Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-10-31

| This is the fore-runner of a xeries
of letters to be sent every little
while by the National Woman's Lib
erty Loan Committee. These will
tell you something of how the vast
sums Of money appropriated for the
prosecution of the war are being
spent by the Government.
The money we pay out and what
we get for it is a fair statement Of
our war program and of our nation
al achievement so far, and indicates
definitely the magnitude of our UNI
dertaking, the giant scale of prep
aration and the standard we have
set for ourselves in this grim
struggle to preserve our national
life and the civilization Of the world.
What we have done so far points to
what is before us--what we must do
week by week and month by month
till the war is won.
In normal times--in peace tiacs
lit cost about billion dollars
year to run the Government. For
/ fiscal period ended June 80, 1918
Congress appropriated in round nuns
bers, including deficiencies, $18,S82.
100000. For 1919 Congress has APP
lpropriated in round numbers at the
present session, including deficien-
cies and appropriation bills pending.
i 1924, 1870, 100000
The mind is often confused over
appropriations and expenditures.
4 Congressional appropriations fix the
limit of what may be used. Then
the Government Departments and
bureaus spend what is necessary,
land at the end Of the year the APP
preparation lapses. Official figures
show that for tina aaeal year 1918
the Government spent 1906, 702,-
471.14, and in addition during the
war months Of 1917 disbursed $685.
100000 for loans to Allies.
Up to the very day we entered
the war Germany believed that vic
tory for the Central powers lay just
( ahead A strong factor in this cali
| culation was their belief that the
, Entente powers were financially ex-
j. Sausted.
, Germany had spent fifty years
: preparing for war of conquest.
r She knew that from its very start
E she must wage it from within the
] circle composed of herself and her
! Allies, that she must produce from
j within this circle her raw, stuffs and
D manufactured material, and by 50
! doing this, through the war has COM
/ tinued for beyond the eighteen
q months that Germany set for its
a winning eff there was to be win
! ning-she has kept her money at
e home, used it over and over again
V as the same water often turns the
n wheels Of many mills.
b Our Allies, on the other hand
n owing chiefly to their lack Of prep
r aration, had come into the markets
s Of the United States for most Of
d their war necessaries, and in the
k years Of our neutrality their account
g with us totaled approximately &c.,
4 1884, 24,547
: A nation and an individual are a.
d like when they want to buy anything
e they must have money or credit
J. which is based on money. Our
g Allies were short on both and wa
u Supplied their need. We advanced
v them money and credit, and we call
& led the transaction a loan. Their
0 securities and governmental under
ltakings to repay lie in the vaults Of
1.-THE Treasury of the United States.
What the Allies did with that
credit or money is Of vast impor-
e. lance to US. They looked to Us
e Ito supply them with wheat and corn
r land cotton from our fields, coal and
4 ore from our mines, and finished
e lproducts from our factories and
0 foundries, otherwise they could moi
o remain at war, so they bought this
n credit that we had lent them intc
e our markets and spent it over our
e counters.
e During the fiscal year 1918 our
: exports amounted to $6,000,000, 900
Six billion is six thousand millionl
: Most Of. these went to our Allies,
J, and was turned Immediately and
a Eagerly into fighting stuff for win
e ming their war-our war.
t You will be interested in knowing
some of the things our Allies
s really did with the sums we lent
5 them. First they used over $780,
: 100000 for relief in Belgium and
t Servia. The people in Belgium call
a lit blessed meiiey," Beside the e.
! lrorno,,s aynenditures annhraced in