Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-24
ADVISES H|SPARTY
TO CUT EXPENSES
Mr.. Bailey Says Democrats
Ignore Their Pledge of
Economy.

staggering sums spent battle
ships, Notifications and other naval
and military items" are unnecessary
and profigate, according to Repre-
sentative Bailey. democrat. of Penn
sylvania, who points out to his party
that unless the pruning knife is WELD
ed with wide sweeps the country will
never know the difference between
democratic economy and republican
ideas of expenditures. In a statement
made for The Star. Representative Bailey
says that he does not retract the
word "perfidy." used him in charac-
terizing what he fears is the purpose
Of his party in keeping expenditures
up to the old extravagant republican
level. There isn't any other word to
fit the case" he said. IF the demo-
Gratis forget or ignore the pledge of
economy they made at Baltimore"
Where Knife Should Be Used.
Representative Bailey expresses very
definite views regarding the growths
which call for the pruning knife.
First of ALL" he said. II would lay
the AK at the root of the tree of mill
tarism. In no direction has the growth
of expeditures been so riotous as in
that of army and navy appropriations.
Hundreds of millions have been worse
than wasted On what they have called
preparedness: and now all the big
navy boomers and all the jingoes who
shout for more soldiers and more guns
and more Notifications are telling US
that we are farther from state OF
preparedness than ever.
Mr.. Bailey said he didn't believe much
in shipping little here and little
there" and added:
MANY a mickle makes a muckle. but
it was not of the little wastes and ex-
travagances / was thinking when / sug-
gested to the democratic leaders that In
proposing to raise a revenue equal to that
which the republicans have been wiring
ing from the people they were inviting
profligacy. while failing to keep faith with
the country. I was thinking of the stag
gering sums which we are spending on
battIeships and destroyers and fortiftca-
tons and other naval and military items.
AS a beginning I would be satisfied with
some liberal slashing here; and then II
might be advisable to slash more or less
when we reach the rivers and harbors
In large measure the river has ceased
to be a highway. Yet gigantic schemes
for river improvements are IN contempla-
ton, and they will be urged on Congress
with all possible insistence, on the plea
that the waterway will provide an effect
i've check upon the railroad.
Railway Enjoys Monopoly.
This overlooks the obvious fact that
the railroad has already put the water
way out of business and that it laughs
at water competition.
THAT the annual waste by the repub-
leans has been three hundred millions
NAV or may not be true" Mr. Bailey said.
LAS recall it. Nelson W. .Aldrich set that
figure as the measure of waste, and the
Rhode Island senator was not given to
hyperbole except in extoliing the pene1-
licences of the sacred tariff. don't pre-
tend to know just how much we are
wasting But I feel sure that it must
be more than we would waste were We
to reduce the volume of revenue through
A. genuine reduction in the burden OF
taxes
This is why I take the ground that the
first step toward economy and that sim
plicity which BELTS a democratic govern
ment is a reduction in the revenues we
have been gouging too much money out
of the people. There would have been
revolution long ago had we gouged 1T out
of them by the rude processes of direct
taxation BY the refined methods which
are actually in vogue we have done the
job very handsomely and without extort-
ing more than complaint about hard
tines 'overproduction' and lack of con-
fidence.
Should "Cut to the Bone"
II am sincerely of the belief that 1t Is
of the first Importance that the democrats
should cut the federal revenues to the
bone. They have made the country be-
lieve them regarding what they have said
about republican extravaganza, and the
country is going to hold them to a strict
account of their stewardship. II they
prove as wanton, as reckless. as ex-
trayaRant, as wasteful as the republicans
were charged with having been. then SO
much the worse for the democrats. They
will find it no easy task to convince the
country that another change is not
desirable"
Mr.. Bailey said further that in his
Judgment the pork barrel was splen-
did investment in comparison with some
items in the national budget against
which never a protest is raised. when
the government erects a public building
somewhere it usually gets value received.
he said, land usually the building pays
for itself: but your ten and fifteen million
dollar battleship is junk by the time it
gets af1oat, or If it isn't that, it is a con-
slant temptation to take it out on quest
for trouble