The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-12-16

highly important that our judgments
should be clear, definite and stead
fast?
One Of these is economy in govern
ment expenditures The duty OF econ
omy is not debatable. It is manifest
and imperative. In the appropriations
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 make our thought and purpose
clear Is the kind Of economy demand
ed Of US. I assert with the greatest
confidence that the people Of the
United States are not jealous Of the
amount their government costs il
they are sure that they get what they
need and desire for the outlay, that
the money is being spent for objects
of which they approve, and that 1t is
being applied with good business
sense and management.
Governments grow piecemeal, both
in their tasks and in the means by
which those tasks are to be perform
ed, and very few governments are or
ganized, venture to say, as wise and
oxoo~xooo,5 h,,e;pocc ,oo0 uon16 Sr-
ganize them If they had a clean sheet
Of paper to write upon. Certainly
the government Of the United States
is not. I think that it Is generally
agreed that there should be syste-
matte reorganization and reassem-
bling of its parts so as to secure great
er efficiency and effect considerable
savings in expense. But the amount
Of money saved in that way would, /
believe though no doubt considerable
in itself, running, it may be, into the
millions, be relatively small,-small,
/ mean in proportion to the total nee
essary outlays Of the government. It
would be thoroughly worth ,efecting
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 en-
large them; and with every enlarge
ment, with the mere growth, indeed
of the country itself, there must
come, of course, the inevitable in.
crease of expense. The sort Of econ
omy we ought to practice may be ef-
fected, and ought to be effected, pyt
a careful study and assessment Of the
tasks to be performed; and the money
spent ought to be made to yield the
best possible returns In efficiency and
achievement. And, like good stew
ards, we should so account for every
dollar of our appropriations as to
make it perfectly evident what 1t was
spent for and in what way it was
spent.
It is not expenditure but extrava-
gance that we should fear being criti-
cized for; not paying for the legiti-
mate enterprises and undertakings OF
a great government whose people
command what it should de, but add.
ing what will benefit only a few OF
pouring money out for what need not
have been undertaken at all or might
have been postponed or better and
more economically conceived and car
ried out. The nation is not niggard-
"; it is very generous. It will chide
US only II we forget for whom We
pay money out and whose money it is
we pay. These are large and general
standards, but they are not very diff
fcult Of application TO particular
cases.
National Defense.
The other topic I shall take leave
to mention goes deeper into the prin-
ciples Of our national life and policy
It is the subject Of national defense
It can not be discussed without first
answering some very searching ques.
tions. It is said in some quarters
that We are not prepared for war
What is meant by being prepared? Il
1t meant that we are not ready upon
brief notice to put a nation In the
field, nation Of men trained tc
arms? OF course We are not ready tc
do that; and We shall never be IN
time Of peace so long as We retain
our present political principles and
institutions. And what is it that it is
suggested We should be prepared tc
do? To defend ourselves against at,
tack? We have always found means
to do that, and shall find them when.
ever 1t is necessary without calling
our people away from their necessary
tasks to render compulsory military
service in times Of peace.
Allow me to speak with great
plainness and directness upon this
great matter and to avow my conVtc-
tions with deep earnestness. have
tried to know what America is, what
her people think, what they are,
what they most cherish and hold dear
I hope that some Of their finer pas
sions are in my own heart,-Some OF
the great conceptions and desires
which gave birth to this government
and which has made the voice Of this
people a voice of peace and nope and
liberty among the peoples Of the
world, and that, speaking my own
thoughts, I shall, at least In part,
speak theirs also, however family and
adequately, upon this vital matter.
We are at peace with all the world.
No one spe;al counsel based on fact
or drawn from a just and candid In
depreciation of realities can say that
there is reason to fear that from any
quarter our independence or the in
tegrity Of our territory is threatened.
Dread of the power of any other ma
ton We are incapable Of. We are not
jealous of rivalry in the fields Of COM
merce or Of any other peaceful
achievement. We mean tc live our
own lives as We will; but We mean
also to let live. We are, indeed, a
true friend to all the nations of the
world, because We threaten none,
covet the possessions Of ncne, desire
the overthrow of none Our friend