The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1914-12-16
GOVERNMENT ECONOMY
IS VERY IMPERATIVE.
Urges Systematic Reorganization to
Gain Greater Efficiency.

Urges Systematic Reorganization to
Gain Greater Efficiency.
Before I close may say a few
words upon two topics much discussed
out OF doors upon which II Is highly
important that our judgments should
be clear, defnite and steadfast7
One of these Is economy In govern
ment expenditures The duty OF econ
omy is not debatable II 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 aud purpose clear is the
kind of economy demanded of US.
assert with the greatest confidence
that the people OF the United States
are not Jealous OF the amount their
government costs If 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 ap-
prove and that 1t Is being applied with
good business sense and management
Governments grow piecemeai both
In their tasks and in the means by
which those tasks are to be performed,
and very few governments are organ
lied. ] venture TO say. as wise and ex.,
perienced business meu would organize
them II they had clean sheet of paper
to write upon. Certainty the govern
ment of the United States is not l
think that # is generally agreed that
there shonld be a systematic reorgani-
zation and reassembling of It's parts
SO as to secure greater efficiency and
effect considera BILE savings In expense.
But the amount of money saved In that
way would. I believe. though no doubt
considerable In itself. running. II may
he, into the millions. be relatively
small-small. mean. In proportion to
The total necessary outlays OF the gov
trnment 1t would be thoroughly
worth effecting. as every saving would.
yreat or small
Our duty is not altered by the scale
IF 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 increase Of ex-
pense. The sort OF economy we ought
to practice may be effected. and ought
to be effected. by careful study and
assessment Of the tasks to be per
formed. and the money spent ought to
be made to yield the best possible re-
turns in efficiency and achievement.
And. like good stewards. we should so
account for every dollar OF our appro-
priations as to make 1t perfectly evil
dent 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-
cised for, not paying for the legiti-
mate enterprises and undertakings of
a great government whose people COM
mand what 1t should do, but adding
what will benefit only a few OF pour
ing money out for what need not have
been undertaken at all or might have
been postponed or better and more
economically conceived and carried
out The nation Is not niggardly; Il is
very generous. 1t win chide rs 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 difficult OF appli-
cation to particular cases.