The Washington herald., 1909-01-22
Saving At the Snigot.

The Senate has been debating for three
or four days the matter Of adding some
thing less than $4,000 10 the Federal
pay roll That veteran statesman. Mr..
Hale. IS not impressed with the quality
and substance Of the argument for econ
only Of expenditure adduced in opposi-
ton TO the salary increases under dis
cussion. While one Of the economists
was discoursing the Senator from Maine
made a few pertinent calculations and
comparisons Illustrative Of governmental
extravaganza in big things and parsi-
mony in relatively minor expenditures.
The annual expense Of maintaining a
single battle ship. he showed, was four
times as much as the total proposed in
crease in salaries. And yet" ne Oh
served. we shall be asked to add. not
q few hundred thousand dollars. not a
few million dollars. but many million dol
lars, tens Of millions Of dollars. before
this session ends, 10 increase the, mill
tary. establishments OF the government"
And then he supplemented the warning
uttered in the other House at almost
the same moment by Mr.. Payne with
these emphatic sentences:
We saaH never reduce tie expenses O. The
government. which are becoming slarningly large
We shah never Be in the condition q a thrifty
nan. Who cuts his garment according 70 his cloth
and keeps his expeBsos somewhere near II r21ge
Of his income VIC shall never reduce the alarm
ing and dangsro1s deficit that VII stare Us IN the
face al the End q this Congress. a deficiency which
VII probably amoEut 70 more than SO coo, with
the revenues constantly falling q and oths- eZ-
pendrures under our legislation constantly inc-gas-
ing-Ee shah never meet this grave question. the
Frares which confrots this Congress II SIS waning
DAYS. until We take IN hand. not simply this snail
matter Ct salaries and a few hundred thousands
OF dollars. but the enomous expenditures that re
are asked 70 make for the military SIDE Of The
government
MiIitarism is The chief cause Of our
enormous unproductive governmental ex-
penditure. yet there is a reckless spirit
IN the Congressional handling Of the
budget 10 which Senator Bailey adverted
on Monday last:
twenty-five years ago the party which Is nov
r. pows- detained with great vshsnence against
the party which vas then n power because The
appropriations q the government had reached
the sturend0us. and then the unprecedented. sun
Ct sssO0oe0. Yet to-day we sit here and sp-
pToprists billion as Il IL were chd's plaything
We spend the money Of this gCFemment N utter
and reckless disregard Ct the fact that When We
spend L We are spending the earnings Of the
American people This government cams no money.
and can have 10 money except what It takes from
the labor physical o. intellectual Ct its people;
and this IS especially tue when q lays taxes upon
what men consume and not upon what they posses.
Yet We pour ont this golden strean as Z the
people did not sweat 70 cam II. and We cal 8
man a demaz0gue who daTes 70 stand Up IN this
high place ard cal halt in public expenditure
Our Congressional economists NAV
save a few thousand dollars here and
there by looping of an unnecessary
appropriation or by skimping a necessary
one, but our vast war bill Of S4000O0.0ol
amounting to q per cent Of our est
mated revenues derived from taxation
goes through as If It were creased. There.
in our tremendous war bill. may be
found the leakage that drains away the
golden stream Of our revenues.