Republican farmer., 1920-06-18
APPROPRIATIONS CUT BUT TAXES
 ARE NOT REDUCED
Total Expenditures Are Greatest of Any Peace
 Time Year.

Washington, D. C., June 15.-If the statement of the Republican floor leader in the House, Representative MondeI1, that the Republican con gress has saved the taxpayers more than a billion dollars, is true, then t'why have. they not reduced taxes in a corresponding amount? asks Representative James F. Byrnes, of South Carolina, Democratic member of the House Appropriations com mittee, in a statement given out to- day.
 Mr. MondeI1 has claimed, said MT. Byrnes, that the appropriations by this Congress for the fiscal year commencing July i amount to $4.- S59, ,S9O, ,327.30. 'This is the truth. but not the whole truth. As a mem Der of the appropriations committee. I want the people to know that in addition to the direct appropriation of the sum mentioned, this con gress has by re-appropriations and authorizations made available for ex- penditure at least s543, 50o,000 addi- tional, making the total amount available for expenditure $5,403, ,S90,- 327.3O.
 This is almost five times as much as has ever been spent by the gov ernment in a single year in time of
 
 appropriated being s1,114,e37,o 7,o12.o2 for the fiscal year 1916. This Repub 1ican congress was in session exactly 150 days and an authorized expend1- ture of $5,4o3,39 ,327.3O means that the money of the people was appro- priated by the rate of $s6, 6,0oo,o00 a day and that to meet the expendi- lures for: next year it will be neces- asry to levy an average tax of $50 upon every man, woman and child in America
 f "Inasrnuch, as it is advisable that l the public should know the total ex- penditures authorized by a Congress | it is unfortunate that for political 'expediency this Republican Congress Should have resorted to appropriatins ] money in indirect ways, making ab- l 'solutely misleading any statement of l direct appropriations. For instance, l of the $543, 3,500,0O0 made available 1 for expenditure over and above the l direct appropriations, there are re- | appropriations amounting to $156.- l SO0,o00. This means that of appro- 1 priations heretofore made for expen- | diture during the present fiscal year. 1856 ,6O0,000 was not expended and | under the law should be turned back ] into the treasury July l. Congress, however. provided that this amount should be made available for ex- penditure next year and has made corresponding reduction in the l amount of direct appropriations.
 Another plan by which the Re- publican congress has endeavored to misleAd the people is illustrated in the appropriations for the Shipping Board. This year the Shippins Board asked for s225, 100000. The Congress did not make the direct ap- 1 proprlation, but directed that $225, 100000 of the proceeds of the sale of ships should not be turned into the Treasury but should be made avail able for expenditure during the next year. The Republican leaders include this amount in the total alleged re- duction of estimates and call it a
 saving but a blind man can see and n fool can understand that the money is going to be spent, and it matters little to the taxpayer which one of his pockets it comes out of | Another instance of this effort to Hnislead the people by this pretended reduction of appropriations is in the deficiency bill, where the Railway administration asked for s42O,o00, ,oOO to wind up it's affairs. Congress ap- propriated directly $3oO,ooo,oOo and instead of appropriating the remain ing s12O,OOO,O0o, directed that the Railway administration be allowed to use $30,0000o0 out of the loan fund appropriated in the transportation act. This money will be spent and the loan fund will be reimbursed after the election. The balance ot s9o,0oo,0oo was provided by directing 1 the War Finance corporation to pur- chase at par s9o 100000 of Liberty bonds held by the Railway admins tration. In this way, the $120, ,0o0,- 900 was provided without making direct appropriation and the Repub- 1ican leaders include this in the re- duction of estimates and call it 3 saving But the $9o,0oo,000 will be spent.
 "It Is impossible to tell how many more similar reductions have been included in appropriation bills, but the amount made available for ex- penditure in these three items alone total S471, 100000 which must be added to the total direct appropria- tions.- In addition, the expenditure of 72,5o0,0o0 has been authorized in several bills, but appropriations have been made to meet these eS- penditures. These amounts added to the direct appropriations make total expenditure by this congress of s5,4O3, 3,39o,3 ,327.30.
 "+Confronted by their record of e1- travagance, the Republican leaders vainly endeavor to excuse themselves by explaining that the estimates ot l the department were $1,312, 2,417, ,e5o.- 39 in excess of appropriations, and l that they therefore saved this amount of money. No more ridicu- lous statement has ever been made by a public official.
 If such a reduction constitutes saving, the last Democratic con gress is entitled to special com mendation for that congress reduced l1 the estimates of the departments for the fiscal year 1918 in the sum of $5,554, ,161,5 ,59s.31.
 elf. by reducing estimates, they have saved more than a billion dol lars, why have they not reduced taxes 1 in a corresponding amount?''
 NOTHING NEW
 1 Waiter-What is the trouble, sir? Customer (sniffing) What is the trouble? Why, I asked for three e-minute egg and you've given me a three year one!
 EDUCATION IS WONDERFUL Fishmonger-Our herrings are nice and fresh, mum.
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