The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1909-12-07

Is Indispensable to any proper system
OF ECONOMY that provision be made 80
that their separation from the service
shall be easy and inevitable. It Is Inn
possible to make such provision unless
there is adopted plan Of civil pen
sions..
Most OF the great Industrial organ
izations and many Of the well con-
Quoted railways OF this country are
coming to the conclusion that sys-
TEN Of pensions for old employees and
the substitution therefor of younger
and more energetic servants promote
both economy and efficiency OF admin
istratfon.
am aware that there is a strong
feeling in boti, houses OF congress and
possibly in the country against the
establishment of civil pensions and
that this has naturally grown out OF
the heavy burden Of military pensions
which it has always been the policy
Of our government to assume, but am
strongly convinced that no other prac-
tical solution of the dimculties pre-
sented by the superannuation OF civil
servants can be found than that Of q
system OF civil pensions.
Increase In Expenditures.
The business and expenditures Of the
government have expanded enormous
" since the Spanish war. but as the
revenues have increased in nearly the
same proportion as the expenditures
until recently the attention OF the pub
lie and of those responsible for the
government has not been fastened
upon the question of reducing the cost
OF administration. We cannot. in view
of the advancing prices Of living. hope
to save money by reduction In the
standard Of salaries paid. Indeed, II
any change Is made In that regard an
increase rather than decrease will be
necessary, and the only means OF econ
omy will be in reducing the number of
employees and In obtaining greater
average of efficiency from those re-
tained In the service.
Close investigation and study needed
to make definite recommendations In
this regard will consume Mt least two
years. / note with much satisfaction
the organization in the senate of a
committee ON public expenditures.
charged with the duty of conducting
such an investigation, and tender to
that committee all the assistance which
the executive branch of the govern
ment can possibly render.
l regret to refer to the fact OF the
discovery Of extensive frauds In the
collection Of the customs revenue at
New York city, In which a lumber OF
the subordinate employees in the weigh
" concerned and in which the beneh-
ciaries were the American Sugar Re-
timing company and others. The frauds
consisted in the payment Of duty on
underweights of sugar. The govern
ment has recovered from the American
sugar Refining company all that it is
shown to have been defrauded OF. The
sum was received In full Of the amount
due which might have been recovered
by civil action against the beneficiary
OF the fraud, but there was an express
reservation in the contract Of settle
ment by which the settlement should
not Interfere with or prevent the
criminal prosecution of every one who
was found to be subject to the same.
Criminal prosecutions are now pro-
ceeding against number Of the gov
ernment officers. The treasury de-
partment and the department of JUS
tice are exerting every effort to dis
cover all the wrongdoers, including the
officers and employees Of the compa-
nies who may have been privy to the
fraud. It would seem to me that an
investigation of the frauds by con-
gress at present, pending the probing
by the treasury department and the
department OF justice. as proposed
might by giving immunity and other.
wise prove an embarrassment in Sc
curing conviction of the guilty parties
Maximum and Minimum Clause In
Tariff Act.
Two features Of the new tariff act
call for special reference. By virtue
Of the clause known as the maximum
and minimum clause it Is the duty OF
the executive to consider the laws and
practices Of other countries with ref
erence to the importation into those
countries Of the products and mer
chandise Of the United States. and II
the executive finds such laws and prac
tices not to be unduly discriminatory
against the United States the mini
mum duties provided In the bill are t.
go into force. Unless the president
makes such a finding, then the maxi
mum duties provided in the bill-tha
Is, an increase Of Is per cent ad va
lorem over the minimum duties-are Il
be In force. Fear has been expressed
that this power conferred and dut.
imposed on the executive are likely t,
lead to a tariff war. beg to expires.
the hope and belief that no such resul
need be anticipated.
The discretion granted to the execu
tive by the terms ''unduly discrimina
tory" Is wide. In order that the maxi
mum duty shall be charged against tn
imports from a country it is necessar,
that he shall find on the part Of tha
country not only Determinations in 1t
laws or the practice under then
against the trade Of the United States
but that the determinations foun,
shall be undue-that is, without goo,
and fair reason. l conceive that thi
power was reposed In the presiden
with the hope that the maximum du
ties might never be applied in an
case. but that the power to apply ther
would enable the president and tn
state department through friendl
negotiation to secure the elimination
from the laws and the practice unde
them Of cny foreign country Of tina