The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-08-25
MIR. BYRNES HAS THE FLOOR.
Editorial From News and Courier of
August Goth.

| than once. The writer, plainly man
of very considerable cultivation and
profound student of government,
has a distinctive style and his COM
ments on the course Of events at the
National Capital are both searching
| and readable. The feature, as this
newspaper has indicated before now,
is particularly striking one and has
challenged wide attention, especial
lv among newspaper men.
In The World of day before yester-
day "a Looker-on in Washington de-
votes his article to a speech in Con-
| gress by Representative James +.
Byrnes, of this state, on the tax bill
and pays Mr.. PyrDes warm tribute
of admiration for tie effectiveness
with which he exposed the hypocrisy
of Republican lretensions in the mat
ter of alleged economies. Time is
not always wasted in listening to a
debate in congress- he says. The
other day | stroiled INTO hat part OF
the gallery which the house generous
" permits the plain citizen without a
pull tc use as his cwp for the time
being. and in the society of score or
more of the washed and the unwashed
men and women, heard scme astound-
ing statements"
He then goes on to describe the
company in which he found himself in
the visitors gallery, among others
the every young BRIDE who com
planned petulantly (she was a bride
and could be petulant with safety
that she couldn't hear word of what
| they were SAYING the equally young
BRIDEGROOM being wise nevertheless
| for his years, since che said nothing
but simply held her hand The de-
bate, he says, "was all about money,
millions and Millions; and most peo-
pie take little interest in millions,
which is probably one reason that
congress spends a good many more
millions than it ought to- Then he
continues:
'NIr. Byrnes, of South Carolina,
was giving the house some amazing
figures. l don't know how correct
they were, but l presume they we're
accurate, as no Republican disputed
him. Mr.. Byrnes said that the coun-
try was led to believe that with the
establishment of the Budget Bureau
there would be no more deficiency
estimates, yet in the first twenty
days of the fiscal year there had come
a deficiency estimate from the Direc-
or of the Budget for S125, 100000 for
the Shipping Board, and deficiency es-
Inmates from other departments had
also been submitted. The estimate
of the Shipping Board had been re-
duced by the committee of appropria-
tions to S4S,500,O00; if congress ac-
cepted the Judgment of the director
| Of the Budget it would have to make
an additional appropriation of $751;
100000. If it follows the committee
on appropriations, what, he asked,
is the value of the Budget Bureau?
with this as a start Mr.. Byrnes
proceeded to show how little impor-
tance was to be attached to the recent
claims of great saving and the econ
omies instituted in the executive de-
partments, or that it would be pos
sible actually to reduce the appro-
priations by s350,0O0, 1000. Going
back again to the Shipping Board
and it's deficiency estimate Mr.. Byrnes
said that the president had been told
that part of that $3.50, 100000 saving
would come from saving of $780,
100000 in the appropriation for the
Shipping Board, but said Mr.. Byrnes
and it seemed logical to say the
least-if s25. 100000 can be saved
from the Shipping Boards appropri-
alton, why the necessity now Of de-
fciency estimate of 100000? 1t
has before been mentioned that there
is a curious lack of team play be-
TWEEN congress and the executive de-
partments. The Shipping Board is
case in point.
"Mr. Byrnes, who is evidently of an
inuuiring turn of mind, found other
ingenious ways to save money-on
paper. The Agricultural Depart
ment reported an estimated saving of
s1,6S7,O0O for the fiscal year, but &C
cording to Mr.. Byrnes, practically the
whole of this was to come out of the
appropriation for the eradication of
the foot and mouth disease, which
has been available since 1916. OF
course when there is no epidemic the
money is not used; if the scourage
should break out, then every dollar