Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-12-09

what were supposed to be well-known
main channels We have not provided
adequate vessels or adequate ma
chinery for the surveying and chart
ing. We have used old vessels that
were not big enough or strong enough
and which were so nearly unSca-
worthy that our inspectors would not
have allowed private owners TO send
them to sea. This is a matter which,
as | have said, seems small, but is in
reality very great Its importance
has only to be looked into to be ap-
preCiated.
Before I close may | say a few
words upon two topics, much dis
cussed out of doors, upon which it Is
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 dcbatable. 1t 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 trus-
tees and responsible stewards I'm the
spending The only thing dcbatable
and upon which We should be careful
TO make our thought and purpose
clear is the kind of economy de-
manded Of us | assert with the great
est confidence that the people Of the
! United States are not jealous Of the
amount their government costs II 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 it is be-
ing 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 per-
formed, and very few governments
are organized, venture to say, as
wise and experienced business men
would organize them If they had a
clean sheet II paper to write upon.
Certainly the government of the
United State, is not. | think that II
is generally agreed that there should
be a systematic reorganization and
reassembling Of its parts so as TO Sc
cure greater efficiency and effect con
siderable savings In expense. But the
amount OF money saved in that way
would, ] believe. though no doubt
considerable in itself, running, IL may
be, into the millions, be relatively
small, small. ] mean. in proportion
to the total necessary Outlays of the
government 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
inevitable increase Of expense. The
sort Of economy we ought to prac-
tice may be effected and ought to be
| effected, by careful study and as
scssment 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 stewards, we should so ac-
count FOR every dollar of our appro-
priations as TO make IL perfectly evi-
dent what IL was spent for and In what
way IL was spent.
| 1t Is not expenditure but eXtrav-
agance that we should fear being crit
icized for, not paving for the legiti-
mate enterprises and undertakings OF
a great government whose people
command what Il should do, but add -
ing what viii benefit only q few or
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 niggardly:
| ii is very generous. II will chidC us
only If We forget for whom We pay