The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-09-28
IS Million Dollars a Day
Is Running Cost of the us.
Government Under Democrats
Expenses Eight Times as Heavy as When War Came, with No Relief
in Sight, While 10000 Employees Of Huge War Machine
Still Clog Public Payrons.

WASHINGTON. Sept. 2s.-wHh
prices generally recedinE and even
the high cost Of living checked,
statesmen and sober thinking officials
In Washington are turning inqulsi-
lively to the high cost Of govern
ment In the United States.
II Is costing Uncle Sam something
like eight times ms much to run his
establishment now as II did in 1914.
before the European war began It's
devastation, and there In no further
relief IN sight In liquidating war
costs at least for n year.
All appropriations OF the current
year have been made. They carry up
10 June 80 mex and they aggregate
nearly 5000, 900, 000-t4.s59,s90,32 7
4 be exact.
It IL costing an average OF better
than $4,000 900 n working day TO
run the government now, ms com
pared with but n triflo more than
100000 n day back In 1914, when
the country was ''hollering' over bill
lion dollar congresses and the demo-
Gratis were promising economy.
In fact, on last Thursday tho daily
statement OF the treasury shows dis
bursements for the single day of $l6,-
796,06G. This sum covered only the
ordinary disbursements. Public debt
disbursements, which were largely
Offset. totalled more than $4,000
900 ? r the day. but this represented
the retirement Of a series OF Gertifi-
Gates OF Indebtedness.
Practically all government costs
are higher than they were a few
years ago. but most OF the great ca
W.,Nl0s.aa "a roln. FnEuynNI Ia AnA
10 tho continuance OF war orgnnizp-
ton and inability to get the war ma
chine halted. Just two years g the
war machine was running at Its
maximum speed and power. Two
years have not suficed 10 stop Il. and
Uncle Sam Is having a hard time get
ting down to living within even his
swollen war income.
War Taxes Stlll Run.
War taxes are still running and UNI
less expenditures are brought sharply
down they will continue to run.
There is not a single item OF gov
IN that has not increased In
cost. but IL Is agreed In Washington
that the greatest burden is the one
directly incident 10 the n The ad-
ministrative organization in Washing
ten became top heavy and Is still top
henNy, with more IMAM lOO,oOO per-
sons on the government pay roll In a
city of little more than half n million.
In general. the enormous increases
IN costs are graphically shown by fig
ures prepared by Marcelius G. SHIELD.
clerk to the appropriations committee
OF thc house of representatives.
Grouping the main expenditures of
the government. Mr.. SHIELD showed
the following comparative result for
1914 and 1921. the governments cur
rent fiscal year:
l.. Under the head of appropria-
tons incident mainly to past wars,
including the war with Germany,
there Is AN item of S~293.16S,400 car
ried In the sundry civil bill. the leg
islative and other acts for compensa-
ton for death and disability, voca
tional training. hospital treatment
and returns of remains from France
to care for soldiers and sailors in the
wal with Germany. In 1914 there
was no such appropriation.
@. Pensions incident to the Mex
lean war, civil war, 6panish-Amer-
lean war and on account Of the regu-