Gunnison news-champion., 1915-01-01
uTnvgilcf Of
unuNERs SCORED
Congressman from This State
Shows the Tremendous
Waste Il Pubic Funds.
BY EDWARD kEATING.


Congressman from ard Coio. DISTRICT
" Washington. ID C.-During th. isca
year ending June ~. lsl4 Uncls Sam
expended Sl 025. 6ss 81 IN the support of
the various departments Of government
That represents an annual tax Of sl0 on
every man. woman and child w the
land. The average American family
numbers five persons. 50 the average
family contributes $50 per year % tn
maintenance of federal power.
And the total is increasing from year
10 year at rate which is altogether aut
of proportion to the increase in pa1ula-
ton.
Twenty -four years ago Car Reed
and Republican congress we're swept
from power because Of the extravagant
expenditures they had authorized That
was in 1880 and Uncle Sans expenses
that year amounted to only 1892, 100.
747.
just eight years before that, in lss6,
with Grover Cleveland in the White
House and Democratic congress in the
capitol, the country worried along ON
appropriations which totaled 1891 ,0l5,
404 of this sum more than S44, OO0, 900
represents payments on accounts of the
national debt.
Thus in twenty-eight years annual cost
of running Uncle Sans big machine has
increased about 500, 0Oo, 600 or more
than 200 per cent. lncidently we have
abandoned all attempt to pay off our
national debt. We are too busy spend
ing money to think Of schemes for saw
ing it,
| What has caused this increase in ex-
pendIture and where will IL end?
| 1T would require a prophet to answer
the latter part of that query and am
not in that business; the first part ie
easier
Gear" Reed and his followers were
probably guilty of extravagances, but
the real era Of wastefu expenditure in
this country was ushered in by the
| Spanish American war. Then il was
that wave of imperialistic hysteris
swept over the country.
! The United States must become d
world power, we were told by 22-
caliber statesmen, and despite the pro
tests of such leaders as Bryan in the
Democratic party and Hoar in the Re
publican party, a majority Of the voters
/ fell for the new doctrine.
! Now imperialism is the most costly
game ever played by nations and it
costs republics ten times as much as il
costs nonarchies. A country cannot he
truly imperial unless it has colonies and
d big army and a smashing big navy, 80
We acq tired the Philippines and string
Of islands. and proceeded 10 spend
money like the proverbial drunken
sailor. When some fellow objected
he was sile1ced By the solemn declara-
ton that the United States must
realize its manifest Destiny
ARMY AND NAVY EXPENDITUREs
In 1s94, before we had been stung by
the bug of imperialism, our army cost
Us S54, 900, 600. Last year we expended
/ Sl73, 600, 600 on il and all the jingoes in
Congress assure u that we haven't q
1 sufficient military establishment 20 fight
any of the robust second rate powers.
! In 1894 our naval expenditures totaled
/ S3l 900, 600 and we thought we had some
navy. Last year we spent S139, 0O0, 0o0
on our sea fighters and our alleged ex.
perts tell US that we are not in as good
shape as we were twenty years ago.
/ five accept the advice Of the fniitar,
and naval officers we will increase the
appropriation for the army and the navy
to about $500. JOO. 600 year. or approx
mately $500. OOO. 600 more than we are
now eXpending.
1 sometimes wonder what the business
man in his store and the workman in his
shop and the farmer in his field think Of
. the suggestion. Congress doesn't hear
very often from the business man or the
working man or the farmer, but it does
hear great deal from the military man
and the army and navy contractor, and
the small caliber statesman. VINO -
seeking not0riety and votes.
wish the men who viii be called up
on to dig up" the S2o0, 600, 900 would
speak up and tell ap what they want us
to do.