Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1908-09-25
Though Challenged by Mr.. Taft,
is Unable to Specify Where Ex-
penditureS Could Be Le-
ultimately Reduced.
4 SURPLUS, NOT A DEFICIT
The Democratic Candidate Must
Either Confess Himself Stupid
Novice in Regard 40 Public FL
nance or Else Appear as One
Deliberately Seeking to
Mislead the American
People as TO Facts.

Mr.. BRYAN. Theoretically corkod up
on the old issues of free silver m
parialism, and government ownership
of railways, is scrutinizlng the IecoIu
OF Repu blican administration during
the past twelve years with micro
scope to find some peg on Wnlch 70
hang an attack. 1t would not pc AZ
togefber surprising if a party when
had done so much in this period 10 au-
vance the glory and economic prog
ross of the country has made a casual
error here and there. These Twelve
years have witnessed the war win
Spain. which gave freedom to CUBA
and Porto Rico and brought the phil
iDDines under American authority.
They have witnessed the emergence
of the country from depression and
financial uncertainty upon the nrm
ground of the gold standard, enacted
into law by a Republican Congress.
They have witnessed the creation OF
a navy which is carrying our nag
with honor around the world. Iney
have witnessed the extension OF the
strong hand over the railways and
the great corporations in behal1 OF
equality of treatment for all citizens.
In sum and substance these twelve
years have witnessed for the average
man a degree of prosperity and COM
! fort never before equalled under any
! flag in any country since the world
! began.
In picking flaws in this record Mr..
Bryan has taken upon himself to crit
icise the appropriations OF the last
Congress and to make the declaration
that there was a deficit of some S6Oy-
00N nm in act fiscal III
Mr. Bryan knows what he is talking
about this reference to a deficit is
amazingly disingenuous. Secretary
Cortelyou punctured this particular
Bryan gas bag effectively soon after
the fiscal year closed on June 80. He
issued a statement showing that when
the proceeds of bonds sold were add
ed to the receipts from taxation and
miscellaneous sources, and allowance
was made for the reduction of the
public debt, there was no deficit, but
q surplus The appearance of a de-
felt was only arrived at by counting
all expenditures for the Panama Ca
nal and other public works, and fail
inG to count on theside Of the receipts
the proceeds of the bonds sold for the
of the canal Tt is the
custom in nearly every other. civilized
III tl lIuGLL 10 issue DOuuS LOT all
public works, but SO large have been
he receipts of the Treasury of the
United States that it has been the
.ustom to pay for these permanent
Investments of capital out of current
eceipts. It is a bad system of book
,eeping, and Secretary COrtelyou has
nnounced that he proposes to correct
It might have been pardOnable
or the man in the street. to be mis-
ed by the present form of Treasury
tatement. 1t is not pardOnable on
be part of man who pretends to be
student of public questions Mr..
ryan must either confess himself a
,upid novice in regard to public
nance or as deliberately seeking to
islead the people as to the facts.
The tremendous expansion of mill
Try and economic activity through
It the world has undoubtedly led to
volume Of expenditures which calls
T serious consideration. In Ger
any it became necessary last spring
issue a large loan to cover ordin-
y expenditures and to consider every
ssible means of increasing taxation.
Franco the ministry even pressed
rough the Chamber the pronosition
tax the coupons of the public debt.
ereby taking back from the citizen
taxes what it had promised to ray
m in interest when he loaned his
pital In Great Britain changes
the rate of the income tax afford q
ady means OF adjusting income to
Denditure, bdtth burden falls heav-
first uDOn the small shopkeeper
d is shifted by him largely to the
Uses whom he supplies with daily
cessities. IN all these countries
all public works of
character, whether great
small, are charged to special ac-
lnts.
Secretary Cortelyou has already
nounced that he Is having the sys-
4 OF bookkeeping at the Treasury
and mOdernized All ad-
distractions in the United States are
vented from applying the pruning
fe resolutely to expenditures. be-
Sc there is not the complete con
of the budget by a single Minister
ch prevails in Europe. Some steps
this direction should undoubtedly
taken, but few voters are likely to
nisled as to the relative efficiency
intelligence in taking such steps
oh would be shown by
an administration on one hand
Republican administration
led by Mr.. Taft on the otl-
Mr.. Taft in his speech of
ptance requested the supporters
lr. Bryan to put their fingers on
tens where expenditures could BE-
.imataly reduced. He pointed out
the increase vas due chiefly toM
of the navy, the con-
elton of the Panama Canal, the =
nsion of rural free delivery, the
rcement of the pure food and
laws, which have probably saved
lreds of lives, the rigid suDervis-
Of the railways, which has been
lnded by public opinion, the rec
tiQn of the arid lands and the
srvation of our national forests.
r. Bryan knows anything about
ce let him put his finger on those