Show e National Topics Interpreted by William Bruckart Washington Now Now that the President President Pres Pres- ident has hns laid before congress his request for th the National a now new e w dons financial students are wondering won von dering more and more when hen the end enil of or this government spending Is to come It will be remembered that Mr Roosevelt said a year rear ago that the total public debt should not exceed ex teed and that figure should be reached around June 30 SO l 1033 When It Is considered that the present public debt exceeds ft it becomes difficult how the President will succeed In sticking sUcking to his original assertion n to hold the national debt at the figure named The Treasury department has just jest released Its annual report and this reveals an Increase In the public debt of or approximately six billion bUllon dollars since June 80 30 SO 1933 1931 an n eighteen months' months record It has made the total cost of ot the recovery spending program aggregate something something some some- thing over twelve billion bUlIon dollars since January 1 1033 1933 when the spending spree really realty began To Tomake Tomake I make the vast amount mo more e readIly readily read rend ily comprehensible If It you ou take the time to figure It out you will find that the government has bas been spending borrowed money at nt th the rate of or almost ost twenty three thousand thousand thou thou- sand dollars a n minute In U the e last four years To Illustrate further the magnitude e of this sum a n figure expert here bere has calculated that there has bas been en about one billion minutes since the birth of at Christ and therefore the federal government govern govern- government ment In the last four years ears has added added add add- ed d about twelve dollars to the public public public pub pub- lic debt for each of the minutes since Christ came on earth I But to ge get back to the present plan presentation of the bud budget Et with Its maximum outlay of around seven billion dollars recalled to some same leaders the assertion by the President respecting the topmost limit for the public debt In the budget message which he presented present present- ed Just a year ago Mr Ir Roosevelt boldly stated hi hIs belief that the government should seek to hold the public debt to the figure of 31 Furthermore he added the tithe government during the balance of this calendar year should plan to Tiring Siring Its 1 1930 1436 expenditures In In- eluding recovery and relief within the revenues expected In the fiscal year Jear 1930 1030 The fiscal year ear begins next July 1 And frequent pronouncements from Cram the White WhiteHouse Whitehouse House Bouse have made It cl clr r that a balanced budget In that time Is 19 quite unlikely In 3 addition the treasury treasury treas trens- ury said In Its annual report that tt always lagged behind In rejecting re re- recovery of the country Tor For example Income taxes to be paid on March 15 and In the subsequent Installments of that year ear will be the result of levies le on earnings s of ot the current calendar year No one expects earnings In fn 1033 1935 to be normal It Is obvious therefore that the balancing of the budget In the fiscal year ear beginning July 1 becomes almost a physical physical phy phy- gc l Impossibility unless the President Pres ident dent should do the unexpected by cutting off every everyone one of the sixty sixty- five or more recovery and relief agencies and should cut off ocr all aU federal funds for relief of the destitute If Ir that were done It Is estimated by fiscal experts that ordinary receipts receipts re reo by the treasury would come comp I close to meeting the ordinary cost of Jt the regularly est established d governmental governmental govern govern- mental agencies There had been frequent con contentions conten conten- ten by avid New Dealers that Mr Roosevelt's see sec n j Presidents President s and ona- bu budget et would provide a n clear picture of his bis general genera fiscal policies If It their statements remain true tru they resulted In la setting up on-e on one of the most paradoxical conditions In Inthe Inthe Inthe the history of ot this nation Looking back over the whole Roosevelt period the thing which ob observers have e never been able adequately ad ad- adequately to explain Is who or what effected the change e In the Presidents President's Presidents President's Pres- Pres dents dent's views on fundamental financial finan cial da questions It Is too obvious ob to precipitate an argument that UJ the Presidents President's views have chan changed ed When one goes go-cs back to his first message to con congress or beyond that thatto thatto thatto to his campaign speeches ane and to the platform upon which he made the therace therace therace race for the Presidency It Is futile to try to reconcile those utterances with the subsequent spending and borrowing program In which his Ills administration administration ad nd- ministration has Indulged It will wilt willbe willbe be recalled that Mr Roosevelt de declared e. e dared In his Inaugural speech an au Intention to balance the budget budet and wipe out the deficit left teft on his lap by the Hoover Hoo administration He lIe went rent on to say that If It congress In InUs Its Us generosity voted sums that thai placed the budget out of balance 1 It D was under the necessity at the same time to provide taxes to raise rrose the excess expenditures Since th there e can be no dispute that Mr Roosevelt's views have changed and be he has hns acted In ac ae with his hla new found prIn- prIn the Interesting thing Is who brought about the revision of oC views on the part of oC the President Some Soma of the