The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-28
Right Spending In War; Wrong
Spending Now.

While Congress is preparing to COM
pei a cut In war expenditures, there
is given out in Washington list OF
some of the reserve stocks Of army
supplies In the hands Of the War De-
partment They are colossal Tn,
amount Of money locked up in them
is fabulous; but they are not an In
dictment Of those who piled them M
mountains high. Let US pick from
that list a few of the items.
There appear some 22.5OO.OO0 trou-
sers and breeches. At the prices paid
for those articles they would amount
in value to some S157, 100000. There
appear some 100000 coats, cost
about $17O.OOO.OOO. and 1000 900
overcoats, cost about So. 100000. Also
there appear some 100000 pairs of
drawers and the same number Of un-
dershirts, cost about $3.50, 200, 900; up.
ward OF 10000 600 flannel shirts, S35..
100000: 46,O0O.O00 pairs Of stockings,
$1S,OO0.OOO; 5.5O0.OO0 blankets, $751;,
5000; 5000. 900 pairs Of gloves and
mittens, about $25,O00,OO0; 11.0OO,OOO
pairs Of shoes, $66.OOO.OOO.
Now. while those items merely Of
clothlng-and there are many others
account for nesrly three quarters
of billion OF dollars, while there are
on hand as well vast quantities Of
surplus provisions, horses. mules, fod-
der, &C., the purchase of horses aud
mules having amounted to more thai
$3.50, 600 900, no rational man Is going
TO blame the Government for having
such stupendous wealth locked up in
supplies for which there Is now no
immediate need. no prospect OF use.
On the contrary, II the Government.
expecting to maintain 4,OO0,OOU tight'
ing men in France. had not abun-
dainty provided for everything neces-
sary to crush the enemy under an
avalanche of man power. gun power.
munition power and money power 1t
would have been guilty to the last de-
gree OF incompetent. hlotlc. criminal
sacrifice of our men and our opportu-
nifty In the crisis Of the nation and
Of the world.
1t will take long time for the
million men whom we are to retain
! indefinitely in the service to use W.
more than 22,OO0,OO0 pairs of trou.
sers and more than 100000 coats.
1t will take them long time to use
up 45,OO0,O00 pairs of drawers and
i6,OO0,OO0 undershirts, with another
10000, 900 flannel shirts. II will take
them long time to use up 46.0O0OOO
pairs Of stockings and even 100000
pairs Of shoes Yet II there were In
the reserve stocks Of supplies twice
the number Of each Of those articles
that there il nobody could reasonably
find word Of fault.
The same thing Is true OF rifles, OF
light guns and heavy guns, of high
explosives and low explosives, OF
I every single war tool that was neces.
sary as long as we were fighting, and
they had to be provided not only for
the present but for the future.
But when, with pence here, we have
oil these hundreds of thousands OF
tons Of surplus supplies; when there
Is locked up In them, tight Us q drum,
a treasure Of billions OF dollars; when
though the shoes and the clothes may
some day be worn and the provisions
may some day be consumed by peace
troops or by somebody there can be
no use Of those war tools by anybody
It is the widest squander Of public
money ever dreamed OF for bureaus
of this Government to go on spending
and spending to pile up more and
more Of what will never be used
though the already overburdened back
OF the taxpayer is broken to pay the
bills for II.
The war spenders are still keeping
industrial machinery at work making