The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-11-17


be our pleasure so to do BY so doing,
in hundred years from now we would
be easily first among the nations OF the
earth and the rest would be scram bllng
among themselves for second place;
but, nevertheless, a wise man looks be-
fore he jumps and is not fond OF tax
ing a leap in the dark.
The serious question in beginning
new enterprises or in greatly aug
menting old ones is to devise ways and
means to raise the money needed. I
( have already stated that the disburse-
ments of the federal government Just
about equal its revenues In fact, II
! is difficult to make buckle and tongue
meet at the end of the year Our an
! nal appropriations have passed the b1l-
| lion dollar. mark, and everybody com
plains of what Governor Alexander
Monroe Dockery once denominated on
the floor of the house as the riotous
totals" If he were characterizing
them now he would have to find new
and more comprehensive adjective
than "riotous' to do justice to the sub
| ject, for the totals are nearly double
what they were even at the close of his
long and useful congressional career.
In recent years those totals have grown
as rapidly as Jonah's gourd vine.
Three Ways to Get Money.
There are only three ways known
among men whereby the money needed
for new undertakings or for the en-
SeIIiSIlI VI D6I6HCldi OlO OA4Oo Ne@A1
be obtained: By economy; by levying
new taxes; by increasing the public
debt by borrowing money by a new
issue of bonds. 1t is exceedingly gall
ing to taxpayers to have their burdens
increased even if they are to be the
benefciaries thereof, and it is very
distasteful to members of congress to
increase them. To issue bonds is sim
ply to postpone the day of payment.
To economic is a puzzling and diff
ie-1 aea- f1
a log, and a slippery log at that, to de-
clare in a general way in favor of
economy, but the trouble is when you
come to apply the principle, to deter
mine where to economic, and to ac-
complish it without detriment to the
public service, for no American citizen
worthy of the name desires to see the
government crippled in the discharge
of any legitimate function. Every
sensible and patriotic, man is willing
that the government shall have all the
money necessary for an economical and
effective administration, but he regards
every dollar wrung from the taxpayers
beyond the amount needed for the eco
nomical and effective administration
of the government as not only extor-
ton, but as cruelty to a vast number
of our people, for it must never be for
gotten that the average income of the
average head of a family in this coun-
try is about S4OG per annum, which,
is a scant allowance for the five and
one-half persons who constitute the
average family in this republic. The
family is the unit of American civiliza-
ton and it is of supreme Importance
that it be maintained in it's integrity
An increase of taxes is really reduc-
ton of salaries, and is to be avoided
wherever and whenever possible.
Economy the Most Desirable.
IT goes without saying that of the
49,.
money needed for starting new enter
prises or charging old ones, the most
desirable way is to economic if it be
possible. Those of us charged with
the responsibility in the house have
been carefully and prayerfuly consid-
economy like charity should begin at
home. Consequently we Topped off
about one hundred supernumerary and
useless house officials, thereby saving |
to the treasury about 100000 per an |
num=a mere drop in the bucket, it is |
true, but nevertheless a beginning in |
the difficult but patriotic and humani- !
tartan work of economizing. We could |
not with straight faces and clear con- |
sciences insist on curtailing expenses !
elsewhere unless we curtailed our own; !
but having done that we are proceed |
ing to economic all along the line. In |
order to ascertain where it is most |
feasible and beneficial to economic
ten standing investigating committees
of the house. We also elected two
special investigating committees, one
on the Sugar trust and one on the
Steel trust. We have been criticised
more by reason of these investigating
than anything else we have
done. Yet everybody knows that the
Sugar trust stole millions from the gov
eminent and that the big wigs in that
concern kept out of the penitentiary
IL =
70 the government a small part of
what they had stolen. There never
was thief yet, great or small, who
would not be glad to escape a felon's
stripes and a feIon's cell by giving back
small portion of the property stolen
The proper place for a thief is the
1enitentiary, no matter how big or rich /
lie is. and it would do more good to
end that gang to the penitentiary than
o send a forty-acre field of petty :
hieves. Theoretically, the law is no :
especter of persons and should not :
,e in practice. If the law We're hon :
silly and vigorously enforced against +
ii criminals, the great as we'll as the s
mall, there would not be so much UNI :
est throughout the land. If the Sugar :
rust had been forced to disgorge all :
f it's ill-gotten gains, there would be +
money enough in the treasury to n
nance several desirable enterprises. =
The House Committees. r
The ten standing investigating COM T
1itees of the house, one for each of v
he nine departments and one on pub c
c buildings and grounds, have been
ppointed regularly for many years
S rule they have done little or moth v
lg and have been more ornamental t
nan useful. Years ago the commit s
re on expenditures on the war depart n
lent dug up the facts which drove Il
ecretary of War Belknapp from pub a
c life. Our committees have gone to n
-ork in earnest, not only to discover e
if any there be, but what Q
more likely, to discover waste and s.
and to substitute up-to- c