The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-05-04
BIC ECONOMY
WAVE HITS
RULERS
BY Utmost O. walker.

NMah special 10 thc AdNcriiscrl
WASHINGTON, April lS.--The Re
publican effort for economy is assum.
ing such persistent proportions that it
merits being reckoned among the no
table things of the new fourycar
period. II is being made without much
display and has been oVershadowed by
the popular interest in tariff revision.
But economy is really to be the keynote
of Congress for a year or two. The
leaders talk about 1t as n great fea-
ture, possibly, in the next Congress.
sional campaign.
Ex-senator Hemenway. of Indiana,
who was chairman of the House APP.
Preparations Committee for several
years and has been member of the
Senate Appropriations Committee for
two years, is now on the Senate rolls,
nominally to continue the Secret Ser.
vice investigation. When President
Roosevelt had stirred up a big quarrel
with Congress, the Senate decided to
conduct an inquiry about expenditures
for special agents, detectives, and other
employees akin to the Secret Service. 1t
was brought out by the special commit
tee, of which Mr.. Hemenway was n
member up to the close of the recent
session, that there had been great
waste of money in that branch of gov
eminent activity. But Mr.. Hemenway
has been widening his Investigations
and is digging out lot of informa-
ton, which is to be made available for
the Senate Appropriations Committee
and also for the new Senate Committee
on Public Expenditures This work.
paid for out of the contingent fund of
the Senate, is part of the program for
acquiring data that the Senate and
Congress can use at the next session in
economizing.
As matter of fact, Senator Aldrich,
chairman of the Finance Committee, is
worrying much less about the pending
tariff bill proving inadequate from the
revenue standpoint, than some of his
critics are worrying, simply because he
and other leading Senators are count
ing upon this retrenchment program to
L
cent in expenditures means a reduction
of ST. 900, 900 in the cost of running the
government Senators, who have con
troll of affairs at the north end of the
Capitol, thought at the start it would
be feasible to reduce expenditures 10
per cent, and as their studies of the
question proceed they think the reduc-
ton may be made even more than that
Mr.. Hemenway probably will be able
,, to point out to them scores of cases
where there is duplication of ex
penses. The appropriation bills have
grown so large and include such mass
of items, which, at best, are made
quately described, that even the vet
eran members of the Senate and House
: Appropriations Committees are unable
to tell always where and how the prun
ing knife should be applied.
The practical exhaustion of norma
d sources for increasing the government
revenues is not the only cause for THU
activity toward retrenchment. A fea
!. exists that change of public sentimen
toward the great extrayagances of thu
u last four or five years is at hand. TIL,
people have been grounding about thu
exactions of the Dingley law and con
demning the growth of trusts under it
operations, but they have clamored 70
= large appropriations and applaudei thu
k voting thereof. 1t seemed fruitless Il
4 inyeigb against these excuses. How
/ ever, the attempted revision of tb
l. tariff and the apparent outcome in com
h ing back virtually to the Dingle,
k schedules, has awakened a deal of com
ment all over the country 1t ha
a focused attention for the time beinI
!. upon methods of taxation and the i'm
, perative necessity for more treasur.
y funds unless the government retreDchet
- All this may be paving the way for a
effective cry by the minority part
. against extravaganza. The Republican
- want to forestall it.
- President Taft is in sympathy wit
: this effort. So are his cabinet officer
N The Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Meye
" in whose department the greatest el
ie travagance has probably occurred,
leading off with plans for curtailin
le the cost of operations in the Navy 81
I. reaus. Although it is four or fv
If months to the day when the Navy ei
RS Inmates must be turned over to the SCI
g rotary ofthe Treasury, under the Law
10 Mr.. Meyer has already had his burea
chiefs together and laid down som
general rules for eliminating the pre-
ent waste and founding the operation
of the Navy on the rock bottom o
economy. This general plan will b
followed by other departments, as tn
n cabinet has taken steps toward selec
ing committee of its own members I
v pare all the estimates which will b
forwarded to Congress at the beginnin
of its session next December.
'e The organization for the work of n
I'd trenchment is now pretty well perfect
m ed at both ends of Pennsylvania ave
a nue.. Every member of the cabinet ha
- been given a fairly definite idea O
lie what the President expects Of him i
ii reducing expenses. The Senate, who's
o. members have the last say about al
;. preparation bills, has prepared to hea
. off unnecessary items. The next SEA
o sion of Congress will supply the ties
of the efficiency of all these fine plani
= That will be the session when ordinai
" lily public building bill and rive
\ and harbor bill are framed and enact
II ed. Those two measures carry a tota