Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-07-01

present one end with a surplus? Upon
this question the pending tariff meas
ure, perhaps, will have a deciding eff
feet. 1t is twelve years since a fiscal
year had a new tariff law with which
to reckon. 1t always has been diff
cult thing to approximate the revenues
which will be derived under new
tariff law. If the country takes 1t we'll
and keeps up its demand for imports
the law will be a success, but If the
people get nervous and stop importa
tions to any important degree the law
will be a failure. Students of fiscal
matters generally agree that the APP
parent effect of a tariff law depends
more on the mental attitude of the
people than on the Law itself. 1t is
just like man heavily in debt; as
long as his creditors have confidence
in him there is no trouble; but let them
suspect him and there are bankruptcy
proceedings. If the people ASSUME that
the new tariff is wise, the next fiscal
year will show healthy conditions: II
they do not so regard 1t, the result
certainly will be different.
Every branch of the government will
have more money to expend during
this fiscal year than it had during the
past one, and some Of them very much
more The department of agriculture
will have more than a million dollars
to spend this year above what 1t spent
during the year now closed, the army
will have nearly $6,000,000 more, for
tihcations will get a million dollars
above what was spent on them last
year. and the navy will have over
$14, 900 more. The sundry civil ex-
penditures will jump from Sill, 000,000
to $137, 900, 900. There is one thing GER
tain, and that is that expenditures will
stay more closely within the range of
appropriations than was the custom
for many years. Formerly, when the
executive branches of the government
asked for a certain appropriation and
failed to get as much as they thought
they ought to have the officials would
go ahead and spend as much as they
thought proper. The result was that
each year there was a huge deficiency
appropriation to be made, because
some one thought he knew more than
congress knew concerning what was
needed. At last this practice got on
the nerves of congress, and 1t passed
law providing a penitentiary term
for the official who committed the
than those for which appropriations
had been made. No one since has
been found who shows a willingness to
risk a change from a mahogany desk
and a fine office to prison stripes and
a cell.
Every year congress gets out a
statement showing the estimated rev.
enues for the fiscal year following.
Last spring congress estimated that
the revenues for the fiscal year which
begins with today would amount to
$S25, 0O0, 900. The total appropriations
for the year amount to S1,044, 000, 900.
OF course some of this is to be spent
in succeeding years, but IL the reve-
nues do not reach a higher point than
that estimated there probably will be
a deficit in the year now begun. There
are 275 government officials who will
receive an increase in salary this year
and only five who will be reduced.
The total increases will amount to over
100000. There are more than 10000
new offices which were established by
congress at the last session. How
ever, it abolished over 5000 others,
leaving a net gain OF about 1000, with
an outlay above last year amounting
to some $8,00O,000.
President Taft has a harder job on
his hands than has been undertaken by
almost any of his predecessors. Con-
gress last year enacted a mandatory
law which provided that whenever
there is deficit in prospect it shall
be the duty of the president and his
cabinet to try to trim the estimates
wherever 1t can be done without inter-
fering with the public service, and that
IL they find they are not able to make
the buckle of income meet the tongue
of expense it Is incumbent upon the
president to recommend such new tax
alton as will provide sufficient revenues
to cover any prospective shortage. Con-
gress sees Mr.. Taft walking away with
all the credit for this new spirit of
economy that has invaded the body
polite, and feels that credit which is
it's own due is going to him.
But even a small measure of economy
would effect large saving on so big a
pile of money as is needed to main
tain the government. A saving of just
one per cent of the total would amount
to $4,000, 900. and the saving of per
cent would be enough to make 1t worth
any nations while. Some indulge In
the hope that the appropriations for the
next fiscal year may be cut down that
much. But the veterans around the
appropriations committee rooms at the
capitol are not among those who ex-
pect such results.
(copyright.e 1909. by Frederick ]. Haslin),