Evening journal., 1918-06-17
AN INTIMATE ACCOUNTING.


CAD the President Of the United States in his address
- TO Congress. May 81, the necessity OF revenue
| legislation:
"The elections are at hand. and we ought as soor
as possible so and render intimate account OF
irusteeshp TO the people who delegated to act for
them in the weghty and anxious matters that crowd
upon us in these days OF critical choice snd scon Bu
we dare go 10 the elections until have done our
duty to the full"
FineI An intimate account Then, we take H. the
people TO be informed how the colossal sums OF
money which have been placed TO the credit OF the
administration by the peoples Representatives in Con
gress have expended. We to be told how much
into the arplans program. and what II has pro-
! duced: how many millions for experimentation; what
has been expended for ordnance uniforms small cabre
guns: the amount spent for 2iOOOOoO pairs Of
shoes and 100000 blankets.
We are to have an itemlDed statement OF George
Crees expenditures in the way OF propaganda. politics
and pine and the statement should show who is on
Cree's payroll.
We are to be told how much has been expended for
the shipping program, but probably not how much the
squabblins cost the country to the time that schawb
stepped into the several breaches.
We are to have the information requisite to inform
ourselves the merits Of the "cost plus" system az
compared with other methods of paying for contract
work.
Perhaps we viii be given peek at Mr. McAdoo's
railway finances and a statement OF the Farm Loan
Board showing assets their nature and liabilities their
nature.
The intimate account should show how contracts
have distributed throughout the country that
we may compare the paid by the various sections
with the benefits derived from which all the people
subscribed.
The account might well include the cost Of main
tanning in the ranks OF noncombaisnts the thousands
OF officers and sailors who have the physical
qualifications least TO in the line in order that
the people may express themselves to whether It
would or would not be better TO have older men,
anxious and ready their country take these
less exhauslng positions and thus several d
visions to work the determination Of the Hun
In fact the items which this intimate account should
render are legion The people will have their confidence
in the administration much expanded II they be taken
into the administrations confidence.
As to the remark "the people who delegated us 10
act for them IN the weghty and anxious matters which
crowd upon u.s. it has been the prevailing opinion in
this country that the deegatng done by the people
under the misconcepon that we had been kept out of
war and to be kept out Of war.
Mr. Wilson told the young voters at his summer
home Just before election. that "he certain prospect
Of the success Of the Republican psry is that we shall
be drawn, in one form another into the embroimens
OF the European war" on September 80 1916 we were
told that the election Of Hughes would mean war" and
the President assured the people OF Cincinnati that
This is the last great that involves the world thai
the United States can keep out off, while some time be
fore that. in address Congress- he declared II "a
war with which we have nothing to do war whose
causes DO not touch u.s." and, 1915 I'VE shall not
alter out attitude toward M because some OF rs are
nervous and excited"
He did alter his attitude thank God even though we
declared first and prepared war aftervard
but does any reasoning believe that had the coun
try been able to look forward ve short months the peo
pie would have delegated to the present administration
the task OF conducting our war with Germany