The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-27
ECONOMY, THE wATCHwoRD.

ECONOMY, THE WATCHWORD.
No greater service can be performed
for the benefit of his country and coun-
trymen by President Taft than the
undertaking he has engaged in for
reduction of the expenses of the admin
tistration of the affairs of the federal
government. During the past few years,
the expenditures for governmental pur-
poses have gone up by leaps and
bounds until they have reached the
rather staggering total of one billion
dollars annually. This is an enormous
sum of money. 1t is larger by $780,
900, 900 than the annual expenditures of
the great German empire. 1t is so great
that it will create a deficit in govern
ment's finances of $100,000.000 for the
current fiscal year. And until Mr.. Taft
instituted his policy of economy there
was no possible hope of decreasing this
deficit, even if Mr.. Aldrich and his
friends should decide to make tariff
bill of low schedules, tariff bill for
revenue only, the kind that Mr.. Taft
and the people have demanded, which
it is apparent that they will not do.
The increased revenues under the tar
if measure that Mr.. AIdrich proposes
to jam down the throat of the people
will only increase the revenues by s10.-
100000 a year, a paltry sum when COM
pared with the annual deficit.
A campaign for economy in govern
mental expenses was. therefore, almost
a necessity, if both ends of the gov
ernment's finances were to be made to
come anywhere near meeting. That it
has been vigorously undertaken by Mr..
&c IA aX-
penses of the United States are bound
to be large in the very nature of things.
1t is engaged in many monumental
works for the development of the coun-
try in variety of ways. 1t will be
undertaking more projects of this sort
from time to time. But 1T is hardly
reasonable to suppose the whole of a
billion dollars a year is needed to pros
ecute these works at this time and also
pay for the administration of the or
binary affairs of the government which
necessarily expand each year as the ma
ton grows. That many of the depart
ments of government have been ex-
travagantly conducted of late, there can
be little doubt. Reports to this effect
have come from Washington repeated
ly during the course of the last year
them and this is what Mr.. Taft is do
ing His secretary of the navy, Mr..
Meyer, has made fine start in this
direction by looping off the whole of
$40, 100000 in his estimates for the con-
duct of the navy for next year under
what they are for the current year.
There is to be a slashing right and
left all along the line in every federal
1T t. - I,n
so the Washington dispatches say,
without destroying their efficiency in
any way. These reports can be taken
for the exact truth because Mr.. Taft
and his subordinates would scarcely at
tempt to cripple any of the federal
activities in any way.
It is President Taft's hope that ex-
penses can be so cut down that the
governments annual deficit can be
wiped out by the time another 18l
months have rolled around. If this is
done, and there is every reason to be-
neve that it will be. the Taft admins
tration can stand up and ask for an
endorsement on this one accomplish
ment alone. The United States is
undoubtedly the wealthiest nation in
the world. It's resources are greater
than any otler' But IL the expenses
of its government were permitted to
increase in the next dozen years as
they have in the past twelve years, it
would not be long before the country,
as a nation. would be facing bank
ruptcy. The people would then have
been burdened with unusual taxes to
straighten things out, and their bur-
dens in the indirect taxes that they
now have to pay through miscon
ceived tariff legislation are quite
heavy enough. 1t is desirable to make
the United States government the
greatest in all ways of all the govern
ments of the world. But it is just
as decidedly undesirable to attempt
to do this in a few years and bank
rupt the country in the doing of 1t.