The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-06-25
SENATOR BORAH ON
CUTTING EXPENSES
SENIOR SENATOR FROM IDAHO
SHOWS FOLLY OF SOME PRO-
POSED REDUCTIONS.
(From The Federal Employee)

position Senator Borah of Idaho take
q fling at the popular theory that tn
principal cost of the Government
the payment of salaries to its classi
fled employees. His position re
enforces that taken by our Nationa
Federation to the effect that the civi
salary list is a minor item. We hav
no official views as to whether tn
other expenditures of the Government
are wise or foolish, We merely de
sire to show that the economy" rea
son cited so often against an eQlit
able readjustment of salaries is
false reason The amount of none.
involved in real compensation of EN-
ployees upon the basis of their sal
aries is negligible sum as compared
with the total budget. It is a policy
of economy which disregards 80 cent!
out Of every dollar we spend anC
hopes to achieve salvation by pairing
the other dime.
This is what Senator Borah said, ir
part:
"In the sweep Of the years, in the
change of Democratic administrations
and Republican administrations, taxes
continue to increase year by year and
attention to some figures which indi-
cate how little party politics have to
do with decreasing expenditures.
"In 1850 the per capita expeditures
of the National Government were
SLIT.
In 1860 they were $2.01.
1890, $4.75. per capita.
In 1900, $3.50 per capita.
In 1910, $3.50 per capita.
In 1919, $144.77 per capita.
"It makes no difference, so far as
parties are concerned. If you look
back over SO years, there is constant
rise in the expenditures of the Nation
al Government in the per capita burden
upon the people. Whether the esti-
mates come from one party or an
other, when it gets down to the tax
payer there is an increase of burden,
regardless of what party is in power.
"It has been stated here before, and
/ want to state it again, that SO per
cent of the money expended by the
Government during the year 1920 was
on account Of wars, past and future,
closed and anticipated; per cent for
ali the other operations of the Gov
-ernment, civic educational, and every
thing which has to do with the build
ing up of Government and main
tanning it.
.sThe cost of all the civil-service ac-
tivities of the Government from July
1, 1909 to July 1, 1919, averaged $2.15
a year per capita, and during that
period the cost increased practically
with the population. From 1884 to
and through 1919, the War Depart
ment actually disbursed $23,0O2,390,-
O08. In the same period the Navy
Department expended $6,907, 1868, ,032.
This makes a total for those two de-
partments of $4,000, ,759,0 ,040.
"Now, Mr.. President, for compari-
son, the total cost of the Civil War,
from June 80, 1861, to June 80, 1866,
was $3,500,000,0 have somewhere
the total expenditures of the Govern !,
ment for the first 72 years Of it's ex- !
istence, which is a little more than the
increase in this naval appropriation
bill.
'The net cost Of the World War to
the United States was, up to January
1, 1921, $24,O10,0O0, 900. According to
the appropriations passed prior to
May l, 1920, including the deficiency
bill, our expenditure for that year was
SIS, ,686, $4,000. Of this expenditure
there was expended for the War and
Navy Departments $1,424, ,138, ,667. ST, |,
or 25 per cent of the entire amount;
So 1855, ,482, 900, or 67 per cent, was for
previous wars, in the way of pensions,
and so forth. For primary govern
mental functions $181, 100000 was
in round figures, or 43
per cent of the entire expenditures Of
The Government. There was expend-
ed for public works, $168, ,203, ,557.46,
or 2097 per cent of the entire amount.
For research and educational develop
ment work there was expended $751;
D93, $50, or 1.001 per cent of the en-
tire expenditures.
For research, for educational work,
FOR the building of citizenship, for I
The building of character upon which
republican institutions must rest, we
appropriate / per cent Of the entire
of five billion and odd
lollars, and SO per cent for war.
"Now ask you, not as an academic
question but as practical PROPOSE
ion, how long can republican form
# government exist under that con-
lition of affairs? It is not guns !
lone, or ships alone, which consti- :
ute the safety and the security of
rec government; it is the intellect e
md the character of the citizenship I
lpon which the government Of the I
uture rests and not upon the vast T
ums of money raised, SO per cent of /
which is dedicated to the purpose of a
estruction and death, that is road 4
0 speedy and certain breakdown in s
epublican government. s
"A few weeks we were advised that h
ne Of the methods by which we were Ii
Ding to reduce taxes was that of dis b
harging departmental clerks and en- h
loyees, and it was estimated that we n
7ould get rid of at least 10000 en-
loyees l have no doubt but the able a
enator who made that prediction, the r,
enator from Utah, who has been n
onsistent and PERSISTENT advocate of tx
economy, felt entirely certain as to
is figures. Mr.. President, suppose N
re had discharged 10000 EMPLOYEES, h