Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-02-25
THE WASTEFULNESS OF REPUR.
LICANISM.

since the Administrator OF Grover
Cleveland, the last Democratic Presi-
dent, the expenses, or rather the ex-
penditures. of the government have
gone ahead with vast strides. Every
year apparently has brought a treme1-
dous jump in the outlays of the peo-S
pies money. Billion dollar congresses
have become matter of course, each
department has clamored for, and
generally succeeded in securing,
greater appropriations at each session,
and the country has finally found IT.
self facing a deficit in it's national af-
fairs. The pruning knife has been
gingerly used in a few instances, but
the pressure OF those clamorous for
large appropriations has been too
great to bring about any genuine re-
form in this respect.
Senator Aldrich, Republican leader,
inadvertently let a flood light in on the
conditions prevailing in the general
administration of the country's affairs
when he publicly stated in the Senate
the other day that there was a yearly
waste Of three hundred million dollars.
that if a well organized private bust
ness corporation was conducting the
government it would give equally as
efficient ervice at that much less ex-
pense. Senator AIdrich said in part.
By the employment of proper bust
ness methods the ordinary expendi-
lures of the government can be re-
duced at least 10 per cent, or $780,
100000 year. At present the execu-
tive departments are being MANAGED
on obsolete business methods, or none
at ALL The American people are new
er ruffied by reform or disturbed bv
the truth. The cost of arranging a
system Of modern business methods
would be but trife compared with
the great saving made possible bv
their adoption"
As Senator Money Immediately sail.
there has been no more terrific ar
raignment of the party in power than
this. From the day Grover Cleveland
left the Write House there has been
no restraining influence. The DEPART
ments have increased their demands
and obtained them without opposition
from the controlling party. The boast
was openly made several years ago
that this was a billion dollar country
and later even that it was a two bill
lion dollar country. Extravagance.
the waste Of the peoples money. I'M
necessarily expenditures, graft. greed
fayoritism, everything but economy
has been endorsed on the ground that
this is big country. The national
pride has been appealed to to Justify
an almost criminal condition of man
agement Of the business of the nation.
And it is probable that it will continue
so until there is a complete change in
administration at Washington. The
Republican leaders seem hopeless and
either Indifferent or absolutely unable
to stem the tide of the currents set in
motion by themselves. 1t will take
complete revolution, the installation
of a Democratic regime throughout, to
bring back the country to anything ap-
preaching a reasonable degree Of
economy. The Republican party is
too far committed to the policy of ax-
travagance to alter it's methods. And
the waste of $3OO,00O,OOO year to
which Senator Aldrich refers will con-
tinue until such complete change in
control comes. And when we realize
that in three years such waste ap-
proximates a billion dollars one reas-
on is at hand why conditions through
out the country are not satisfactory
The wilful waste of the peoples mon
ely in the end must entail suffering on
the people themselves.