The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-11-18
THE DAYS OF REALIZATION,

In - VT
The American people hardly could
have been surprised by the revela-
tons of millions of their good dollars
gone in Shipping Board waste, ex-
travagance and graft. They already
knew what billions of dollars it had
cost them, under the present business
management of their Government, to
build cardboard training camps and
| hospitals. They knew what it had
cost them in good cash and in bad
| service to have that business manage
| ment operate the railroads. They
knew what it had cost them not in
millions but in billions of dollars to
have that business management make
guns that never got to the battle front,
make powder that never exploded,
make flying machines that never rose
into the air, make uniforms and shoes
and food that were left to rot in miles
and miles of warehouses and along the
roadways of France when the men at
the front were without food or even
the barest of necessities and comforts
that they should have had in abund-
ance.
But what must astound the Ameri-
can people is not what slathers of
money was consumed by the ton, but
how it was consumed under the Ship
ping Board business management,
honest but incompetent, well mean
ing but eXtravagant, enthusiastic but
laundering.
1t was not enough for those ham
ding the. public's ships to pay highly
inflated skilled wages to day labor
that loafed on the job; they must even
carry on the pay rolls at fat salaries
men who were holding down private
jobs hundreds of miles from where
they were supposed to be on the Gov
eminent jobs. 1t was not enough to
pay several prices for provisions;
ships stewards had to throw those
supplies overheard so that they could
buy more and get new graft commits
sions on the purchases. 1t was not
enough to let contractors build ships
that would not float and install pro-
pellers that fell off vessels when they
put to sea; they had to pay contrac-
tors for taking away partly con-
structed ships which the contractors
then sold at good prices for the bene-
fit of their own pocketbooks. 1t was
not enough to pay S208 for replacing
damaged port light worth So; they
had to feed strawberries to ships
crews at 60 cents a quart
In this and other ways of theft by
minor officials, graft by middlemen,
or just plain waste all along the line
the Government merchant marine as
a business proposition was scuttled.
This is one of the reasons why the
United States Government today
owes in round numbers twenty-four
billions Of dollars. 1t is one of the
reasons why the United States Gov
eminent has an interest charge on its
debts of about billion dollars a year.
It is one of the reasons why the Amer
lean people have a tax bill of four
billions a year. 1t is one of the rea-
sons why many other billions covered
by previous and larger annual tax
bills were sunk in bottomless pit
between the spring of 1916 and to-
day. It is one of the reasons why
the business management of the Unit
ed States Government was changed
by the American people the first week
in November, 1920, and why business
methods of the United States Govern
ment, under its new management, will
have to change on the 4th day of next
March.