The Sun and the New York herald., 1920-09-24
Colossal Spending Of Our National
Government.

NOiOsshi SpenulnB Oi Our NhtiOhA
Government.
Our nelghbor the World grows hoI
under the collar because OF our Wash
ington despatch relating as straight
news the cold facts that some two
years after the war It Is costing nearly
Ave billions OF dollars a year, an ay'
erngc OF Si5,0OO,000 a working day, tC
run the United States Government, NJ
against some $1,000, 200 day in 1914
This colossal spending, the World de
clarcs, Is not the fault OF those who
are spending or have spent those bill
Ions Of dollars II Is neither the fault
Of the department heads, who tell Con
gress what money they must have ia
keep the Government going, nor the
fault Of the Administration which ID
responsible for these department
heads. The whole fault, triumphantly
declares the World, lies with the Re
publican Congress which appropriated
the moneys for the spenders to spend,
This Is how the World puts It:
Since all these thousands OF mill
Ions were appropriated by Republi-
can Congress which began It's work
Year ago last May. n Congress
which has refused TO make peace
and done nothing toward the redue-
tion OF war taxation. the blame can
not be shifted 10 the Executive De-
pRrtment."
Well, let's see. In the first place,
included in the Ave billions OF dollars
which Is still the annual cost 10 this
country Of conducting this Govern
ment there is about $1,000, 100000 re-
6ulred to wind up the stupGT1Ously
unsuccessful attempt OF Mr.. WILSON'S
Administration TO operate the Amer.
lean railway system as a Government
institution. These railroad contracts
were In existence, signed, sealed and
delivered when the Republican party
took control OF Congress, These con-
tracts, II 1t had been honorable and
wise 10 void them, could not have
been legally yoided by the United
States Congress
In the second place, included In the
Ave billions Is about another billion Of
dollars interest due on the money bor-
rowed by Mr.. WILSON'S Administration
and spent by Mr.. WILSON'S Admlnistra-
ton during the war. That war was
over within a week after the Republl-
can Congress was elected. The ar
mistlce was signed months before the
Republican Congress took Office. The
Republican Congress could not have
withheld this year or last year the mp
proprlations needed to pay interest on
those debts incurred by the Wilson
Administration without compelling the
United States Government to default
on Its most sacred financial obllga.
tions and forcing 1t into the most
scandalous Of all forms OF government
bankruptcy. -
In the third place. included in the
Ave billions Is quarter Of billion
OF dollars for sinking fund purposes,
&C., in connection with that same debt
incurred by the same Mr. WILSON'S
Administration.
In the fourth place, the grand total
Of all such expenditures contracted
for, incurred and carried out by Mr..
WILSON'S Administration In connec-
tion with the war was more than two
and three-quarters Of a billion out of
the FIVE billions of dollars.
And finally, Mr.. WILSON'S Admins
tratlon submitted to Congress Its es-
Inmates that 1t wodld need some two
and three-quarter billions more than
the FIVE billions It got. Mr.. WILSON'S
Administration asked Congress to give
1t that two and three quarter billions
more to spend, Mr.. WILSON'S Ad-
mlnistration begged Congress for 1t.
1t did everything 1t knew how to do
to get out Of Congress that additional
two and three-quarter billions, out It
did not get 1t from the Republican
Congress.
This is the difference between the
economy Of the appropriating Repub-
lican Congress and the squander Of
the spending Democratic Administra-
tion.