Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-31
men would now have great cause 10 II
ioice
Extravagance Run Riot.

joice. !
Extravaganza Run Riot.
The Congress. continued Mr.. Fitz-
gerald. lis now about to adjourn. This
session has been the most profiigat. IN
our history. Extravaganza has run riot.
the Treasury has been depleted: the
public money has been saameful!y
squandered.
The responsibility rests with the re-
publican party II can not evade the
issue Every energy seems TO have been
concentrated upon the task Of emptNirS
the Treasury and of making imperative
the issuance of bonds by the next admin
istration in order TO defray the ordinary
expenditures of the government The
dreaded handwriting has apparently been
seen upon the wall. and the republic an
party is demoralized and shaken.
The appropriations for the next fiscal
year aggregated the enormous sum OF
81 COOS. Sn4. S94' against aggregate
Inmates by departments of S.ol7 HOGS"
1Ss''
Mr.. Fitzgerald quoted the estimated
revenues for the fiscal year 1910 Crreds-
ury figures) as Ss7s, 123.011 land" he
declared. I'VE shall demonstrate later
that this estimate is in all probability at
least S1O0OO0.NO too large. and that not
more than S7S5.O1OOO0 IS likely to be real
lied. Never but once in our history" he
said. did the expenditures of our govern
ment reach the thousand million dollar
mark For the fiscal year 1860, when the
country was in the throes of a bitter.
bloody and expensive civil war. the ex-
penditures aggregated the enormous total
of 81. 800, $50 AS. of which sum 81 o3o tao
400 was for the maintenance OF the
army.
Some Comparisons.
Training his fire on the administration,
Mr.. Fitzgerald continued:
After the war with SPAIN under the
presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. the
cost Of maintaining the government for
the four following years was 10 per cent
greater than during the same period when
the war was waged Evidently. Mr..
Speaker. some things are expensive and
come high"
Making further comparison. Mr.. Fitz-
gerald said
Under Cleveland the per capita appro-
priations for the army for four years
were $1.35: for the navy. S1.5i for forti-
fications. 20 cents: the average per capita
for the three services $500
Under Roosevelt, in his second ad-
| mnistration. the appropriations for the
army for the four-year period are 1896.
more than two and half times the
amount under Cleveland: for the navy.
$4e1. more than three times the amount
under Cleveland: for Notifications. s.
cents. more than 40 per cent increase over
Cleveland: and the average per capita
cost for the three services under Roose-
welt Is SS.S3, two ana One-fOurth times
as great as under Cleveland.
The President Criticised
After entering into more detailed set
of comparisons at large. comprising fig
ures from Great Britan's fiscal records.
Mr.. Fitzgerald continued: Surely these
| significant facts have not permeated the
| recesses of the White House nor found
| even a temporary Judgment in the active
brain of the President.
mo other conclusion can be salts
| factorily reached. for upon no other the
DRY Is 1t conceivable that the admins
tration would have submitted estimates.
as has been repeatedly pointed out during
the session. at least $12S.O00.OO in excess
of the revenues estimated for the coming
fiscal year. Since these estimates were
submitted to Congress the country has
been afflicted with panic. The business
and industrial depression Is growing
rather than lessening. Yet In the pletho-
ra of messages to the Congress from the
chief executive there has not been a sin
gle warning to safeguard the interests
of the people by resolutely repelling all
attempts to raid the treasury. Indeed.
when the history of this session is i'm
partially and truthfully written. as 1t Will
be some day. the xielder of the big
stick will be pictured in heroic size at
the head Of those who. openly encouraged
or secretly abetted by him. have success
fully rified the peoples strong box"
Holds Republicans Responsible.
Mr.. Fitzgerald had this to say of tho
promised tariff revision:
For the present fiscal year the receipts
will fall Sol 100000 below the estimate.
The industrial situation Is not improving.
The approach of a national election will
not be a stimulant to business. The prom
Use of revision Of the tariff by its friends
will tend further to accentuate con-
stantly growing industrial depression.
An impartial review of all the
facts establishes firmly the conviction that
the repeated warnings of the gentleman
from Minnesota tMr. Tawney) that there
will be deficit of $3.50, 1000, 600 in the COM
| ing fiscal year is conservative rather than
| extravagant.
| In closing Mr. Fitzgerald said: This is
| a government by party. The republican
party is responsible for the results of this
| session. Responsibility cannot be shifted
| from the House to the Senate, nor from
\ the Congress to the executive. The re-
publican party is in control of all these
| and Is called upon to answer for its ac-
! tons. The democracy is willing to sub
| NIT the issue to the intelligence Of the
American people and to abide the result