Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-10-07
PROMISE VS..
PERFORMANCE
Record Made by Democrats in Increas.
ing Appropriations, Creating New
Offices and Making Salaries Larger.

that have been done in national affairs
since the fourth of March, 1913, in
order to inquire what effect they had,
or may have, upon the lives and bust
ness Of the people who have the right
10 expect that our public affairs shall
be so conducted as to give them the
greatest opportunity for comfort, hap
piness and prosperity. For years l
have been deeply impressed with the
rapidly increasing cost of maintaining
the government of the United States.
! am not a captious critic, Cor every
one must feel and know that as we
grow in population and wealth the ex-
pense of organized society must adj
vance; but year after year we have
all heard our democratic friends vo-
ciferously denounce the reckless ex-
travagance of republican administra-
tons and so persistent were these
criticisms that it might we'll have been
assumed that democratic leaders hon
estly felt that they had a plan which
would at once maintain the efficiency
Of government and reduce the cost of
administering.
When the democratic convention
met in Baltimore in 1912 it announced
with great emphasis its promise upon
this subject 1t said: Eve denounce
the profligate waste Of the money
wrung from the people by oppressive
taxation through the lavish appropria-
tons of the recent republican con-
crosses. which have kept taxes high
and reduced the purchasing power Of
the peoples toll. We demand a re-
turn to that simplicity and economy
which BELTS a democratic government,
and reduction of the number of useless
offices the salaries of which drain the
substance of the people"
1t is not surprising that the voters
Of the country were strongly attracted
to the democratic candidate. in the
hope that some of the burdens press
ing upon them would be removed. On
the faith of a pledge so alluring the
democratic party was installed In
power. and came into complete pos
session of our affairs on the 4th Of
March, 1913 Let US examine how
faithfully the administration has full
filled the promise so often repeated,
and upon which they secured the
power which they are now exercising
For the current year ending June 30.
1915. the regular ordinary appropria-
lions, not including the rivers and
harbors' bill. and not including many
other items 10 which | will call atten-
ton hereafter, amount to S1,0S9. 40S,-
77726. The appropriations for the
year ending June 80 1913 being the
yearly appropriations mentioned in the
democratic platform, amounted to
s9SS.353, 34041
That is to say, for the first year in
which the democrats have been in full
charge Of the government they have
appropriated LOSS. 436 IS more than
the republicans appropriated for he
year in which they were unsparingly
condemned by the convention 1t Balti-
more
But this does not tell the whole
story. In the face of the necessity for
new and extraordinary taxes, the
house passed the rivers and harbors'
bill which carried a cash appropria-
ton, in round numbers of SAG, 000, 900.
The senate committee increased il. in
round numbers, to s54000,000. with
additional authorizations for projects
lifting it to the enormous sum of more
than $S0,000,000. do not know
whether this bill will become a law,
but if it does the democrats will have
succeeded in adding nearly two hun
dred million dollars to the appropria-
tons of this year, as compared with
the appropriations of the year in
which they issued their fierce denun-
citation Of the "profligate waste" OF
money under republican administra-
ton, and their glowing and fascinat-
ing promise of return to that sim
plicity and economy betting demo
cratic rule.
Instead Of decreasing the number of
officers the administration has in
creased them. Instead Of reducing
salaries they have, as whole, been
advanced The truth is that substan-
TALLY every department of the govern
ment has received higher appropria-
lion this year than ever before, save
one; for, to be entirely fair, it must
be said that the appropriations for
pensions and for sustaining the pension
bureau is about $11 ,000.0 600 less than in
former years. AS the campaign pro-
crosses intend II opportunity is given
me, to point out the items of some of
these increases In expenditure. to show
what hollow mockery the democrats
have made of the platform upon which
they sought the confidence Of the peo-
pie, but just now 1t is sufficient to in
dicate how absurdly and disastrously
they have failed to mitigate the
burdens of taxation. or to accomplish
that simplicity Of governmental life
which is so attractive in the abstract,
and so unattainable in actual exper-
fence.
II the democratic office seekers will
not tell the truth as to the acreage
the state is buying for capitol extern
sion, they cannot be believed as to any