The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1916-12-19
Half a Million Squandered.

II there is any plank in the plat
form Of the Democratic party that
doesn't amont to hill OF beans, it
is that one which pledges the party
TO the strictest economy in govern
lment
AS matter OF fact, the Democratic
party is as extravagant as the Re-
publicans ever were when they were
in the saddle.
See what happened last week. Over
the protest Of the chairman OF the
House Appropriations Committee that
the country faces a deficit of $780,
100000 majority of the Democratic
House raised the pay Of their own
clerks from $500 to $1,000 and gave
themselves an additional clerk at
SIS per month. That will add quar-
ter of a million dollars a year to the
expenditures by Congress-in fact,
| the present Congress has increased
the cost of conducting the body in all
just $41S,OO0 year
Every cent of that money, fellow
citizens, Is unnecessarily spent. 1t is
extravaganza. pure and simple.
John J. Fitzgerald, chairman of the
House Appropriations Committee, did
some plain talking in a vain effort
to keep his colleagues from thus
feathering their own nests.
This proposition is not something
to help the clerk" said Mr.. Fitz-
gerald upon the floor of the House
last Tuesday You may fool the peo-
pie, but do not try to fool q man who
has been here as long as | have been.
1 This proposition Is to protect our
selves. This Is preparedness meas
ure.. We are proposing to equip
ourselves at the expense of the pub
! lie so that our campaigns will not be
neglected
For the current fiscal year there
! will be a efficiency OF $30,000,000 ana
| that will reduce the surplus in the
Treasury TO about S113,000,000 In
the next fiscal year, not contemplat-
Ing some of the things Congress will
do on It's own motion, the estimated
deficit is the trifling sum of 1884, 000,-
600. Tho estimates for the Army and
| Navy alone are about $25, 1000, 900 more
than all the money raised In the year
1915 by taxation and in time like
sary to issue large number of bonds
and greatly increase the public debt,
but to seek out novel and new methods
OF taxation in order to obtain money
to pay the ordinary running expenses
of the government, we propose to in
crease the cost of conducting this
body. this body that is doing so much
for tho welfare Of the people, by half
a million dollars and upon the plea
either that We are not sufficiently
competent ourselves to perform the
obligations ia member of Congress
OF the equally Fictitious plea that the
cost of living requires us to increase
the pay of our assistants by 3S per
cent. something not proposed in any
other place in the United States or
elsewhere We ought to have the
courage TO make some sacrifices our
selves. The country will be compelled
to do so ard we ought to set the ex-
ample. We ought to do little more
work. work little longer, speedup a
bit"
This is a plain statement of fact,
The people can understand it and it
needs no comment. There is this much
about tiff any member of Congrsss
from Georgia voted against this out
rageous extravaganza, the people Of
Georgia ought to know his name in
order that they may hail him as G
patriot and true Democrat who
practices that strict economy in gov
! eminent insisted upon by the father
of Democracy. Thomas Jefferson.
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| Eojdt The Samaritan.