434 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



is made or marred by their power of dealing with revenue ques- 

 tions, yet, in order to enable them to do so with intelligence, per- 

 manent officials are kept in office in the civil service of Govern- 

 ment through all party changes. These permanent secretaries 

 are charged with the duty of keeping the public accounts in such 

 a way that, in spite even of revolutionary changes in party poli- 

 tics, the continuity of the financial history and of the records of 

 account may be maintained with absolute integrity of purpose, 

 so that there may be no break in the established system, whoever 

 may be in power. 



The names of Robert Giffen, permanent Secretary of the Board 

 of Trade ; of Sir Thomas H. Farrar, who for more than fifty years 

 occupied a most important position in the service of the Treas- 

 ury of Great Britain ; and the name of the late Sir Louis Mallet, 

 for many years permanent Secretary of the India Board, are well 

 known to every economic student both here and abroad. 



When one fully comprehends these conditions under which 

 the conduct of the finances of Great Britain has been carried on 

 for many generations, it no longer remains a matter of surprise 

 that the knowledge of these subjects among the people of Great 

 Britain is far above that of the people in our own country. The 

 financial debates in Parliament are also so far above those of our 

 own Congress as to leave little room for comparison. With a few 

 conspicuous exceptions among our Representatives and Senators, 

 there is hardly a man capable of making a financial speech that 

 is worth any attention on the part of a student. There are many 

 speeches delivered which contain valuable information, but these 

 are mostly compiled in the party bureaus either by the clerks of 

 committees or by others who are conversant with affairs, gener- 

 ally men who are competent to meet the requisitions of members 

 when they desire to address their constituents through the me- 

 dium of the Congressional Record. 



When any great financial debate comes up in the British Par- 

 liament there is hardly a speech made which is not worth close 

 attention, or which does not stand for the convictions of the 

 speaker, based on his own knowledge of the subject. 



The proceedings in our Congress offer a severe contrast. Wit- 

 ness the customary course in the treatment of financial questions. 

 The annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury is laid upon 

 the table of the several committees, who immediately ignore all 

 the recommendations of the Secretary. The Committee on Ap- 

 propriations immediately proceed to recommend the expendi- 

 tures without any regard to revenue ; while the Finance Com- 

 mittee in the Senate and the Ways and Means Committee in the 

 House at once proceed to consider revenue measures without any 

 reference whatever to ways and means, and with scarcely any atten- 



