Show Bruckart's Washington Digest Theory o of Spending 1 Ourselves Out Of Depression Seen Unwise Course Evidence in Congress o of f Definite Determination to lo Cut Down Don on Appropriations Sound Sense of American People Always Finds Answers to Our Problems By WILLIAM VILLIAM BRUCKART Service National Press Washington D. D C. C WASHINGTON It It always has been m my conviction that the American Americ Ameri Ameri- c can m people will find a sound answer to every national problem if it they are arc given the Uie facts and the time to figure out what those facts mean They may be swayed t temporarily thc they may be led lcd or herded or threatened threatened threat threat- ened and these conditions may put them in a wrong spot temporarily but I repeat that if they are given time the national conclusion the collective thinking will be along sound lines They are demonstrating these things as a n fact again There is no doubt about it For five or six years a considerable majority of the nations nation's citizenry was following the theory of spending ourselves out of the depression It was an unsound unsound unsound un un- sound course obviously but money was made to do a lot of talking talking talking-as as money in billions of ot dollars will talk Lately however hardy American American American Amer Amer- ican thinking has been carrying the majority back baek to normal understanding understanding understanding under under- standing and the influence of spending spending spending spend spend- ing by the federal government is sagging distinctly Notwithstanding the statements frequently heard from Republican sources that you cant can't beat Santa Claus Glaus or the variation that you cant can't beat there is plenty of ot evidence to show that there is quite a definite determination to quit that sort of ot thing That is there is a determination in most places outside of the so called so-called called inner circle of New Dealers Especially is this true in the halls of congress where unless there is an earthquake earthquake earthquake earth earth- quake many important steps willbe will willbe willbe be taken by senators and representatives representatives representatives in the direction n sound of-sound- er government finance The old and familiar American traits of initiative initiative initiative initia initia- tive of saving of living within ones one's income are coining corning to the surface very rapidly an and the restoration of these traits to places of ot respectability respectability respectability in American life lite is being reflected reflected re re- re fleeted on capitol hill in Washington Opposition to Philosophy Of Spending Breaks Loose It will vill be recalled how the opponents opponents opponents of President Roosevelt's philosophy philosophy phi phi- of spending showed their mettle in the house of ot representatives tives when that body voted to cut ot oft o of the deficiency relief relief relief re re- re- re lief appropriation Mr Roosevelt asked for The cut was accomplished despite some hair- hair raising stories from official sources in the administration that elimination elimination elimination elimina elimina- tion of any my of- of the requested funds would mean suffering maybe starvation starvation starvation star star- maybe quick d death ath for many many- thousands of or persons Well the house members or a majority of them did not believe those stories and nd thus they made a start at cutting governmental spending They gave an indication at the same time that there must be bea a general revision of the federal governments government's machinery for relief I of the he unemployed During the debate debate de de- de bate and in the corridors one heard frequent expressions that congress had appropriated ted last year the funds the administration thought necessary ry to maintain relief relie until the end of next June But profligate spending spending spending spend spend- ing had used up the money and the I professional relievers had returned for or more Some of at the debate was quite acrimonious and various charges were hurled that the relief officials had tried again again- to buy the election that being why the funds ran short Immediately after the house was through with the relief bill the opponents op Ope of spending in the senate started after the appropriation There were many in that body who wanted to appropriate only for two r fr months proposing that in the meantime meantime meantime mean mean- time there should be a brand new relief relic setup devised But the majority majority majority ma ma- sentiment was swayed by the general argument that whatever the shortcomings of the Harry Hopkins Hopkins Hopkins Hop Hop- kins relief relic methods poor people should not be made the goats it was no fault o of the unemployed ed who needed help that Mr Hopkins now the secretary of ot commerce had made a mess of ot the relief relict program Beginning Only Foretaste Of f What Is Coming While it seems that a cut of which which is about one fifth the amount asked represents something something something some some- thing substantial this beginning is only a foretaste of ot what is coming com coming com ing The spenders have had their innings for tor five ve or six years or since Mr Roosevelt's R economy act of 1933 was abandoned as a pattern of ot government They have used various names and descriptions