Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-03-04
CANNOT SAVE MUCH.
CONGRESS is NOT LIKELY TO
KEEP EXPENDITURES BELOW
BILLION MARK.
PLENTY OF ADVICE AT HAND
Work OF the Economy and Efficiency
Commission Has Sympathy OF
Democratic Leaders But Its Sug-
gestions Are Not Followed.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.


Washington. = Cutting mere ana
cutting there, and in between here
and there. probably viii not avail 10
prevent the session of congress now
drawing to close from joining the
billion-dollar class of its predecessors.
The Democrats preached economy,
and it is only due them to say that
if they keep the expenditures down
to the figures of the last two or three
sessions, they will have done some
thing in the way of saving, but moth
ing like SO much as was hoped by the
leaders who expected to set an ex-
ample for sessions of the future.
The expenses of the government
grow year by year because the num-
'bers and the needs of the governed
grow, and so long as the old system
of making appropriations continues to
exist, The certainty seems TO be, con-
gressmen say, that the expenses must
continue to pile UP. The Democrats
have shown some sympathy with the
work of the economy and efficiency
commission and granted money so
that the commissioners could con-
tinue their labor
Congress has been given informa-
ton about how to save money. 1t has
been transmitted direct from the
computation tables of the economy
commissioners. 1t is true that if the
plans of the commission are followed
there will be no more billion-dollar
sessions for a long time to come
Whether governmental activities will
be crippled remains for the future to
prove.
Fear They viii Lose Jobs.
Already congress has enough ad-
vice in it's possession to make the saw
ing attempt, but thus far it has not
acted upon it. Possibly it is waiting
until all the advice comes in. Not
long ago the law makers were told
how much money could be saved in
the Office of the adjutant general OF
the war department. Instantly the
officers who would be directly or in
directly effected protested and said
that the commission had made
mistake. 1t was agreed that the sys-
TEN in the adjutant generals office
might be changed to advantage. but
there was opposition, with arguments
to back it, that it would be unwise to
cut down the clerical force.
The great fear of the employees OF
the government is that if the economy
program of the administration com
mission be adopted, thousand OF
workers will lose their jobs. 1t does
not seem to have been the intention
of the commission to recommend that
the unnecessary employees in the ad-
iutant generals office should be dis
missed from the service. The plan
was to keep them all st work and to
have the decrease in the force come
naturally that is, through reslgna'
tions or deaths, places thus made va
cant to remain vacant.
Can't Resist Temptation.
Speaker Clark, Majority Leader I'm
derwood and Representative Fitzger'
aid. chairman of the appropriation
committee. have urged that economy
be served, but their following has run
away from them. There are river and
harbor improvements and other
things of advantage locally which
appealed to the Democratic members
who have found themselves in the
majority for the first time in years
and the temptation not only to ask
but to take, has been too great to be
resisted. If the Democratic leaders
after the full reports have been re
ceived from the economy and eff
cheney commission, intend to force a
record for saving, they must induce
their followers to adopt the commits.
sion's recommendations, and at least
to try them out
From the beginning of the work OF
the economy commissioners it has
been urged that while billion-dollar
sessions may continue to be the rule
the government can get a much great.
err return for its money if the plans
suggested are adopted 1t is said
that two or three hundred million
dollars can be saved yearly by judi
cious reimbursement of the machinery
of the government. The plan which
mas been suggested is to take the
money which is saved and to put il
to other uses for the benefit of the
people, such as the extending of the
work of the good roads office, the es-
Establishment of a department of health
and the founding of "a bureau which
will care for certain things which will
benefit the business inCerests of the
country.
Taft Goods Go March 3.
On the afternoon of March
an ordinary May-day moving van
will appear under the portico of
the White House where ordinarily no
vehicle is seen excepting the limousine
or the carriage drawn by blooded
horses. President Taft and his fam
lily are packing up their things, and
so are President-elect Wilson and his
family. the ones to go and the others
to come President Taft's White
House belongings will be sent away
March 3 and the family will follow on
the next morning.
There will be several moving davs
in Washington early next month The
cabinet officers and their families. or
most of them at any rate, will pack up
and clear ec5. some of them to return