The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-01-30

Not u Good Time for Experiments.
The activities of Il great ration such
as ours are not to be mea red by the
same yard stick that woulJ in the
dimensions of the business little
corner grocery. To listen to the spasms
Of anxiety coming from TIE minds of
the rampant ta%riff-haters Il would
think the contrary.
Five years. or ever n round decade,
is a mere tick of the clock in the life
of a nation. One hundred million dol
lars more or less is only n little bit
of pocket money for a gentleman who
has on his hands the great enterprises
carried on by Uncle Sam"
TIE surplus in the treasury at the
present time is n large sum of money.
and but for the wise action of the Sec
lretary of the Treasury in placing it on
deposit with the national banks Of the
stringency. the locking up of so many
million dollars would have greatly en-
barraSsei the business of America.
The unexpected and unmatched bust
ness activity of tie year and the high
point to which the tide OF prosperity
had run were the causes of this enOr-
nous surplus. We did not have long
to hold it and wait for a very distinct
change ii the business and financial
weather. Revenues will be a good deal
less in the coming year than they were
I'm the past. Already the treasury con-
templates the calling of some of this
surplus money back from the banks in
order to meet tie regular expenses of
has run its course. the treasurer will
have no trouble to handle the surplus.
The United States has enormous un-
~dertakings before it that will keep
down the surplus 10 a reasonable figure
and keep the money moving as actively
as the nimblest shilling tie retail mer-
chant ever turned over twenty times a
year.
We are digging the great ditch at
Panama, and it is eating up money in
a way quite comparable TO that in
which the steam shovels deyour the
sand and mud. We have the reclama-
tion service building dams and con-
structing irrigation systems at many
points throughout the arid regions, also
calling for enormous sums of money
week by week. We are about TO enter
upon the Improvement of our internal
waterways. Here. again, the call for
money will be pressing and great. Our
Senators and Representatives from the
Pacific Coast in Congress are carrying
on an active agitation TO show the gov
eminent the necessity of fortifying the
western eoasts of America, so as to
fOrestall any aggressive movement on
the part OF any nation on the globe
which has a big stick behind its back
for any part of our domain. We are
building large additions TO our already
formidable fleet, and this work must
not slacken, much less stop.
There is not One OF these undertak-
ings. calling each for so many mill
ions, and in the aggregate for % many
hundreds Of millions. that has not come
from a popular demand. The people
have clamored for each and every n
of them, with exceptions so few tkat
most of us are in a humor to neglect
the voice of the opposition.
All we have to do. in the plain sight
Of the surplus now held by the treas
ury, Is to fix our minds for a moment
upon these correlated facts, the natu-
raj slackening likely to prevail in II
business for tie coming twelve months.
with the natural lessening of the rev
enues coming into the treasury, and on
the other side these enormous public
enterprises and the immensely large
sums which they will call for during
the twelve months.
Tie tariff is not to be considered at
the present session of Congress. and il
is just as well to take a pretty broad
and far-sighted view Of subjects of so
great Importance. We do not Hesitate
to make the prophecy that by the time
the S.xty-first Congress shall have been
sworn in and taken its seat, there will
be a very differsnt point of view. 1t
would not surprise us at all IL by that
date there would arise a condition of
factors in tie two sides of the equation
(income from tariff and outgo for great
enterpris Isl which would disturb the
equilibrium between the two members
Of the equation, leaving a minus guam
tity on the treasury side.-Lcs Angeles
Times.