The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-06-12
The Governments Balance Sheet.


Wise Democrats will be very eau
tious about attacking the Repub-
licans for the heavy expenditures for
the fiscal year beginning July 1
1908, which they permit in the sup
ply bills passed in the late session
of Congress. On the face of the fig
ures the aggregate appropriations
were a little over 100000, 900.
But some of the expenditure permit
ted here is theoretical only. By a
fiction of bookkeeping SIS, 100000
goes to the sinking fund, which will
take not a cent out of the treasury.
BY another fiction $233, 100000 is
charged to the postal service. AS
the Post Office almost pays it's own
way this appropriation will take not
more than $S,000,000 or 100000
900 out of the pockets of the people
except through the stamps which
they pay for their mail. Something
over $4,000, 900 of the big total will
go for the redemption of national
bank notes, another item that repre-
sents no money that is to-be raised
by taxation. When these items are
deducted from the total that big
aggregate shrinks into very much
smaller proportions than are carried
on the face of the returns.
If the Democracy attacks some of
the other items in the appropriations
it will find that they are loaded.
Some of the increase over last years
appropriations are for pensions. Now
let us see if the Democrats will as
sail this outlay. Other expansions in
outgo are for increased pay for the
country's soldiers and sailors, and for
the civil servants Of the government.
Is any Democrat, either in the Ma
tional Convention or on the stump,
going to condemn this increased eX-
penditure? The army and navy cost
more now than they did in Cleve-
lands days, but sensible Democrats
know that a great many things have
taken place since than to make this
increase inevitable. They know that
the Spanish war, the acquisition of
territory in the Gulf of Mexico and
in the Pacific, and the big increase
which has been made in the armies
and navies of the great nations have
not only justified this expansion on
our part, but have made it i'm
perative. Sane Democrats will not
provoke the Republicans into telling
these elementary facts to the people.
A good deal of the extra expenditure
by the government over that of a few
years ago is due TO the Panama Can
al. Where is the Democrat who,
either in Congress or in Denver, will
seriously propose that the United
States shall hand back the canal
zone to the Panama Republic and
step out of the isthmus? To The
brash Democrat who may be tempted
in Denver or during the campaign to
charge that the Republican party is
a spendthrift these items, and others
which can be cited, sound a warning
cry. Don't!
For unwary Democrats there is
dynamite in this balance sheet, as
they will discover if they tamper
with 1t. There is a trap, too, for the
reckless. Democrats who may be
tempted to use promiscuously some
treasury figures which will be pub
lished in all the newspapers Of the
country today. These figures will
say that for the eleven months just
ended of the fiscal year 1908 the
governments income fell S63,000,-
600 short of it's outgo. But the short
to the business setback which cut
down the revenues. The govern
ment's receipts for the eleven months
were SIS, 100000 less than those for
the corresponding time in the pre-
vious year. Had the financial scare,
and the consequent business reverse,
been averted the revenues would
not only have not fallen off but they
would have increased, and there
would have been no deficit for the
eleven months, or, if there had been
any, it would have been so small as
not to be noticeable. The Democrat
who may base big congratulations on
this deficit for the past eleven months
may easily run up against disaster.
A few days after his nomination in
st. Louis in July, 1904, poor Parker
predicted that there would be a de-
felt of more than $160, 100000 for
the fiscal year which had Just begun.
The actual deficit turned out to be
$23, 100000, and then came sur
pluses. The fate of that : unfortu-
nate parsonage should deter the
Democrats who may be tempted to
try the role Of soothsayer in this ex-
igency. Business is improving, and
with this Improvement will come an
increase in the governments rev.
enues. If, as is possible, we have an
average crop in the great staples this
year, a big impetus will be given to
general trade. If, as Is also ex-
tremeN probable, the Republicans
carry the country in November, the
deficits days will be numbered. All
the indications point. to an early re-
turn of Republican prosperity, and
with it will return the old flush days
in the fraacnrv uyhar ,,a eboII hoya