Omaha daily bee., 1918-05-06

Senator Thomas of Colorado sprung a
fable on his colleagues one day recently. 1t
was during debate over a miscellaneous
lot OF appropriation bills, in which number
of items attracted his attention. His fable
has 10 do with the disappearance of the
watch dogs OF the treasury" and the alarm
ing growth of another breed, that can not
tolerate the presence of an unappropriated
dollar, and runs as follows:
"Once upon time, when Uncle Sam was
youthful he had to make his own way in the
world. He was therefore careful to live
within his income. Being thrifty, he amassed
wealth sufficient for all his purposes, albeit
these were many. In those days his money
vaults were guarded by faithful and courage
Gus animals called watch dogs of the treas
ury.' Then, as now, Uncle Sans increasing
family was divided into factions bearing at
eractive and inspiring appellations He COM
mitted the management of his affairs first to
one and then to another of these factions,
as their changing preponderance in numbers
required. Each of these factions championed
economy with great vocferation. and each
claimed monopoly of the virtue. Both had
their watch dogs, who succeeded with their
masters in the guardianship of the treasury.
Hence, Uncle Samuel took no great con-
Germ as to the safety Of his strong box, and
especially since the watch dogs on duty were
watched in turns by the dogs in temporary
retirement.
Moreover, each of Uncle Sans factions
contended that its watch dogs were the only
thoroughbreds, and those of the opposition
were mongrels and coyotes masquerading as
nF rta Gon ola raI
with this situation, since theft or misappro-
pration would be detected and exposed by
factional self-interest, promptly followed by
an early and complete substitution of watch
dogs.
AS time progressed these great factions
established the custom of holding quadren-
nial pride and alarm meetings. They were
so called because the factions at these meet
ings always paraded their own virtues and
watch dogs with great pride and viewed the
vices OF the other faction and its watch dogs
with great alarm. They also compared each
his own economies in past administration Of
Uncle Sans fiscal affairs with the reckless
extravagances of the other faction. So COM
mon has this formula become that it has
persisted down to this hour. No pride and
alarm meeting of either faction would be
complete were these terms eliminated from
its public announcements.
"These watch dogs guarded the treasury
and watched each other with great success
for many years. Through the mutual rivalry
and suspicious of their owners Uncle Sans
accumulations waxed fat and became more
and more aluring. AS time passed, and these
accumulations multiplied, the financial virtue
of the factions was gradually but surely dis
integrated by the temptation to divide and
enjoy them They gazed more and more avid
ly at the vaults which contained them, and
more and more reproachfully at their vigil
and watch dogs keeping sentinel over them
The barriers Of their moral resistance finally
yielded to the unremitting pressure of oppor-
tunity So the watch dogs were gradually toll
ed away from the treasury portals and tied in