The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-12-11
GOVERNMENT ECONOMY
IS VERY IMPERATIVE
Urges Systematic Reorganization te
Gain Greater Efficiency.

Urges Systematic Reorganization to
Gain Greater Efficiency.
Before close may ! say a few
words upon two topics much discussed
ont OF doors upon which 1t is highly |
important that our judgments should
be clear. definite and Steadfast'
One of these Is economy In go'eru
ment expenditures. The duty OF econ
omy is not debatahle 1t is manifest
and imperative. In the appropriations
we pass we are spending the money
of the great people whose servants W.
are-not our own. We are trustees anC
responsible stewards in the spending
The only thing debatable and upol
which we should be careful to maxi
our thought and purpose clear is thu
kind of economy demanded Of us. u
assert with the greatest confidence
that the people of the United States
are not jealous Of the amount then
government costs If they are sure that
they get what they need and desire for
the outlay, that the money Is betIt
spent for objects of which they mp
prove and that it is being applied witt
good business sense and management
Governments grow piecemeal 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 eS
periepced business men would organize
them If they had clean sheet VI paper
TO write upon. Certainly the govern
ment of the United States Is not ]
think that 1t is generally agreed that
there should be a systematic reorgan'
cation and reassembling of its parts
so as to secure greater 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. 1t may
be. into the millions. be relatively
small-small. mean. in proportion to
the total necessary OUTLAWS OF the gov
eminent. Ii would be thoroughly
worth effecting. as every saving would
great or small.
Our duty is not altered by the scale
# 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 u careful study ana
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 SC
account for every dollar of our appro
priations as to make II perfectly EVIL
dent what 1t was spent for and IL
what way 1t was spent
1t is not expenditure but extrava
gance that we should fear being crit
cised for, not paying for the legiti
mate enterprises and undertakings o
a great government whose people com
: mand what 1t should do, but addin'
what will benefit only a few or pour
ing money out for what need not hav
been undertaken at all or might hav
been POSTPONED or better and NOR
economically conceived and carrie
out. The nation Is not niggardly; 1t
= very generous. 1t will chide us onl
. If we forget for whom we pay none
= out and whose money 1t is we pay
Il These are large and general standard
but they are not very difficult of appl
cation to particular cases