Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-02-05
SRNA TOR BAILEY ON GOVERN
MRNT EXTRA VdGANCE


States and largely increasing the salaries
Of Federal judges. said:
The true rule ought 10 be that those
who serve the Republic shall be paid
enough TO provide for themselves and fam
lies to discharge such duties as they owe
their children in the way Of an education.
The balance Of the pay for public services
ought to be taken in the honor which the
Office confers. and every position within
the gift of this Republic ought to be sought
for the distinction and not for the emOlu-
ments
For almost hundred years this view
controlled in fixing salaries. But now we
hear it said in many places that the pres
ent salaries are inadequate to provide for
the entertainments which high officials are
expected TO give. ! am rather inclined to
believe il would be a fortunate thing to
reduce the salary If that would reduce the
entertainments. because. in my limited ex-
perience here, have found that the men
who entertain the mnsf are not the men
who do the publicis work the best; and
surely il men holding high positions are
bent or spending their time in entertain
ment they ought not to be permitted to
spend the peoples money in that way.
There is no phase Of American life to-
day, either official or private. better calcu-
lated to alarm the thoughtful man than
this tendency toward extravagance which
is manifest everywhere among us. The
Government itself sets the example. Tween
ty-five years ago the party which is now
in power detained with great vehemence
against the party which was then in power
because the appropriations Of the Govern
ment had reached the stupendous. and
then the unprecedented, sum Of $248.000,-
900. Yet to-day we sit here and appro-
pirate billion as If it were a childs play
thing. We spend the money Of this Gov
eminent in utter and reckless disregard OF
the fact that when we spend it we are
spending the earnings of the American
people. This Government earns no money.
and can have no money. except what il
takes from the labor. physical Or intel
lectual Of its people and this is especial
ly true when it lays taxes upon what men
consume and not what they possess. Yet
we pour out this golden stream as If the
people did not sweat to earn it, and we call
man a demaeOgue who dares to stand
up in this high place and call a halt in
public expenditure.
But. sir. If it did not tax the labor of
the people, If it did not exact anything
from their muscle or their brain, would
still protest against this governmental ex-
travagance. because extravaganza breeds
all kinds Of vices Following the example
Of the General Government. almost every
city, town and VILLAGE in America to-day
are scandalized by dis9raceful jobs. and
the people themselves are tempted to live
beyond their income. The man with an
income Of $4,000 is striving hard to
match in gaudy show the man whose in
come is the princely sum Of $4,000 And
then the man with an income Of $4,000
trys to live at an equal pace with his neigh
Dor whose income is $4,000. The man
with an income Of $4,000 trys to match
the man with $4,000. Thus this ex-
travagance. beginning with the Govern
ment, reaches down to every circle Of soci
ety. tainting them all with its deadly
poison.
MIR. President, a nation that spends
more than it can fairly earn must in time
nj -
or gamblers. We perfectly understand the
destination Of the man who spends more
than he earns II is the bankrupt court,
the rogue's gallery, or the gambling hall
because il he spends more than he earns
he must either 90 in debt for it, or he must
steal it, or he must gamble for it. That is
the end to which extravagance leads the
individual and as the Government is sim
that is the end to which the Government
must come at last There never was in
the history Of the world an extravagant
Government which did not in time become
a corrupt government, and there never
will be one.
Now. Mr. President, have no quarrel
with the man who being rich wants to
spend his wealth. In truth, | think it would
be better for the country il most Of those
who are very rich spent the best part Of
what they have. am not one of those
who would limit the accumulation Of any
mans fortune so long as he accumulates
il honestly. But am one of those who
believe that 1t would be infinitely better
for the peace and happiness Of these peo-
pie and for the perpetuity of this Republic
il we could 90 back to that elder and bet,
ter time when ii was three generations
from shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves when
the one generation earned fortune, an
other generation spent most of it, and
the third generation went to work to
make another. That was infinitely better
for the peace and perpetuity Of these peo-
Pile and these institutions than the present
method of syndicating and incorporating
fortunes until the degenerate spendthrifts
of certain great families will never be COM
PEELED to earn their bread as God command
ed they should-in the sweat of their face
But while would not take even from them
what the foresight Of their grandfathers
accumulated. deny the wisdom of teach
ing the American people that American
public officials should initiate their habits
and their follies. II a private citizen in
New York wants TO give feast for monkeys
he has right 10 entertain the descendants