The Dolores star., 1921-12-30
WARS HORRIBLE WASTE

Mr., X. Z. LeIIlnkNeh WAS tne ny
s,stont secretary Of the treasury In
charge Of finances during the war.
while he was in the treasury he be-
came deeply impressed with the mag
n,ude of government expeditures and
the looseness, inefiiciency and waste
that are a part Of government meth
od All the secretaries of the treas
rrv since the outbreak of the war
have shared this feeling of apprehen-
s,on and concern with Mr.. Leffing-
we'll quote here a recent utterance
NJ his on war expenditures:
"Of the s4,OOO,O00,O 900, exclusive of
interest on the public debt, spent In
the fiscal year 1921, S1,101 ,615.O13.32
was spent by the War department,
$3.50 1873 .s3j.5s by the Navy depart
mont SsOO.0OO,0OO on the railroads,
100000 900 by the bureau of war risk
Insurance. and 57,S14,s97.01 by the
Interior department, mostly. take it,
for Civil war and Spanish war pen
slons-a total of $3,0S0OOO,OO0 under
these heads.
"In the fiscal year 1920 the War de-
nartmpnt spent S1610,OOO. and the
Navy department S740,OOO,O0O. II total
of S225O. 100000. Secretary Mellon
estimates that in the fiscal year. 1921,
the War department will spend S1.025.
oOaOOO, and the Navy department
100000. 900. a total of S1.725, ,0OO, 900 !;
and that in the fiscal year, 1922, the
War department will spend S570,OO0,-
600 and the Navy department S5i5,-
ODOccI. a total of S1,115.0O0,O00. This
makes three-years' total of $780,
100000.
Germany went to war to realize on
her Investment In arms and armies.
The burden of universal military serv-
ice, expenditures on the army and
navy. subsidies and doles, became in
,oIcrablp. She thought she would re-
peat the exploit of 1870 and make war
50 profitable In territory and indem-
mites as to recoup herself for the
outlay Of 70 years preparation. The
splendid resistance of the Belgians and
the French and of the little British
expeditiOnary force made the short
war futile dream. The unframed
manhood and unmortgaged resources
Of the Western World. of the British
empire overseas, and finally of Amer
lea. determined the issue. Germany
suffered economic collapse, though her
armies beaten but not routed. were
still on enemy soil. So Germany's
military preparedness was her cause
for making war and was the cause of
her defeat. In the issue, 1t was eco
nOmc preparedness that mnttered
most
To-day, men, women and little chill
dren are starving to death in Europe be-
cause Of the wars horrible waste and
because Of the still more horrible waste
Of after the war. Two years and Il
half after arrnstice, nearly two years
after peace was concluded between
Germany and the allies. millions of
men are under arms, eating and wear
ing the produce of the fields and of
the labor of civilian population
which must bear the load of taxes and
hnatIon necessary to maintain those
armies in economic idleness. The peo-
pies Of continental Europe are stag
gering under the load of armaments,
far too great before the war and in
tolerablc now. Their rulers hold them
selves III power by subsidies and doles,
py playing, now on their fears, and
again on their avarice, still again on
hatlonaliStiC ambitions or ancient ra-
cal hutredS The allies have under
mKen to insure Germany's economic
recovery by insisting upon her disarm-
ament and the payment of reparations
which means the development of a
hnee export balance; but for them
selves they reserve the doubtful privi-
lese Of remaining armed to the teeth. ..
We have demonstrated our mill
ury power. We have shown what
may he done in few short months
make an army and transport 1t to
wage foreign war. We have no need
Oe aggreSsors abroad, we are invul-
ueraple at home. Let us accept the
iespohsiblIitles Of the position of lead
efShip which is ours, show the world
now to beat swords into shares,
iene'e the peoples of the world of ap-
mehehsion and lead them back into
ue ways Of peace and plenty. If we
prepare for war we shall have it. If
We lead the world in preparation for
peace we may have that"