The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-09-03
MONEY IS
SPENT TOO FREELY
Bryan Criticises Republican
Extravaganza in Speech
at Minnesota Fair.

st. Paul, MINI, Sept. 2.--WlIiam
Jennings Bryan is Minnesota's guest
today. He arrived at s o'clock this
morning and was met at the station
by Governor Johnson and former Gov
ernor Lind and other notable demo-
Gratis. They were conveyed In an auto
mobile to the Minnesota club where
breakfast was served. During the fore
noon a drizzling rain came down and
had the effect OF dampening the en-
thusiasm of those having IN charge
the arrangements for Bryan's enter
tainment while in the city.
At h state fair grounds Mr.. Bryan
made a speech, saying in part:
The democratic platform makes repub-
the present campaign. The republican
platform Is silent on the subject and nat
urally so; to have promised economy would
have been a mockery and to have defend
ed the appropriations made by the last
congress would have been impossible. The
Ftfty-first congress was commonly called
the billion dollar congress. The appropri-
ations made by that gre covered two
years, amounting for the nrst time to a
billion dollars or $500, 0 1000 a year. The
extravaganza. of that congress contributed
TO the overwhelming victory O by the
democrats in the campaign of 1890.
The last congress-, however, has made a
new record in extravaganza. In spite Of
the deficit OF more than $50. 000,0C0 In the
last .lSCdl year Tie APPROPRIATION Hldue
during the last session amoun to more
than a billion dollars or twice as much as
the appropriations for a single session of
the Fffty-frst congress. The increase over
growth in expenditures far in excess Of
the growth of the population. While this
tendency to extravaganza, manifests In
nearly all departments, 1t is especially
noticeable in the army n the navy de-
partment. Thu 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 II years ago. The ex-
penscs Of the navy ale also about three
times what they were a decade ago. The
Increase In the appropriations for the
army and the navy alone are 500, 600 a
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 in
~creasing drain upon the taxpayers.
Our platform also calls attention to the
fact that $4,000 new Offices ave been Gre
ated at an expense Of $40, o 1000 a yea as
against an increase of 10000 new offices
Cleveland and the Mckinley administra-.
lions.
Farmers Are Hit.
While every element OF our population
suffers to a greater or less extent because
of the unnecessary expenditures of the
governments the farmers have speciaI
reason for complaint, because they pay
more h their shares OF the taxes and
received less than their shares of bene-
fits which flow from the expenditure OF
the corporations. Nearly all OF our fed
eral revenues excepting postal receipts are
collected from internal revenue taxes and
import duties and these are taxes upon
consumption and always overburden,
those of moderate means and underbur-i
den the rich. If the federal taxes could
be separated from the price of the article
sons per capita tax be shown, 1t would
be und that the federal tax now col
lected would be, in effect, a graduated in
come tax, the largest per cent being col
lected from the small incomes and the
least per cent pom the large incomes. M
to ~aggravate the case still more. the APP
preparation which unfairly Expresses the
farmers is spent In cities, so that the
farmers enjoys few indirect benefits from
the appropriations and scarcely any direct
DEMENT'S.
Why7 Two Reasons.
Why Is It that the republican party Is so
much more e~xtravagant thar the demo-
cratic party in the expenditure OF public
money? There are two reasons:
First, because republican leaders are
more intimately associated with the tax
eaters than with the tax layers. They
hear the hungry clamor of the men who
spend money more h they do the pro-
tests OF the masses who contribute rev.
enues.
But there is a second reason:
The republican leaders have taught tho
doctrine that taxation is an unalloyed
good. They a tried to cultivate a pub
lie opinion to support the idea that tariff
on the theory that even when not
needed for revenue are = direct advantage
to the protected interests and an indirect
advantage to the whole country. It is not
strange that people who consider taxation
a blessing would be inclined to make the
blessing as large as possible.
The democratic party is in a position to
bring reform in the matter OF expendi-
lures. It believes that a tax is d~efensible
only when nAraRaar ~ and that a. pho,,ld -
reduced to the lowest limits consistent
with good government. Our party is
pledged to reduction in appropriations and
to economy In every department In gov
eminent and our position ought to appeal
with special force to those OF our popula-!
ton who are engaged In agriculture.