The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-11-13
A PliIeIa n GuiIfy.

charged, and but feeb1y denied, In the
late congressional campaign that the
Democrats had been guilty Of wanton
extravaganza IN the conduct Of public
AFFAIRS since they had been In control
at Washington. Confirmation Of the
charge is now at hand In the desper-7l
ate efforts President Wilson Is
making to force department officials
and his party lieutenants to retrench.
In other words, President Wilson, In
behalf 81 his party, enters q plain
plea, of guilty. s. . *, Il
Dispatches from Washington relate
that. strict orders have been given to
the heads Of the executive departments
to cut to the bone estimates of appro-
priations needed or desired In the tis-
cal year beginning July 1. 1915, IN
order that the Democratic party may
live down the reputation for extray-
agance that It made at the last SEES
sion of Congress- -
L All that session the spectacle was
presented Of a Congress passing an
emergency revenue bill coincident
with the. making OF appropriations
largely in excess of any appropria-
tons ever made before in single
session. 49, .i..,;ss
When the DEMOCRATS took hold in
the Sixty-second Congress 1t seemed
for q time as though they intended to
retrench. Their first regular appro-
priatfons footed up to 81 OILS; 900, 900, q
shade under the total Of the amount
authorized by their Republican pred
.ecessors. n &
In the last, session OF the Sixty-sec-
ond Congress, however, the Democrats
established o new. high water mark.
Their expenditures for that session
ran up to 81, 09S, 900. 900, Another high
water mark was established in the
session that closed recently. The to-
tai was 81, 100, 900, 900.
The Democrats have explained that
extraordinary conditions in Mexico
and other abnormal conditions rend-
cred necessary such an extraordinary
budget. Nevertheless, the leaders in
Congress fear that unless they can
get support from the administratio
the budget OF the forth coming session
will exceed By millions the one turned
out at the. recent session. i
There is no problem OF government
that gives the Wilson administration
more concern than the one presented
by the revenues. Customs receipts
are still low and doubt is beginning
to be entertained that the war rev.
enue bill will produce the $10O, 000, 900
or so. expected.
The situation is such aserlous one
that in administration circles there
have been suggestions that within the
next two years It may be necessary
for the dominant party to again revise
the tariff. In fact during the recent
sessions predictions were made prt-
vately by Democrats that long before
May /, 1916, when sugar under the
Underwood Simmons tariff law is to
go on the free list, 1t may be neces-
sary to take action Of this character.
Two we'll organized movements are
already under way to remove at least
500, 100000 from the treasury that
the officials OF that department are
anxious to save. One OF them has for
its purpose the passage Of q $45, 000,-
600 river and harbor bill. The other
has in view the passage Of public
building bill involving a larger
amount. "a h
It is apparent that unless these
measures are headed OF, Of which
there is little hope, there is not a
chance in. the world of preventing an
other substantial increase in the am.
nual appropriations. In addition there
is promising young pork barrel" in
the form Of good roads appropriations.
So, 1t appears that while the Demo-
Gratis admit they have been outrag-
eously extravlgant and are making
eftors to retrench, the hole into which
they have fallen IS so deep that they
can not, get out Of it during the two