The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-03-07
THE N. X. FAIRBANK COMP ANY
CHICAGO
4ExTRAvAGANT CONGRESS-
Declares Boston Herald About That
Which Ended March 4.


Although President Taft stated in the
most emphatic language at the open
ing of the session of Congress which has
lust closed that the winter was 10 be
characterized by an insistent demand
for greater economy and efficiency, the
precise reverse has been the outcome.
a study of what the Senate has done
during its closing hours, as well as the
preliminary work accomplished by the
House committees, will dispel the no
ton that such economies were very Gag
erly sought in Congress.
This Is not a criticism OF President
Taft. Aided by his secretary of the
treasury, he succeeded in bringing his
estimate Of outlays down to the gem
eral level of former years. and did even
succeed in cutting them slightly at some
minor points. As soon, however, as
work was begun in committees heads
Of bureaus and even of departments did
lust as they have done in the past
rushed to the capitol with fresh and mr.
gent demands, enlisting all their i'm
mediate friends and all the specialized
interests which centre around the dlt-
ferent bureaus in behalf of larger APP
preparations. In this the applicants
were notably successful, and there re-
manned simply the hope of curtailing
the various bills on the floor OF the
House, in the Senate committees, or
finally on the floor OF the Senate. While
the House did devote some careful
thought to few of the appropriation
bills. the bulk of them were, through
circumstance or design, deferred until
inst before the end of the session, when
thew were passed with about forty min.
utes Of debate upon each under sus-
pension of the rules. Owing 10 the III
ness of certain senators very little
thought was given to these appropria-
lions in the Senate committees, and IN
some notorious instances bills carrying
enormous sums were reported with hard
lv any analysis. In certain cases there
were knowingly included in such bills
hundreds of thousands of dollars of APP
preparations which were recognized as
having been wrongly and extrayagant-
" computed and which, it was admit
ted, would probably have been recti-
fled ehad there been time" The crown.
ing abuse came during the last three
or four days of the Senate session.
when. instead of deliberate considera
ton, the Senate ploughed through bill
after bill, the reading clerk skipping
huge blocks of pages, carrying immense
sums. while votes were taken with hard
ly any discussion.
This state Of things has very Sc
Tious side. President Taft's program
of economy has been absolutely de-
feated. While too much blame can
hardly be cast upon the Senate for the
wretehedly superficial methods during
the closing hours, the groundwork for
the present immense structure of APP
preparations was laid in the House COM
mittees and was laid by members of
the administration who, as usual have
WED with one another in getting as
much money as possible to promote and
olorifv the work Of their own bureaus
and divisions The whole situation
simply emphasized in the most evil
dent manner the urgent character OF
the question what We shall do to i'm
prove our government financial mechan-
Ism. Appropriations overtop our abil-
ity to pay ON the present basis of gov
eminent revenue. and the forthcoming
issue of bonds will be only a temporary
relief. Democrats say that they viii
reduce national expenditure. No evil
dence OF any fixed intention of the sort
exists, but on the contrary there are
certain Democratic members who have
been among the loudest and most in
sistent in their demands for money and |
for the extension of government func-
tons. The winters experience has made
It clear that nothing real can be done
in federal economy until the Issue is
squarely put before the public as an i'm
portant part of national party pro
gram. What party or group viii sin
cerely devote itself to this most funda-
mental questionable fiscal reform of
the federal government Boston Her
aid.