Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-03-12
h The Halls of Congress
BY TAV.
Special Washington Correspondence.

with excessive tariff in the approaching congress sional campaigns.
 The fact that the per capita appropriation for the expenses of the government jumped from $6 in 1890 to $12.40 in 1909 indicates that some thing IS wrong somewhere.
 Even Senator Aldrich admits it. From the fullness of his knowledge, the Rhode Island sen ator made the following remarks on the floor of the senate February 21:
 ''If I were business man and could be per mitted to do it, I would undertake to run this government for 300,000,000 year less than it is now for.
 ''There is not an intelligent observer in con- gress, or out of it, who does not know that the executive departments of this government are carried on either under obsolete business meth ods or withut business methods at all"
 This is some admission, when you consider that Senator Aldrich knows how the government is run, inasmuch as it is his hand more than any other mans that is guiding our government on ward to its destiny.
 At the particular time the senate boss took the public into his confidence as to republican extravaganza he was pleading for the appoint ment of a government business methods com mission, which would provide soft berths and large salaries to nine republicans, for two years or more, and necessitate the expenditure of at least $300,OOO. There is already an over-abund- ance of commissions exactly similar to the one outlined by MT. Aldrich, and it is largely due to the existence of these do-nothing, eXtravagant bodies that the peoples money is being wasted with such lavish hand. The committee on pub lie expenditures is in better position to per form the duties that Senator Aldrich would as sign to the proposed new commission, because that committee is composed of the chairmen of the various committees that handle the appro- priations of the government
 But if Boss Aldrich insists, the new commits sion will have to be appointed. It can be no oth- CT way. Under MT. Aldrich's domination the government has spent $190065, ,64024 more than it took in since the beginning of the fiscal year 1908. The appointment of the "govern- ment business methods commission will simply mean that the annual deficit will be $300000 more than had the commission not been created
 After the big press associations had created the impression among the opponents of the bill that the ship subsidy measure had been practic- ally dropped for this session, the house com mittee on merchant and marine and fisheries quietly reported the bill with an extended re- port, evidently intending to steal march on the anti-sudsidists.
 The minority of the committee, led by Repre- sentative Spight of Mississippi discovered by accident that the report had been filed, and mar rowly y missed the opportunity of filing notice that minority report would be submitted against it. The ship subsidy bill, it will be re- called, was raiIroaded through the committee on merchant marine and fisheries after but one hearing and before any of the opposition bills had been given hearings
 William J. Bryan occupies much the same po- sition in the democratic party that Colonel Roosevelt does in the republican party. He has everyone guessing as to his future movements The closest friends of Mr. Bryan in Washing ton declare they positively do not know whether he wishes to run again or not. And there is no way to get line on Mr. Bryan's views as ap- parently he has kept his intentions entirely to himself, as has Roosevelt.
 Announcement has been made that the hear ngS of the senate committee which is to inves- tlgate the increased cost of living and the rela- ton of the tariff thereto, are to be secret That is to be expected. It would not do to trust the public with the amount of profit being made by the tariff trusts Keep in mind, by the way. that the verdict of these cost-of-hving probers is to be that the high prices are due to the in- creased proportionate output of gold
 An interesting Jefferson day dinner is plan