The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-05-27
BY ellison Gardner.

WASHINGTON, ID. o., May II.
AS business proposition the
United States government is in a
bad way. You are stakeholder
in this corporation. You will be
interested, therefore, in a little
talk about how things stand.
Your corporation is running be-
hind. United States government
has now only a small available
cash balance. That is, it is small
compared to the demands made
upon it. The directors of the cor
poration (your secretary of the
treasury and your members of con-
gress) are talking about $780,
100000 bond issue. What about
it? Why is it necessary? What
good will this do?
Your corporation is spending
more than. comes in. Expenses
are now running along at about a
billion dollars year. During the
last two years the revenues have
Jagged behind until the deficit now
reaches a really huge figure.
1t will soon be case of borrow
or fail to pay. The credit of Unit
ed States government is always
pretty good. Lots of people are
ready at any time to lend on the
security Of United States govern
ment's promise to pay. But b'or-
rowing to pay running expenses is
not regarded as good finance. A
man does not do it in his own af-
as a regular thing-and
he does not do 1t in his private
business. If the income did not
measure up to the outgo you or
any other business man would
shut down the works, or get out
the trimming knife.
Where does the money go? This
is what the average business man
always inquiries when he confronts
this kind of a situation.
The total cost-that is, the total
money from the United
States government, In a year, is in
Dictated by the total amount of ap-
made by congress for
a year. For instance, take the last
session of congress. This congress
ippropriated-that is. authorized
he expenditure of-$1, 044,014,-
2OS.23. Between June 80, 1909,
and June 80, 1910, which is the
Measure of the Fiscal year." as
they call it, that is the amount of
money which will be paid out.
Where does 1t go?
A good many people will be sur
prised to learn that the biggest
item is pensions to survivors Of
the civil war. In the years APP
pensions amount to-
$160,90s,000.
The next biggest outlay is on
account of prospective wars. The
navy and the army are our other
biggest expenses. The navy appro-
priation for this year is 1885,
1895. Then comes the army,
which costs $101,197,470.34. To
the army expense 1t is perfectly
proper to add, however, money APP
for Notifications,
$8,17O,111, and money
for the military acad-
envy, $2,531,521.33. Then, to be
accurate, there are a lot
Of items mixed up in the regular
supply bills which are known as
permanent appropriations" and
which ought to be charged to mill
tary expenditures. These, when
collected and summed up, will
to about $116, 100000. 30
the war account may be
charged with about $525,742,-
301.72. If we deduct this sum
from the total of appropriations,
$1,044,014,208.23, we
find that about half OF our total
are devoted to wars,
past and expected.
Can the war account be cut?
Pensions7 Who dares raise the
cry against the deserving old sol
der? Nothing doing on cutting
the pension list.
Navy7 Mr.. Senator Hale IL In
favor OF cutting down the navy.
He wants smaller battleships, and
fewer OF them. But how about the
stockholders in the United States
government corporatfonf Great
Britain is building Dreadnaughts
bigger and faster than we are. So
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