The Arizona copper camp., 1920-05-22
TREMENDOUS
COST OF WAR :
IS SET forth
President Left Unchecked in Expend-
ing Billions Given by American
People.

1t is possible now very closely to
arrive at what the war has cost the
people of the United States in money,
how it was spent, and what it was
spent for. The vast sum of $54,948,-
O63,S92.03 was appropriated to carry
it on. At the start the influence of
the president defeated proposal for
a joint committee of congress to SUI
pervise war contracts and expendi-
lures. The democratic control of
congress surrendered it's judgment
and prerogatives in the matter and
for the first time in history left the
president an absolute unchecked, free
hand in expanding it's unprecedented
appropriations. Since the war ended
congress has passed under the con-
troll of the republican party. Com
mittees on war expenditures were at
once appointed. These committees
are nearing the end of very thorough
and widespread Investigations. "And
when their Investigations are COM
pleted," said Representative Edward
E. Dennison, of Illinois, in an eXhaus-
tive presentation to the house Of the
facts so far as learned "and the re-
suits are fully disclosed to the Ameri-
can people there will be a political, if
not an actual revolution. There has
been an orgy o fwaste extravaganza,
of dishonesty, of fraud in the die
bursement Of these billions taken by
taxes and borrowed from the people
that not only surpasses everything
ever recorded in connection with any
government, but exceeds the widest
imagination"
The Details Summarized
Boiled down, the statements Of
Denison were as follows:
l. The treasury department re-
ports that it paid out between April
6, 1917, and February 20, 1920, on
warrants of the various executive de-
partments, the sum of $36,918,0 100000.
When from this amount is taken the
normal cost of conducting the gov.
ernment (eighty-three and one-third
million dollars month";, the war cost
to date has been approximately $34,-
100000.
2. So far as made reports of chair
men of investigating committees
show that of the $1S,OOO,OOO,OO ex-
pended by the war department alone
practically $9,O0O,OOO,OOO has been
wasted, lost or spent on projects that
were foolish, are wholly useless now.
and were totally ineffective in prose-
cutting the war.
8. There was spent at Charleston,
Norfolk, Boston and other places,
$15O,OOO,OOO for port terminals from
which no ship during the war ever
sailed.
4. A port terminal was begun in a
bog and swamp ten miles up the
river from Charleston and after $780,
100000 had been spent in construc-
tion it was found that ships could not
reach the terminal until the river had
been dredged for the purpose.
5. For nitrate plants $12,000,000
was spent in a visionary scheme and
not a pound of nitrate was produced.
Practically $10O,OOO,OOO Of this sum
was sunk at Muscle Shoals, Alabama,
and the war department now asks
additional millions to turn for abOr-
tive nitrate plants into fertilizer pro-
ducers about the feasibility of which
experts differ.
6. For power plants $160,000,000
was spent and not a pound was made
in them. The one at Nitro, W. Va,
cost $7O.OOO,OOO, and was sold recent
ly for $S,OO0,O0O with the prospect
that the government will never get
very much of the $S,OO0,00O.
7. There was $1,OOO,OOO,OOO spent
for shells and only l7,O0O American
shells were fired by the American
forces in the war. We fired very
often as many as 100000 in a single
barrage on a single morning; We had
to buy or beg them from our allies.
Big Cost But Small Showing
8. We spent $10,51, 100000 prepar-
ing to manufacture aeroplanes, but
our contribution of fighting planes on
the European battle front was insig-
nificant when the war ended.
9. For tanks we spent $100,000,000.
The first American tank did not reach
France until after the armistice had
been signed an dthe war was over.
10. There was 100000 expend-
ed for the manufacture of gas. There
never was a pound of gas fired on the
hott IN c,h