Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-01-20
MINNE00TAk LAYS INCREASED
COST OF GOVERNMENT
TO COLONEL
CALLS HIM EXPENSIVE LUXURY
AAtllions Spent During His Administers
ton for Armament.-His Reek-
less Waste Felt in
All Directions.

ment on the military account alone
were two and quarter billion dol
lars" said James A. Tawney. OF Min
nesota, who for six years has beer
chairman Of the committee on appro
tivss. Mr.. Tawney came over from
Washington to deliver an address al
the Cooper Union meeting of the New
York Peace society.
THAT is part answer to your ques
ton as to the cause of the rapid and
enormous increase in the cost Of the
federal government" he continued
when we emerged from the four
years of the Civil war-the bloodisst
and costliest strife Of modern times
the national debt on that account was
only three billions. So you see the
seven and half years of Roosevelt
ism in time of profound peace and
Of prodigious industrial and business
activity, in spite OF the man and his
ways, cost the people of the United
States almost as much in treasure for
war purposes as did the Civil war.
ours is now . billion dollar gov.
eminent, the only one in the world
and the only one the world has ever
known. 1t became billion dollar gov
eminent under the regime of Theo
dore Roosevelt with his imperialistic
ideas and his new nationalism, which.
although enunciated by him only re
Gently, nevertheless was put into prac'
tice by him before ho left the White
House.
Great Present Problem.
1.-THE most serious problem that con
fronts the craftsmanship OF the coun'
try at present is to cut down the ex
psnses of the national government
Roosevelt Capitalization and Roose
Welt militarism are so interlocked-
the two always 60 together-that they
were almost inextricable. 1t will re
quire high order OF craftsmanship
to untangle them and get us back OF
the old ground. doubt that my Dem
ocratic brethren who are to control
the next house will be able to make
much Roadway.
"Of the billion dollars the Ameri
can people pay annually for the sup
port alone of their federal government
more than seven hundred and ten mil
lions are spent for wars We have had
or wars we are preparing for.
in other words, more than II pei
cent of the revenues collected annual
ly by the government is paid out on
the military account in all forms
pensions, the army. the navy, FORTH
cations, etc.
The pension roll. which, now costs
something more than $160,000,000, 10
bound to decrease substantially in q
short time. So we will not consider
that as a factor OF very great import
ance.
Before the Spanish war. when the
army was nearly third its present
size, its average annual cost for eight
years was less than S24,OO0,O00. In
1903, under the second year of Roose
velt's first administration, it's cost shot
up suddenly to nearly $92,o00,000,
The average annual cost for the eight
year period from 1903 to 1910 was
something over Ss3.0o0,00o.
Under Rooseveltism. the navy'e
cost shows an even bigger and more
pretentious increase. For the same
eight-year period it jumped from an
average of $27.5oO.oo to s1o2, 100000.
RooseveIt's Ambition.
Probably a remark Roosevelt once
made to me in the White House when
he was urging enormous appropria
tons for new ships will throw light on
his methods and his motives. have
never repeated it before for publica.
ton, but it would just as we'll come
out row as at any time.
"'Tawney,' said the president when
insisting upon the withdrawal of my
opposition to one of his pet naval
measures, before quit the presidency
! want it said that l built the biggest
warship the world had ever known up
to that time
"He displayed the same extravagant
notions about the army. and especially
fortihcations. Why. he actually want
ed to build an artificial island or
Manila bay as complement to the
Corregidor defenses, at the cost Of
$1O,oOo,OOO. And this artificial Gibral
tar was to be built in water so feet
deep. When Mr.. Roosevelt left the
White House the total cost Of our mil
itary and the army and navy was three
million dollars greater than that Of
France, with standing army of hall
million men and navy with larg
er personnel than ours, and only forty.
six millions less than Great Britain
which has the biggest navy in the
world and an army of between three
and four hundred thousand.
The enlisted strength of our army
at that time was less than 10000, with
about 10000 men in the navy. Roose
welt as president forced more retire
nents from the army and navy thar
probably anyone. During the terms o.
all his predecessors ccrlbinsd. excsp'
i.incOln's of course, these things cost
he government much money, for every
retired officer draws pay until he dies.
In Other Directions.
But Roosevelt extravaganza was
not confined to the military services.
It extended with the same reckless
disregard to the strictly civil branches
Of the government. Only those Of us
who have served on the two appropri.
atoms committees of congress know
the full story OF his extravaganza.
Without the warrant of law, he ap-
! rNto