The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-23
ADVOCATES
SWEEPING
MEASURES
Senator Frelinghuysen
Presents Reconstruc-
tive Program.

washington, Dec. 23.-A sweep
ing "reconstructive" program fof
the next administration. to ef-
feet a return to constitutional gSS.
ernment" and to place the public
administration, on q "business-hKe
and efficient basis" was advocated
in an address in the senate TO-DAY
by Senator Frelinghuysen. Republic
can of New Jersey. II the Repubii-
can administration fails to do the
things the people expect OF it, The
senator declared. they will turn
on us as they have on the Demo-
cratic party"
AS immediate steps in the direc-
ton Of cutting down OF government
expenditures, Senator Frelinghuy-
sen advocated reduction to = pre-
war basis of the number OF govern
ment employees; abolition OF the
bureau of war risk insurance and
transference Of its function to the
pension Office, and establishment OK
public works and public welfare
departments to eliminate duplica-
ton Of work, in governmental
bureaus and to increase efficiency.
Declaring that 80 per cent OF the
ex-service men who took out In
surance policies with the govern
ment had dropped them, the sena-
tor said the government could n0e
conduct IAN insurance business q
a loss" and that it was . "fair
conclusion that the war risk insur-
ance bureau was failure"
Repeal Unwise LAWS.
Pointing to the nations progress
| in world trade and commerce a .
result of the opportunities present.
ed by the war, Senator Frelinghuy-
:; sen declared these economic ad-
vantages could not be held unless
we repeal unwise tariff laws and
rescind unwholesome physical prac-
tees"
American industry must be pro-
tected and fostered by scientific
tariff law" he said, ''along with .
! scientific method of securing for
eign trade"
The senator declared he was in
hearty sympathy" with pending
tariff legislation to protect the
farmer from falling crop prices, but
that other producers also were suf-
fering from price declines and that
the farmer must not ask that his
prices be kept up and the price Of
, articles he has to buy be brought
down."
He was opposed generally, he
said, to keeping up" fictitious
prices created during saturnalia
of imitation"
Discussing the question Of main
tenance of naval forces as affecting
the tax burden Of all nations, the
New Jersey senator declared it was
impossible for this country to act
) alone in the matter of disarmament
and that he was in favor OF pro-
posals to Great Britain and Japan
that their naval forces and ours
be disarmed pro-rata."
| Extra Sinking Fund.
Turning to government finances
Senator Frelinghuysen advocated
extension Of the present sinking
fund operations to cover the ma
tion's floating Indebtedness as we'll
as its bonded war debt.
II I'VE should remedy our entire
present fiscal arrangements" he
said, .'by taking the tax from small
incomes. removing the excess prof
its taxes and the su.tax taxes and
at the same time gain more revenue
from a protective tariff and by tar
on manufactured sales For render
ing less complicated our entire
.. fiscal affairs, the enactment Of q
, budget system is vital"
:, Asserting a need for increased
efficiency in the government depart
, ments the senator said the depart
|, ment of labor should 'be reorgan-
ized and social system eliminated.
! The department of commerce
made an aggressive. reliable and