The National tribune., 1907-01-10

pittance in their cost of living. Mr..
Bacon made his fortune as a member
of the firm of j. Pierpont Morgan 4
Co, while Messrs. Garfield and Pinchot
inherited the greater part of their for
tunes, as did also Mr.. McIlhenny. Other
persons of ample fortune who are do
ing valuable work for the Government,
but who are not much heard of. are
Theodore Gill, one of the worlds great
est authorities on fishes. and DR.. Harri-
son G. Dyer. who is said to know more
about mosquitoes than any other living
man. Numerous other rich men are on
the Government pay roll at nominal
salaries, working for the pleasure Of
doing things as President Roosevelt.
likes to put it. The President is said
to be convinced from his long exper :
ence in public life that if decent and
ungreedy rich men were more numer-
Ously represented in office there would
be less danger of official graft and cor
ruption.
That the fires of patriotism are still
burning may be inferred from the fact
that the first domestic copyright for
1907 was that of National anthem
entitled Our Washington" This song
is descriptive of the beauty of the city,
and recounts many of the patriotic
memories of the Nation. 1t was writ
ten by Robert Lowe Fletcher, of Wash
ington. On the title page is pub
lisher's notice: Published for the
homes and schools of America"
The Treasury Department of the
United States Government has large
bulge in its Christmas stocking in the
form of a surplus of over S22, 900, 900,
for the current fiscal year. The first six
of the fiscal year will soon be
over, and all the indications are that
the surplus for that period will be a
healthy one-in the region of $25,OoO,-
O00
Conditions are much improved since
a year ago. Then the surplus at Christ
mas time was but little over SS,O06,000
and there was much talk of a deficit
before the end of the fiscal twelve
month period. Congress was seriously
asking itself whether it was not going
to be necessary to revise the revenue
laws in some way to make it possible
for Uncle Sam to extract more money
out of the public.
The enormous customs receipts thus
far in the fiscal year continue to excite
the qualification and amazement of the
Treasury officials. Never before in the
history Of the United States has there
been such an inflow of money to the
Treasury from the customs collectors.
The customs receipts thus far in the
fiscal year have been, in round numbers,
$159.000,000. This is about $4,000, 900
more than receipts from customs in
the same period of the preceding fiscal
year.
When the customs for last fiscal year
ran over the 100000, 900 mark there
was much comment over the way all
prior records had been broken. At the
rate the customs are returning revenue
now the receipts will go about $780,
100000 ahead of last fiscal year by
June 80. 1907. Widespread general
prosperity is the cause ascribed by
Treasury officials.
Internal revenue receipts thus far in
the fiscal year have likewise been heavy
and have run about s10,000,00O ahead
of the receipts for the corresponding
period of last year.
Altogether, the Government receipts
have been over $50, 900, 900 heavier than
they were in the same period of last
fiscal year. while expenditures have run
along in about the same channel.
All the indications are that the fiscal
year will end next June with a highly
surplus, considerably larg-
fiscal year. The situation is decidedly
reassuring to those members of Con-
gress opposed at this time to any re-
vision of the tariff or any modification
Of the revenue laws, particularly to such
an important step as advocated by the
President in the direction of taxes on
incomes and inheritances.
Such funny things happen sometimes
And some of these funny things really
happen in the Senate Chamber-they
do, indeed! rTrinstance: In the United
States Senate in the old days it was
dence for new Senator TO address the
Senate in a set speech short of two
years, and he would be much better
received did he just wait quietly till at
least one-half of his term of Office had
expired. Now-well, a new member of
the United States Senate at least waits till
he can hang his cloak on Senate cloak
room peg before speaking to the Sem
ate. The other day Senator McCumber
who looks good deal of a kid because
of his very fair hair and smooth pink
and white complexion, rose in his place,
and asked the President of the Senate
If any one had pre-empted a certain
day for speech. Vice President Fair
banks said that no one had. Mr.. Nc
Cumber then announced that he would
deliver speech on that day on some
subject-the subject has nothing to do
with the story. Senator McCumber, be
it known, has entered upon his second
term in the United States Senate.
Now, there is still one old member
of the United States Senate, and he
clings to the cid ways of doing things
and to all the traditions of that august
body in which Henry Clay, Daniel Web
ster. John G. Calhoun. the Adamses
Jefferson and Madison set the pace He
would like to do things in exactly that
Hale. of Maine. So when Senator Nc
Cumber. in his suave, smiling way. ask
ed for this certain day in which TO
speak to his constituents thru the Con-
gressional Record, Senator Hale, also
suave, none more so than the polished
Senator from the Pine Tree State, riz
right up and said. said he:
Mr.. President. l have observed a
very reprehensible habit, which has
been growing of late years, of Senators
giving notice in advance of their inten-
ton to speak upon given subject on
a certain date. The impression is con-
veyed thereby that the Senator giving
the notice acquires sort of a lien on
that particular days Legislative session
This is not true. I can find nothing in
the rules of the Senate authorizing such
a practise, and do not think that no.
tices of this nature ought to be printed
in the journal, for they are of no effect
whatever: they do not give a Senator a