The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1914-02-13
What Kind of Democracy


II those who are entrusted now with
the responsibility OF directing the course
OF our national affairs have any solemn,
serious thoughts OF doing their duty
would it not be in a more direct and
intensely purposeful spirit than is yet
manifest in either the Executive orCon-
gressional branches of the Government?
: Congress had become honeycombed
with bribery, corruption and extrava-
gance under the Republican party and
so far under President Wilson's adj
ministration there has been very little
change. Representatives are asking for
all sorts OF fabulous sums for every
thing imaginable to come from the
public treasury. They seem to have
no discretion or modesty about it. Both
Congress and the Executive branches
are promoting the organization Of boards
and commissions with rich salaries and
perquisites. Senators under the Repub-
lican administration we're sentto prison
for accepting brides, and they are still
at it. II that is an exaggeration, then
we do not hesitate to say they are
equally as guilty in footing the treas
ury SO recklessly in public extrava-
gance.
Right under our nose we can cite
instances of this sort OF business, which
are only in themselves very insignifi-
cant compared to the administration of
affairs around the Capital OF the United
States, and of the States themselves for
that matter. The sum OF $50, 900 year
is paid to postmasters OF the first and
second-class in the territory of West Ten
nessee alone-for what? To sit in their
private offices and do little cores
pondence occasionally. Some OF them
have other occupations which take prac-
tically all OF their time. The employees
OF the different offices do the work
These positions have been created and
this money spent for no other purpose
in the world than for party election
campaign purposes. It is simply net
work Of party organization fed from the
pockets of the people. This is start
only. We could go into details by GO
ing to the public records. Members OF
Congress, under plea of increased cost
OF living, increased their own salaries
and the salaries Of everyone OF the one
hundred thousand employees at Wash
ington and throughout the country
without roll-call vote, so that they
could not be spotted, and in order to
keep the President in good humor in
creased his salary, so that the salary and
perquisites accessible'in the public treas
ury for his life and pleasure aggregate
nearly four hundred thousand dollars
year. and to add to all OF this began
TO advance the idea of civil pensions.
Members OF Congress have extra liberal
allowances for mileage, clerk hire, and
their ranking privilege is no small
matter. They even create an extra
maonth in the year for their clerks. And
these emoluments go on, like Tenny-
sons brook, whether there is anything
to do or not.
But this is simply the extravaganza
~oi Office. What about the other de-
emands. 1t has been fifty years since
the Civil War and the pension list is
still growing. This is another extremely
liberal campaign fund that is increased
in a prodigious manner from year to
year. and what is more our Democratic
friends have helped to do it. The Army
and Navy Departments are continually
encroaching on the Federal Treasury at
an enormous rate. But Why continue
to enumerated
Twenty years ago, when our popula-
zion was two-thirds or more OF the
present population Of people, Congress
expended little more than half a
billion dollars in one session. To-
day the one and half billion dollar
mark is reached with very little or no
comment. Expenses have multiplied
at more than double the ratio, and the
tendency to raid the public treasury in
creases more and more.
This is what we have in republican
government. Is it democracy The
plain people have no voice in this mat
tar aud when
~ EARMEght they
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