The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-09-08
TAFT DEVOTES MOST
. Of DAY TO POLITICS
Hilles and Sheldon Are on
Yacht
CAMPAIGN FOR FUNDS
National Treasurer Gives Encouraging
News to Taft-Attack Roosevelt
for His Expenditures
While President
CAMPAIGN FOR FUNDS

| Beverly. Mass. September. 7.--Presi-
dent Taft gave most of his time today
to politics. He discussed the national
| situation with Mr.. Hilles and Treasurer
Sheldon of the republican national COM
mittee and talked over political af-
fairs with various New England lead
lers. Mr.. Hilles and Mr.. Sheldon were
guests of the President on the yacht
Mayflower, which arrived today from
New York by way of New London.
The Mayflower landed the President
and Mrs. Taft and their guests at West
Beach, near here, shortly after II
o'clock. A few minutes later the Pres
ident was at Parramatta, the Taft cot
tage, and for the next few hours until
he left on a long motor ride. he was
busy in conference. He was still suf-
fering today from his lame ankle, al
though it showed Improvement.
Chairman Hilles tonight issued a
formal statement before departing,
declaring that he has found conserva-
tive business men to be for the re-
election of Mr. Taft because OF his rec
ord as an economical chief executive
! Mr.. sheldon. It was said. gave the
President encouraging news of the
campaign funds.
Statement of Files
The statement of Mr.. Iilles, which
met with the approval of the President
and Mr.. Sheldon, follows:
II find that conservative business
men look with favor on the candidacy
Of Tat for
cause they know he has been con-
scientious and successful administrator
of the finances OF the government.
Usually a public official who imposes
u check on the increase of expenditure
finds that ho has performed a thank
less task. 1t is not a sufficiently spec
tacular stunt to lay hold of the imag
ination.
The situation in the treasury win
which President Taft was confronted,
was very different from that which con-
fronted Mr.. Roosevelt when he became
the President. AIr. Roosevelt in 1901
assumed charge of a government whose
ordinary disbursements for that fiscal
year were $47l lS0.S57. The recerpts fci
that year were Ssl 00J,0c0 In excess of tro
disbursements.
"'rhe aggregate of public expenditures
increased steadily for several years ander
Mr. Roosevelt During the last year 81
| his administration the total of the current
( operating expenses had attained the un-
preced ented fguIcs of Ss6232l,i iH :.nr dur
! ing that year there was ieicit OF
$,S, 100000. Thus by ignoring opportunities
for effecting economies and insrodu ing Ell
nciency. President Roosevelt had permit
: ted surplus of s9o0o9,0o0 in 1892 TO be-
come a deficit of $5s.05),G10 in 1903. and
during that period of seven years the or
creased s191, 500. .cJ1, o. 40 per ceat.
Big Expense Increase
"FIence the increase IN the cost of con-
ducting the ordinary governmental opera-
almost q per cent annually: IL was 1
per cent daring the prece ling period OF
70 years; a5l appl oximately ner cent
per annum during the decade o isS2-lSa2
''Mr. Taft might have lookeI with COM
placenc, upon this phase OF governmental
operations and defended an annual iu-
n case in disbursements of Or per cent
by pointing to the practice OF ths past 70
years. bot he chose to dedicate himself
to the task of setting great business
public in order that instead Of increasing
the burden of expenditures S35.At1.s00 n
year during each OF three years. p1csi-
dent Tafts administration has reduced tie
ordinary disbursements from s66,. 100. 90
per annun to s654.0t0.o10 per annum and
the de,lcit OF s5s. s.ec0.001 for thte last year
of the Roosevelt administration has
been turned into a surplus OF :l6.sHD,0Op In
the last year of the Taft administration