The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-07-22
A cLEAN.cUT ISSUE.

Deficit in the national finances for the
twelve months ending June 80, upward
of ninety million of dollars! Occupation
of the republicans in congress who
control legislation, revision of the tariff
with view to meeting the needs Of
everybody the consumer
devising tax to empower an inqui-
sition! Effort by the administration to
cut off needless expense, do away with
useless employees, consolidate depart
ments which cover the same ground,
s'speed up" clerks who move through
their duties at a pace of aristocratic
leisure because their employer is the
government, nil.
This is the situation which faces the
leaders of the democracy. 1t is the
golden opportunity of the party of OPP
position. What will democratic leaders
do with it?
In the past six years the annual
congressional appropriation have in
creased from $4S6, 439, 3O6.6S to S627,516,-
246.S3. The year 1908 was a year of
depression, following the panic of the
year before, yet the expenditures for
that year were upward of S1,000,0 900
larger than for the year 1907. And ap-
parently no one has even thought Of
shutting of the steam, much less
pulling the emergency airbrake cord.
Yet the imperative duty of great
party in power is that it be at once far
sighted enough and patriotic enough to
sound the note of economy.
This, as the Republic pointed out
in an editorial in Mondays issue, is
no simple matter. What is wanted
is not less work, but less waste; not less
activity in the public service, but more;
not less achievement, but more
effective supervision. 1t is not stu
alton that can be bettered by partisan
rancor and the calling of names; it
needs study, analysis, the dispassionate
discussion of ways and means.
1t is idle-this cannot be too strongly
insisted upon-it is idle to expect
earnest, whole-souled retrenchment by
the republicans. They are in; and
economy means the abolishing of super
fuous places, the accelerating of lazy
men, the doing away with expensive
and useless and hoary expenditures for
materials which are purchased from
favored contractors, the violent inter-
ference with the symmetry of senatorial
and congressional patronage by the
abolition of sinecures. We have at
Washington horde of clerks, working
eight hours day under civil service
rules, who would not last four hours
each in a bank, railroad Office or a
department store. There are thousands
of them. Gentleness and wisdom will
be necessary in dealing with the prob
lem of the reformation-no weaker
word will cover the case. Reorganiza-
ton of Cuisines" methods co save
money is always hard work, but how.
ever hard, the necessities of our national
government demand it.
1t can be done-by party returned
to power under the express pledge to
do it, with the sentiment Of the nation
behind it.
J This question interlocks with that of
tariff revision downward. You cannot
separate them, for the one has to dc
with the receipts, the other with those
activities which alone make receipts
necessary. We have seen in the past
and are seeing today what happens tc
the tariff at the hands of it's friends.
If the leaders of the democracy will
begin systematic study of the prob
lem of economy in governmental ad
ministration, and go before the countr.
at the next election pledged to economy
not in a vague and general way, bu
with the bill of particulars written out