New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-03
The Dehcit-and an Extra
Session.

OSSSlOu.
The Treasury deficit for 1914-1915 is
SS5.S64.3S1. Last March Mr.. Simmons
the chairman Of the Senate Committee on
Appropriations, trying to meet the
charges Of legislative extravaganza made
by Mr.. Fitzgerald, the chairman Of
the House Committee on Appropriations
admitted the probability Of a deficit Of
S26.OOO.OOO. The Tribune thought that
figure was too low and predicted that the
deficit would exceed $30,000,000. Our pre-
diction has now been fully verified.
A year ago there was a surplus Of 1884,
41s.716, go that in twelve months the
Treasury has been set back about S7O,-
100000. Those who do not like to face
the indictment Of wastefulness drawn
against the Wilson administration by Mr.
Fitzgerald, and now sustained by the
Treasury's balance sheet, will try to
throw the responsibility for the deficit on
the war. But the war was not to blame
for it. It Is true that customs receipts
fell off about SS2,O00,O00. But in
come taxes were collected for full year
instead of for ten months, as in 1914, and
Congress imposed emergency war revenue
taxation which in the seven months from
December l TO July brought in probably
little over S50,OOO,0OO. The Treasury
would, in fact, have come out nearly even
in the year Just ended if the expenditures
had not been unwarrantably boosted. The
increase in ordinary expenditures last
wear was S31 ,0OO,O 900, within five millions
Of the amount Of the annual deficit
The outlook for the present year is
very black. The Treasury received lest
year a windfall Of S13,OOO,000 from the
sale Of the battleships Idaho and Missis-
sippi Seven-thirteenths Of the total ex-
pected to be realized under the emergency
revenue tax law, which expires by limita-
ton December 81, have already been
collected. Next March all sugars are To
90 on the free list and there will be con-
siderable reduction in the sugar revenues
for 1914-1915-possibly reaching S10,-
100000. Meanwhile Congressional appro-
priations have been mounting and expen-
ditures this year will materially exceed
last years. If the administration does
not issue Panama Canal bonds for the
purpose Of paying back cash advanced
from the general fund, it will have to
ask Congress to help the Treasury out by
imposing more taxes.
If no other need Of the country can com
pei the President TO call Congress together
in extra session, stringency in the Treas
ury may ultimately jolt him out Of his re-
luctance 10 let Congress share with him
any of the responsibilities Of the present
situation. If more money is needed to
meet the extravagant appropriations OF
the last session, the President must ask
Congress for it, and if he calls Congress
together that body may be spurred by
Pahlic opinion to provide for the national
defence, to repeal the idiotic La Toilette
seamen's law and to perform other ur-
gent patriotic services.
Taxation for great national purposes Is
not begrudged by the people. The coun-
try Is willing to pay for a better army
and a better navy, regarding each as an
indispensable investment. What it COM
plains of in the sort of initiation of ex-
penditure Of which the last Congress
was guilty is the waste Of public funds in
the improvement of rivers and harbors
for the benefit Of small local interests and
the planting of $5OOOO $4,000 and $780,
600 public buildings in towns where such
buildings are a fantastic luxury.
Enough could be saved on our present
appropriations to reorganize the army
and increase the feet. Senator Aldrich's
dictum still holds good, for if appropria-
tons were always made for the benefit of
the country as a whole and not for the
benefit Of individual politicians and in
dividual constituencies-if all pork bar
rels were cast into fiery furnace Of real
embellishments $500 100000 a year, bat
q very large part of that sum could De
saved on our present outlay and then
dedicated to our long neglected national
defence.
The great failure Of the Wilson admin
istration so far has been in its coun-
tenancing Of proftless public expenditure
and its indifference TO that mobilization
of our national resources needed to give
weight to our protests against interna-
tional lawlessness and to double the value
20 civilization of our firm championship
Of neutral rights.