Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-06
EASY MONEY" VOTED
UNDER SPUR OF WAR
Congress Piling Up Appropri-
ations With Unprecedented
Swiftness
S5O,OOO,OO0 A STANDARD
Vast Powers of Expenditure in Bills
Sponsored by Nonpartisan
League
By J. HAMPTON MOORE
Washington, April

NllIc Congress committees NtA
celebrating upon the War Finance Cor
poratiou and the Third Liberty Loan
bills, two Of the greatest financial meas
ures over presented 10 any parliamen'
tary body. the Rules Committee was
busy in the House forwarding out Of
place certain other hills which In nor
NAL times would not have had Il lOUN-iu.
one of these was the SjO,000,vU0 housing
bill, a bill introduced by the labor inter-
ests after the S5OOO0,O00 ship yard
housing bill was favorably considered.
but which, after a short consideration
had been given il by the Committee on
Labor, was transferred by vote Of the
House to the Committee on Buildings
and Grounds
The bin as reported by the latter conf
mittcc was SO general in its terms that
the opinion was freely expressed during
the debate that the Secretary Of Labor
who is to spend the SjU.UUu. UO0--ad-
vauced To- SGO,Uo0,0U0 by the House.
would be fortunate it he got through
without scandal II was not clear where
the money was to be spent. but the
supporters of the measure spoke en-
Enthusiastically Of the necessity for it as
~ war measure" and pictured the hard.
ships ana delays resulting from the in
ability Of the Government or it's -ru-
tractors suitably to accommodate the
thousands Of men and women now work.
my for it. including those in the District
OF Columbia
If the Government could afford to give
the shipping board $50 O00. 900 TO take
care Of the shipyard workers, it was
argued, II could also afford 90 nut up
temporary buildings 10 house uuuitiou
workers ana others whose services were
needed 10 win the war. The southern
representatives heartily supported Tho
measure, the presumption being that thc
new nitrate plant at Muscle shoals and
certain other stations in the South are
to be cared for by the Secretary OF
Labor The bill empowers the Sccrc-
tary To buy, acquire or condemn land
wherever he thinks IL suitable: tu buy
or build houses and make necessary
terms with the Wurkmcu for their nr-
rupancy. Like many other bills originate
ing with the war this one mu,os lunp
sum appropriation and contcrs powers
so general HS TO make the AdmIulStra-
unn almost absolute over those who are
caught In the way. II may construct
towns and Villages overnight auT
abandon them the next day.
The Western seed HiI
rN'N'''''' 'lll Nlll'll 'bllIt blhlE UlltH Y
rll" was the so-Callcd Bu,r seed bill
carrying $l0,OOO,OOO for seed and labor
for farmers who are unable To- buy seed
IN the regular way This bill as origi-
uaily presented to the House 10y Young
Mt Raer. Ul North Dakota. the first rep
ttsontatiVc in Congress of the Nunpar-
usau League called for an apprupria-
ton Of $5p.ooo, ,0O0. that having come to
De popular sum for most any new
project to ask for Il starter All Mr..
Barr wanted to do at the outset was to
help North and South Dakota. Wyoming.
Montana and Texas, the latter being q
good political ally for the purposes of
the bill, by giving credit to their farm
ers and stock raiscrs who were in iiuau-
cial distress. \ farmer i'm Pennsylvania
whose potato or cabbage crop failed or a
New Jerey farmer whose tomato market
was glutted, us il occasionally has BEEN
was not 10 be the beneficiary Of the bill
The influence of the NOnpartiSau League
had not yet extended into those states
Moreover, the banks of the East were
supposed 10 be at the disposal of the
farmers there, while the western aud
southern banks are sometimes accused
Of charging cNorbitaut interest rates
Hence TN" advantage Of having the Gov
crument ready to engage i'm the banking
business. >
Tho Committee on Agriculture tool;
the Bacr bill under consideration. Many
Of its mcmbcrs did not like the priuci-
pie involved. Mr. Hoover Is said to nHNc
iudorsed IT, saying the grant Of seed Ca
certain farmers would improve the
wheat supply Secretary HIoustoI. Of
the Department Of Agriculture, is said
20 have taken II reverse view. ON the
ground that the department was abb
TO supply seed to farmers at cost for
cash. The committee djG mot print tine
testimony uf thcs" two officials for up-
litiCU reasons; but finally. after some
Of the "hghcr-upS' are said TO have
been consulted, the committee reported
its $l0,OOOOOO compromise Hill, adding
a provision for supplying farmers with
labor and paving the way for transpor-
tatiou and distribution Of men willing
to work on the farm through the De
partment of Agriculture, notwithstand-
ing the Department Of Labor is already
engaged in that kind of work.
The largest amount which any iudi-
viduui farmer can borrow from the Gov
ernmcnt on this plan Is $3.50. II he
has mo- property the department is 20
take his promissory note. II hc docs
not pay. the Government loses Il Is a
new venture. and one iu which the Gov
crnmont INDUCES Tor tho first time. or
course it goes through as "a War-cucr-
grucy measure"
The Noupurtisau League which ad.
vocatud the Baer measure, which the
House put through i'm amended form,
is the creation Of a Northwestern or
gauzer who has grouped large num-
beU Of tarmers in North Dakota and
elsewhere into a political aud economic
combination for mutual advantage