Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-02-02
ECONOMY PLAN
IS NIGHTMARE
Trimming Down Problem
Heavy One For Both
Big Parties

dsnlnkton. ~. - ttu. <--i
has been remarked BY others. hut /
will not down; economy is a night
mare TO both the republicans an,
the democrats in congress.
President Taft has been giving al
much thought to trimming the ma
tons expenditure as he has to the
selection Of judges. and the postmas
ter general has actually wiped Out
the deficit that he inherited with hi.
portfolio. and has run his depart
ment within his appropriation, al
though some of his economies have
pinched pretty hard. and one can't 20
and ask for his mail any more on
Sundays
/ No matter what estimate an off
cial made this year for the conduct
OF his office, he was asked to cut
! that estimate down. This was an
/ earnest of the presidents determi-
nation 10 reduce the running eX-
penses OF the government. Many OF
/ the reductions were only apparent
For instance, the chief OF engineers
In the war department reported that
IL was necessary 10 appropriate some
$4,000. 900 for river and harhor
work The president told him 10 cu.
this about 90 per cent Il was so
almost everywhere And the rcduc.
tions for rivers, harbors. fortified
tions, public buildings and other per
manent Improvements, will Doe made
mp later on. II the republicans re-
gain fun control somebody will De
accused OF extravaganza II the dem
ocrats extend their power, they must
resor, 20 parsimony or seem 10 o.
rioting in unrestraincd expenditure
or course the house. whore Champ
/ Clark bosses a democratic majority.
/ Is economically inclined, but the scent
OF the pork barrel Is amazingly In
wiling and II looks as II there would
be a pretty stable bin for public
buildings. When you come 10 think
Of II, there are good many towns
/ In democratic states where no gov
ernment building has ever been erect
ed. why not meet this crying need?
/ The downward rtyisionlsts, specially
those who already have public build
inps, are very earnest about denying
their brethren who haven't. and they
are laboring with them to keep down
expense. for the bigger the expense
the more revenue must be raised
and the greater the taxation So
the question OF economy is proving a
very troublesome one. everyone being
willing 20 economic on something he
I doesn't need himself
Feeling the Public Pulse.
/ Every four years the country 81.
large and especially the political
headers, engage In a pastimc vari-
orsly designated bat which Is often
referred to as feeling the public
pulse
Tho operation is supposed to re-
veal the state Of mind Of the aver
age citizen so that the mon who
make and unmakc presidents can
tell how said average citizen viii
vote, and II he Is minded TO vote
wrong. how to induce him TO look
AZ the matter from the right angle
Feeling the public pulse Is donc
In various ways One way is the
straw vote. lint as the average cl'i-
zen thinks himself a good bit OF q
Eag, he Is likely TO vote any old kind
of straw vote Just for fun. So
tho straw vote is proyerhially unre-
liable as a barometer 10 tell the po-
litical future
Another method Of feeling the pub
iic pulse rs 20 send q presidential
possibility through the country.
sounding q keynote But this does
not always enable the political doc
tors to give a safe diagnosis. Tor the
average citizen likes 90 make tho
Great man who is Grating for him
feel good, and unless things are
mighty blue in that REGION. or an
attack OF rheumatism or dyspepsia
sicklies DER his merry nature. h. Is
Just as likely as not to whoop II rp
hard for one presidential possibility
as another.
SIN another way to feel the pub
lic pulse is TO get the average citi-
zen 10 write his views TO the Pro
Bono Publico column Of his favorlte
newspaper, but the men who tell
what they think generally seem 10
be much in the minority when tho
votes are counted.
After all. the only real way 10 feel
The public pulse is al the ballot box
but there, as at all post-mortems.
its mighty little use for the sub
Ject though II may beneC, the liy-
INK, some day And that. whore the
recall has been introduced and natu.
rallied, is by no means final.