Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-04
PARTy'S ECONOMY
CALLED MOCKERY
GiIIett HurIs Broadside Into
Democratic Ranks in
the House.
BERATES THE ACTIVITIES
OF PROBE COMMITTEES
Huge Appropriations for Public
Buildings Also Arouse Rep
resentative's Ire.

Buildings Also Arouse Rep
resentative's Ire.
4 charge that the Wanted economy OF
the democratic party is but a sham ano
a hollow mockery was flung in the faces
of the majority yesterday afternoon by
Representative Gillett of Massachusetts
republican member of the appropriations
committee who started the general de
hate on the general deficiency bill. Mr.
Gilett told his democratic friends that
the economy plank i'll the democratic plat
form was being looked upon by the coun.
try at large as a huge joke.
The only saving the democrats have
made, he said, was an $4,000 reduction
in various offices connected with the
House. but on the other hand he gave
free tongue to an old-fashioned berating
of the numerous investigating commit
tees of the House, which have investi
gated so much. spent so many dollars
and accomplished such trif1ing legislation
Corruption Not Found.
You have investigated the depart.
ments which you said were teemine
with corruption he said, but You have
not found the corruption, and you have
not made the promised reduction In ex-
pense. You spent money lavishly-you
gave curiosity free scope. The contin-
gent expenses of the House were in
creased, but you have produced nothing
at all commensurate with your efforts
The reason is obvious. The departments
of the government are under civil serv-
ice. If they were not, if the ordinary
impulses of selfishness had there the
same free play that they had in this
House, / presume similar results would
have followed, and you would have
found then what you apparently expect
ed-corruption, decentralization and ex-
travagance.
Millions for Buildings.
Representative Gllett raped the pub
lie buildings and grolnds committee.
Let US look at the test and see how
the democratic party carried out the
boastful assertion that their committees
We're organized along the lines Of econ
omy," he said. when the public build
ings and grounds committee made its
report 1t was stated that the bill prob
ably carried at the outside $50 600, 900
probably much less than that. The tabu-
lated statement recently prepared shows
that the authorization in the bill alone
amounted to S45.OO0,OOO, and in addition
they appropriated for $50 sites for addi-
tional buildings.
Each hite involves building for the
future. 1t is not an authorization.
do not blame them for not counting that
in the expense which they estimated.
but, after all, we all know that it is
just as much burden on the country to
put IN the purchase of a site as II they
put in at the same time the building,
because 1t necessarily involves the sub
sequent construction of a building. So
on those $50 sites, admitting that they
only put the smallest and least expensive
buildings on them which they ever erect
which is $4,000 there are $6,JOO,OO
which. added to $ioOOO.O00, makes over
S51, 100000, which is practically burdened
upon the Treasury by this committee
which was selected by the democratic
caucus so carefully in order to carry out
the democratic principles of simplicity
and economy.
Pictures "Monstrosity."
And the details of that bill, as you
investigate them. make il even more Of
a monstrosity than the mere figures
themselves. Personally, l do not believe
that il is economy or that it is wise for
this government to put up public build
ing in any place of less than 100000 in
habitants, certaini: in a town of less
than 10000 Inhabitants.
When you look at the interests of the
government and not to the interests of
the individual. not to the desire to make
ourselves popular in our locality, to orna-
ment and adorn a town, in these small
towns of 1900 or 1900 or 1900 in
habitants. the construction of a govern
ment building, costing, as they do, $780,
Is an outrageous extravagance. How
much does ii cost in those towns before
the government building goes up, do you
suppose. on an average, to rent q suit
able, commodiouS, proper post Office? The
statistics show somewhere from 500 to
$1,000. From that sum all the annual
expenses of the post office are paid
What does IL cost after you put up a
building costing SJ0OO0? 1t costs between
$500 and $1,000 just to run the building
the expense to the government. Before
they only had to pay on an average $500
for rent and fuel and light and janitor
service and everything. Now. besides the
interest on the building you have to
pay about 5000 for simply running the
building-six times as much as you paid
before for everything.
And then the interest In the building,
say AT :, per cent. adds $500 more per
year, so that there is an annual expense
of $500. as against the previous annual
expense of 500.
Calls It Preposterous.
lit is preposterous. No business con-
Germ, no business enterprise would ever
think of erecting building at a cost Of
5000. in any of these small towns
where they do not need it. where 1t Is
merely an ornament, where 1t is entirely
out OF keeping with all the other build
tngs IN the place. Why, as soon as you
go into one of these towns at once you
are struck by the contrast between the
United States building and all the other
buildings of the place.
"Of course 1t is argued that that Is an
incentive TO patriotism. / think the prob
able result on the people Is just the con-
trary. | think the probable result is for
them to say: There is certainly some
thing easy in Washington. II we can
get a building like this for our little
town, what else can we not get. from
that overfiowing treasury And it con-
ing throughout the country, which unfor-
tunateIy Is too rife already. that the
United States Treasury is simply huge
grabbing, and that anybody who wants
to get his hand in 1t.
1T also brings pressure to bear upon
all of us, a constant pressure from our
constituents, to get something for them
out of the public Treasury. So that. in
stead of looking out for the welfare
and the benefit of the United States,
there is constant impulse upon US to
look out for the selfish good of the
Office in little town Of 900 or 1000
or 5000 inhabitants is an outrageous
extravaganza, and yet that IL the policy
of this committee. so carefully selected
for economy.
Now. OF these 100 sites that are au.