such as pump priming and spending to restore prosperity etc It H appears now however that their days are arc numbered I do not mean that everything in the way of government government gov gov- cash sop is going to be thrown out of the window at once I believe I can see however that tha curtailment of federal waste has begun that the national belt is goIng goIng going go- go Ing to be pulled tighter by a couple of ot notches and that sooner or later even the beneficiaries of the federal cash will note the stigma and slacken their demands One of ot the leaders in this direction direction direction tion has been Sen Harry Byrd the Virginia Democrat who is just as ashard ashard ashard hard boiled in preserving a sound national government as his senior the redoubtable Carter Glass Through thick and thin Senator Byrd has been attacking the spending spending spend spend- ing policies calling attention to to the dangers of an increasing national debt and the certainty that the country country country coun coun- try as a whole must bear the burden burden burden bur bur- den of ot added taxation He did this the while administration sharpshooters sharpshooters sharp sharp- shooters were firing one broadside after another at his head or hide The other night Senator Byrd g got goton goton t ton on the radio and told the country again what hat was happening He had some new facts and figures about the situation The Virginian asked some rather pertinent questions too about the situation in England He pointed out that England has not been running deficit after deficit and that as a matter matte of cold fact while the United States was adding more than to its national debt England was balancing its budget and making some headway in reducing its national debt States Take Heed and Start Cutting Expenses Due largely the senator thought to the fact that England Engla d had tried to live within its income as an in individual individual individual in- in would do that nation had hada a national income in 1937 that was per cent of ot its income in 1929 Which is to say that it was more prosperous than in 1929 Senator Byrd pointed out that this had happened happened happened hap hap- hap hap- while our government was running from a billion or so to five or six b billions into debt each year He suggested moreover that if the United States had done as well this country's national income would now be instead of the 60 which was estimated for 1938 The thought was then advanced advanced ad ad- that England had not tried to harry and frighten business business' which was employing people who wanted work not charity cha There are arc other things happening besides the Byrd attacks and the congressional action on relief appropriations appropriations to indicate the growing strength of those who believe spending spending spend spend- ing borrowed money has been and andis andis andis is unwise Word has come through to Washington of the action of several several sev sev- eral governors who are insisting I that their states stales avoid getting into the hole Governor Cochran of Nebraska Nebraska Ne Ne- braska a Democrat and Governor Go Bricker of Ohio a Republican each has put their respective state legislatures legislatures legislatures legisla legisla- tures on notice that expenditures are areto areto to be pared to the bone There are I others who could be named but I from the information we have here herein in Washington Governors Cochran and Brieker Bricker are the outstanding ex ex- amples It might be said that these refer only to states stated and not ot to national policies Very well No state executive executive ex ex- could get away with such su-ch a program m unless he had the thc backing backing backing back back- ing of a majority of his own people peo peo- U they believe that way about state ala affairs rs there Is no reason to think they will take a contrary view concerning the national treasury and funds which it must borrow to spend Pump Priming Gifts to States Force Them to Borrow Further nearly all of the federal appropriations for tor pump priming when granted to states or or r lesser jurisdictions are offered on condition condition condi condi- tion that the state or city or county must put up an equal amount In hundreds of at cases in the last six years this policy has resulted in instates instates sta states tes or lesser subdivisions of government government government gov gov- being forced to borrow on its own bonds in order to get hold of ot the federal cash The result new debt It becomes clear therefore that if it the state executives insist on reduced expenditures they are unlikely unlikely un un- likely to accept these federal gifts bec because use of ot the proBable added debt burden Another thing likely to happen in some of the states Is added taxes The state legislatures are due for foran foran foran an awakening as to the actual condition condition con con- di ion of ot their state finances Some may dodge it this year but facts will have to be faced When new taxes come what a howl there will be bel That howl will be heard in congress congress congress con con- gress too both bolli concerning state and county and city taxes on the one hand and national taxes on the other hand It appears to me that taxes will prove to be the best antidote for the poison of borrowing to spend that can be found 0 Western Newspaper Union |