The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-09-10

he Democratic farty IN Fo-
sition to Bring Reform.
In aspeech on Republican EX-
travagance" on Monday of last
week at St. Paul, Mimi, where
he was the guest Of the Mime
sofa State Fair, Mr.. w. j. Bryan
said, in part:
THE Democratic platform
makes Republican extravaganza
one of the issues of the present
campaign. The Republican plat
form is silent on the subject,
and naturally so; to have prom
ised economy would have been a |
mockery and to have defended |
the appropriations made by the
last Congress would have been
impossible. The Fifty-frst Con-
gress was commonly called the
billion-dollar Congress. The ap-
preparations made by that Con-
gress covered two years, amount
ing, for the first time, to bill
lion dollars, or five hundred mil
lion dollars a year. The eXtrav-
agance of that Congress contrib
uted to the overwhelming vic
tory won by the Democrats in the
campaign of 1892. The last Con-
gress, however, has made new
record in extravaganza. In spite
of 2 deficit of more than sixty
millions in the last fiscal year,
the appropriations made during
the last session amount to more
than a billion dollars, or twice as
much as the appropriations for a
single session of the Fifty-first
Congress. The increase over the
year before was ninety million
dollars, showing a growth of eX-
penditure far in excess Of the
population.
while this tendency to ex-
travagance manifests itself in
nearly all departments, it is es-
pecially noticeable in the army
department and the navy depart
ment. The army is more than
twice as large as in 1896 and the
appropriations for the army more
than three times as great as they
were eleven years ago. The eX-
penses Of the navy are also
about three times what they were
adecade ago. The increase in the
appropriations for the army anC
navy alone are S120, 900, 900 6
year in excess of what they were
in 1897. The imperialistic policy
for which the Republican party
is responsible, is the only excuse
for this enormous and increas
ing drain upon the taxpayers.
"Our platform also calls atten
ton to the fact that $4,000 new
offices have been created at al
expense of $40, 000, 900 a year, a.
against an increase of 1000,
new Offices with salaries amount
ing to $4,000, 900 in the Cleve
land and Mckinley administra
tions.
while every element of GU
population suffers to a greater 0
less extent because Of the un
necessary expenditures of tn,
government, the farmers hav
special reasons for complaint, be
cause they pay more than thei
share of taxes collected and re
ceive less than their share of tn
benefits which flow from the e.
penditure of the corporations
Nearly all of our Federal revt
nues, excepting postal receipts
are collected from internal rev,
nue. taxes and import duties an
these are taxes upon cOnsuml
ton. Taxes upon consumptiC
always Over-burden the rich.
the Federal taxes could be sep
rated from the price of the art
Gle in which they are conceale
and each PERSONS per capita t.
be shown it would be found tn
the Federal tax now collectt
would be in effect a graduate
income tax, the largest per Ger
being collected from the SIN;
incomes and the least per Ger
upon the large incomes. And
aggravate the case still MOI
the appropriations viii,
unfairly Cypress the formers a
spent in cities, so that the form
enjoys few direct benefits frC
the appropriations and scarce
any direct benefits.
why is it that the Repub
can party is so much more c
travagant than the Democra
party in the expenditure of pu
lie money? There are two re
sons: First, because Republic
leaders are more intimately ;
ISOLATED with the tax-eaters tn
with the taxpayers. They he
the hungry clamor of the m
who spend money more than tn
do the protests Of the masses w
contribute revenues.
But there is a second reasC
The Republican leaders hs
taught the doctrine that taxat.
is an unalloyed good. They he
tried to cultivate a public op
ion to support the idea that ia.
taxes on the theory that e,
when not needed for revenue
direct advantage to the p
tected interests and an indir
advantage to the whole count
1t is not strange that people v
consider taxation a bless
would be inclined to make
blessing as large as possible.
The Democratic party is
position to bring reform in
matter Of expenditures. 1t
lieves that a tax is defensible
ly when necessary and tina