The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-02
CUTTING DOWN EXPENsEs.

| CUTTING DOWN EXPENSES.
! DR.. Frederick A. Cleveland, chair
man of the economy and efficiency
commission created by President Taft,
now expresses the opinion that SEN
ator Aldrich was not far wrong when
he insisted that a saving of $780,
100000 a year could be made in the
cost of conducting the federal gov
eminent, if ordinary business prin-
ciples were applied.
Is such an end worth attaining?
It would certainly seem so. Until
President Taft got busy in the prem
ises. little or no attention had been
paid to the matter of federal finances
since the presidency of Grover CIeve-
land. During the Roosevelt regime
everybody seemed to go on the theory
that because the United States was
one of the wealthiest nations the
world has ever known, and because
its resources were most rich and won
derful the expense of the government
was matter that needed absolutely
no attention. No effort Of any kind
was made to economic in any way.
And so the federal expenses went up
by leaps and bounds. They had been
sure, but in nothing like the fashion
that they did during Mr.. Roosevelts
rule. Instead of being an exception
and something almost unheard of,
billion dollar sessions of congress be-
came the rule. Even the Democrats,
in control of the house of repre-
sentatives during the last session, who
made such great pretensions towards
economy, found it necessary to appro
pirate the usual billion dollars to run
the government during the ensuing
year. 1t is easy enough TO increase
expenses, but in cutting them down
there comes the rub.
President Taft has some definite
plans in this direction. The investiga-
tions being made by his economy and
efficiency commission are beginning to
show that there are glazing wastes
of public funds, and that the way is
open to make tremendous savings in
the expenses of the government if
there is any disposition to follow it.
Such changes cannot lie made in a
day, or a week or a month, as the
Progressives would promise, if they
thought the matter was worthy of
small modicum of their wise atten-
ton. The machinery to run the gov
eminent is complex. Many of the de-
partments have been many years in
their development. There is duplica-
ton of much work. Two men are do
ing work that could easily be done
by one and more effectively. Any
number of minor governmental Off
Gals are not needed at all. Thus do
the unnecessary expenses pile I'D and
in countless other ways. There is
likely to be exceedingly little dishon-
esty in handling of governments
funds, or much graft in connection
with the execution of government con-
tracts, although there is probably
some. 1t is not through such chan
nels that the government is losing
huge sums of money each year
Rather is the money merely being
wasted because of lax management |
and inefficient methods in many of !
the government departments. Nor is /
this to be chargeable to the present |
or recent heads of those departments. |
1t is the system that is at fault
To change this system will re-
quire time and much hard labor, even |
with the most encouraging support of |
congress But this is a matter OF |
most essential concern to the people
of the whole country. Cutting down |
the expenses of the government by
one-third is nothing to be sneezed AZ.
And Mr.. Taft appears to be the only
man in public life today who is of a
mind to undertake the Job. 1t should
be kept in his hands