River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-08-02
Washington Letter
(By James 4. Frear, NJ. CO.

war purposes, Senator Smoot, who
is probably the best authority on
finance in the Senate, gave a care
fully prepared statement t o b e
Senate o h e financial situation
wherein he said that during the first
year of our entrance into the war,
according to present estimates, ap-
preparations will reach $17, 900, 000,-
900 although, to use his words. We
have hardly started the war" Dur
ing two years and nine months of
war, England issued SIS, SIS ,0OO,-
900 of bonds, France $40, 532 900, 900,
Russia $11 1896, 900, 900, Germany S13-
$4,000, 900, and Austria and Hung
airy combined, S. 1862 900, 900, where
as from present indications accord
ing to his statement, this country
will raise more than any other OF
the warning nations and in a period
covering about one-third of t
time. Of the ST., 900, 900, 900, how
ever, Sc, 900, 900, 900 has been raised
for loans to the allies, leaving act
ual expenditures in round numbers
at about $4,000, 100000 Senator
Smoot made this statement during
the consideration of the River and
Harbor Bill in the Senate and it is
worthy of note that he said concern
ing that bill, that if the American
people understood i S character,
which he termed rotten" Sena-
tors who voted for it would never
be sustained by their constituents.
This statement and others made by
strong men in the Senate shows the
progress in p u i C declarations
against a bill which is becoming
known as a 'spoils" bill. We have
been accustomed to speak in bill
ions so that the actual amount is
not comprehended by the public in
general. One method of comparl
son can be taken from our own
State appropriations and 1t is the
writer's recollection that w
serving as Auditor, the annual ap-
propriations for Wisconsin t h
reached something over SO, 100000,
or less than one thousandth part
of the sum which has been called
for during the first year of the war.
The effect of Secretary McAdoo' S
request has been to render more I'M
certain the time at which Congress
will adjourn, because additional
means must be provided for raising
the required funds.
That h e consumer must snare
the high cost Of paper burden is the
verdict of those who have been
fighting the so-called paper trust.
Metropolitan papers have begun adj
yancinq prices and the only way that
the burden can be met is charging
up the increase to the consumer,
which means to the subscriber and
advertiser. Public methods of curb
ing extortion are usually ineffective
but the Trades Commission, head
ed by Commissioner Joseph E. Dav'
les, of Wisconsin, is pressing vigor-
ously for a reduction in, p &c S
charged by paper manufacturers.
Paper prices during 1916 were high
er than ever before but by January
1917, the prices on the same paper
had Jumped $3.50 a ton above prices
during the first half of 1916 This
is from the official report of the
Commission. Based on information
received from such investigation
an indictment of news print manu-
facturers was begun in April Of the
present year by a Federal Grand
Jury in the Southern district OF
New York. About month prey.
iously, a n arbitration agreement
was entered into with several lead.
ing news print paper manufactur.
ers, to be carried on by the Federal
Trade Commission, which it was es.
timated would have saved many
millions of dollars to the publish
ers of the United States. 1t is an
interesting fact that the indictments
found during the next month in,
cluded four of the manufacturers
who had previously joined in the
arbitration agreement. T h var
came on in April and proceedings
a'e now pending against the paper
people under the Sherman Anti
Trust Law. Efforts have been made