Presidents President's virulent critics have ha asserted In lu the opening days dayn 4 of congress that Mr was wholly uninformed as S to the needs with which he was confronted when he was making his campaign speeches The They say he be found his original promise to be all wet and he took the only alternative to stave off on a n bitter row In his own party offering much money for congress to sem spend Among the Presidents President's friends I Ihne have heard private expressions that Mr Roosevelt had been misled by some of ot the group who held his ear at the start of ot the administration These men referred to a number of the so called Progressive e Republicans Republic Republic- ans like the tho Norris Hiram J Johnson of California and Bronson Cutting of or New Mexico Several of at these were so well liked by the President that they were In InvIted Invited In- In to enter his cabinet Consequently Consequently Consequently Conse Conse- there are those who believe that Mr Roosevelt followed the advIce advice advice ad ad- vice of the Progressive Republican group much more closely than leaders lenders lead lend ers era among the time old-time Democrats Most of at the Progressive Ie Republic Republic- Republicans ans aria are arc spenders at af heart accordIng according accord- accord Ing ng to the general view here And they arc are also men who regard a balanced budget as not very cry Important Important tant So while no one can enn say definitely what In influences altered the Presidents President's stand It c certainly Is s re regarded among observers here as being a situation In which the tile wind makes the straws point toward toward to to- ward the so-called so progressives as In ha having Joined hands with the President President dent in Initiating what has come to tobe tobe be the greatest outpouring of taxpayers taxpayers' taxpayers taxpayers' tax tax- pa payers payers' ers money except In n war time since our government was lashed Organization of or the new congress has hns resulted In a new cry In InI reality a very old I I South in in cry but It Is new the Saddle sl since ce we vve have not I eard It In fifteen years The cry we are hearing now from roni Republicans and from northera northern northern north north- ern era Democrats Is the wail wan that the South is In the saddle While there certainly can enn be nothing criminal about the South being In the sad saddle le It provides a n grand political Issue both within the Democratic ranks and between the Democratic party and what Is left of f the Republicans In con congress ress It also torches a question that has bas been een dl discussed many times time's s namely the lie wisdom of the seniority rule In an congress The seniority rule provIdes pro- pro views vIdes that thit t the oldest members In Inthe inthe the he point of at service shall Inherit committee chairmanships and shall have lave other positions of ot honor In Inthe inthe the lie house and senate Out of the Gg 69 Democratic senators senators sena- sena tors ors only 24 4 come from what Is known mown as the tike solid South SO Of C the 17 Democratic members of oC the house hO louse only about are thoro thoroughly thorough thorough- b. b ly y acquainted with the yell en of the Confederacy Yet In the face of ot thIs his tremendous growth of Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- Democratic cratic membership coming comins out of the he North and the West the South Is as s In the saddle more solidly than ever er The of the tile house went to Representative Byrns of Tennessee who succeeded to the place made vacant i by y the late Henry Henry Hen TIen ry T. T RaIney of Illinois In the senate we see see Vice VIc President President I dent Garner the presiding officer a n Texan The majority leader Is as Senator Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Robinson of ot Arkansas Democratic leaders In the house have made certain that they will wUI not be e embar- embar bar Checking this year Radicals as th they y were ver In Inthe Inthe Inthe the first New D Deal l congress In that th-at s session they were constantly harassed by the radicals who sou sought ht to force votes on le legislation legislation legis legis- ls lation which the President ent and his advisers did not want and which for the same reason the Democratic Democrat Democrat- ic leaders did not want The radicals rad Seals accomplished their purposes by use of ot what is called the rule of ot discharge e of ot committees But that rule has been heen amended so that thatto thatto thatto to Invoke ol e It now actually a majority major ity of the house will have to sign a petition Under Under- the previous rule the sl signature signature sig sig- nature of 15 1 members of the house was sufficient to compel the discharge discharge dis ds charge of at a committee from consideration consideration con con- of ot any piece of at legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion Uon referred to It for action The necessary number of signatures was obtained In three embarrassing cases last year The s soldiers soldiers' bonus bonns bill was brought out by that method the Frazier Lemke farm mort mortgage age Inflation bill was released for a vote In the same manner The new house organization however Is Is determined 1 not to be embarrassed In that manner It succeeded succeeded suc suc- In Democratic caucus caucus bind bind binding In log ing on all Dem Democrats In In In having the original rule amended so that now there must be ba a majority m of all allhouse allhouse house members affixing their signatures signatures signa signa- tures to the discharge ischar e petition before before before be be- fore It becomes operative Q Western r Union |