ambitious, growing country like our
 costs an enormous sum on mainte
 nance and development account am
 We must provide a national incom
 equal to the requirements. That tn
 expenditures of to-day are so vastl
 larger than those of a generation o
 even half generation ago signifie
 nothing more than that we are a big ger, better and more enterprising ns
 tion. From the billion-dollar ceuntr Iof Speaker Reeds time, by which wa