Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-09

posed to be well-known main chan
nels.' We have not provided ade-
quate vessels or adequate machin-
cry for the survey and charting. We
have used old vessels that were not big
enough or strong enough. and which
were so nearly unseaworthy that our
inspectors would not have allowed prl-
vate owners to send them to sea.
This is a matter which. as l have said
seems small. but is In reality very
great. Its Importance has only to be
looked into to be appreciated.
DUTY OF ECONOMY
Is NOT DEDATABLE
Before close may l say few words
upon two topics. much discussed out of
doors, upon which II is highly import
ant that our Judgments should be clear,
definite and steadfaSt?
One of these is economy in govern
ment expenditures. The duty of econ
omy is not dcbatablc. 1t is manifest
and Imperative. In the nppropria tons
we pass we are spending the money Of
the great people whose servants we are
not our own. We are trustees and
responsible stewards in the spending.
The only thing debatable and upon
which we should be careful to mako our
thought and purpose clear Is the kind
of economy demanded of us. l assert
with the greatest confidence that tho
bcopic VI VIC OuIleu are not
jealous of the amount their, government
costs If they arc sure that they get
what they need and desire for the out
lay, that the money Is being spent for
objects of which they approve, and
that It Is being applied with good bust
nes sense and management.
Governments grow. piecemeal both
in their tasks and In the means by
which those tasks are to he performed,
and very few governments are organ
lied, venture to say, wise and ex-
perienccd business men would organ
lie them IL they had clean sheet of
paper to write upon. Certainly tho
government of the United States is not.
| think that it is generally agreed that
there should be systematic reorgani-
cation and reassembling of It's parts, SO
as to secure greater efficiency and eff
feet considerable savings in expense
But the amount of money saved in that
way would. believe, though no doubt
considerable In itself, running 1t may
be, into the millions, be relatively
small-smail. 1 mean. in proportion to
the total necessary outlays of the gov
eminent. 1t would be thoroughly
worth effecting, as every saving would,
great or small. Our duty is not
altered by the scale of the saving. But
my point is that the people of the
United States do not wish to curtail the
activities of this government; they
wish, rather, to enlarge them; and with
every enlargement, with the mere
growth, indeed, of the country itself,
there must come, of course, the in
evitable increase Of expense. The sort
OF economy we ought to practive may
be effected. and ought to be effected by
careful study and assessment of the
tasks to be performed; and the money
spent ought to be made to yield tho
best possible returns in efficiency and
achievement. And. like good stewards.
we should SO account for every dollar
of our appropriations as to make 1t
perfectly evident what 1t was spent for
and In what way 1t was spent.
1t is not expenditure but extrava-
gance that we should fear being criti-
cized for; not paying for the legitimate
enterprises and undertakings of a great
government whose people command