Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-12-01
AFARM CENSUS" GRAFT.

DcUlOCTdllC pttT llSduS pIOlcSS IAulS-
nation when their party is charged
with gross extravaganza in govern
ment. They are forced to confess, OF
course, that the present congress has
already spent $18O,00O, 900 more than
any republican congress that ever as
sembled, but they challenge anyone
to point out where a single appropri-
alton can be called needless or ex-
travagant Of course, every dollar of
that $18O,000,O0O of congressional graft
can be accounted for in the multiplied
ton of Offices, in the unnecessary in
stitution of bureaus and commissions
for this and that, and in the half a
dozen spectacular investigations" that
had no justification whatever, such as
the investigation of the money trust
and the politically incubated investi-
cation of the ''pernicious lobby that
was supposed to be debauching con-
gress. Neither of these investiga-
tons ever came to anything, although
both together cost million dollars of
the peoples money. But they furnish
ed good jobs for the faithful and were
supposed to have made a favorable
impression upon the voters.
Now that the democratic congress
is preparing to resume operations in
Washington, the country is afforded
an excellent example of the way the
present administration is scattering
political largesses among the faithful
at the expense of the people. One of
the notable things about all this demo-
cratic extravaganza is that it primar-
lily affords an opportunity to create
new Jobs Every million taken out of
the treasury goes into the pockets of
the democratic political hangers-on
who have not previously had their
share. The latest scheme is the pro-
posal to appropriate 100000 for an
States Advocates of economy are
opposing this big graft with all their
energy, but probably will be unsuc-
cessful. II it has received the santc-
ton of the leaders of the party it will
go through.
But the public will be fooled badly
if it imagines that this 100000 is
all there is of such graft. That is
merely the beginning. Such schemes
are started on modest scale SO as
to disarm opposition. AS the census
goes on it will be found that from
time to time new appropriations will
be needed to carry it forward, and be-
fore the undertaking is finally ended,
no doubt, it will have cost the govern
ment double the original appropriation.
That is the way these things generally
work out.
What a ridiculous proposition this
farm census is, after all. There is
nothing in the whole category OF
public gratis so prolific of jobs as a
census. It would give employment
for several months to thousands OF
democratic henchmen. A farm cen
sus" is considered safe, for it smacks
of something being done for the farm
err. The farmers of the country are
expected to be pleased by this official
attention to them. Whenever the politi-
clans can fool. the farmers into giving
their support to thing, then nothing
else counts very much. That there is
no sense or need Of such census makes
no difference. That the country is al
ready overwhelmed with taxes to
make up democratic deficits is only
detail. More money must be spent
upon the 'boys back home" and
therefore the ingenious democratic
leaders are daily devising more and
more ways of distributing the peoples
money.-Kansas City Journal.