Pueblo chieftain., 1921-01-27
By Frederic ]. Haskin


Washington. d. c., Jan. e5.-The
smokers of tho United states alone. by
tho taxes they pay thru tho internal
revenue department on cigars and to-
bscco, moro than support tho civil
government OF this country, Including
all OF its scientific research, its cdu-
cational activities and its public works
such as improving rivers and harhors,
rcclaiming lands, building roads and
the like. For the average annual cost
, of all these governmental activities for
tho last 10 years was considerably less
than the internal revenue tax on cigars
and tobacco yielded in 1920.
The interesting fact is brought out
by DR.. IL. Il. Rosa OF the bureau of
sta ndards, who has set himself the
important task OF finding out for the
American people just how tho money
they spend for federal taxes Is used.
He recently set forth proof that out
OF every dollar spent by the federal
government in 1920, 90 cents was spent
to for past wars or to prepare for
tho wars OF the future, and only
cents for all civil activities. He has
now Elaborated his study, setting forth
many facts which illuminate tho cur
rent vague and voluminous discussion
of governmental cNtravaganco Ike
searchlichts In a fog.
Not . Critieisrn
Or. Rosa specifically disayows a crit
ical attitude toward any group OF gov
ernmental expenditures. He does not
pretend To discuss whether 1t is ncccs-
sary to spend morc than ninc-tcnths
of all our federal money on past ana
future wars. But he does believe that
tho taxpayer should have the facts
about how this money is used. And
bo that only tho tax
payer but journalists and legislators
appear to be lamentably ignorant or
these facts. Daily We hear and read
much about the growth OF CoErrnmcnt
expense. We are daily told that gov
ernmcnt expenses are increasing. Clerk
hire, the pay OF government scientists,
the cost OF maintaining bureaus arc
always mentioned as chief among tho
creatures which devour our taxes. We
are told that in these bureaus there
is much duplication, waste and rcd
tape. Every administration comes IN
with promises of rctrcnchments and
reforms which will save the public
money by cutting down the appropria-
tions for government bureaus. and this
seems generally to refer TO the civil
government primarily. Army, navy
and pensions arc seldom mentioned
Dr. Rosa sets out to show Just how
much this civil government costs. HIS
method has been to analyzc the cost
OF civil government for 10 years, dis
regarding war costs. By doing this he
succeeds in showing that the cost OF
maintaining the civil government, in
ciuding all OF its scientific and en-
Cinecrinc work. has increased in ac-
tual dollars and cents barely as fast
as the population has increased, and
that this increase takes no account OF
the falling value OF the said dollars
and cents.
This is the important point: IL you
express tho cost OF civil government
in terms OF actual commodities instead
of dollars, far from increasing, 1t has
decreased moro than 80 per cent That
is, the purely civil activities of tho
government cost in bushels of wheat
for instance. more than 80 per cent
less in 1920 than they did in 1910 As
| "A result during that period much or
this civil governmental activity has
become far less efficient. Salaries have
become so low, as the cost of living
has risen, that tho bureaus cannot
hold their employees, especially their
scientific men. Tho labor turnover is
rapid. 1t would ruin any private en-
tcrprisc 1t means that nearly all OF
the civil bureaus are undermanncd'
and that nearly all OF them arc be
coming merely training schools which
men rapidly desert for moro rcmuncra-
tive places.
Cost OF Government Lower
Thus the figures amply rcfute the
charge that the cost of civil govern
mcnt has greatly increased. On the
contrary, 1t has greatly decreased. our
increased tax burdens are made nee
essary by the burdens which the war
visited upon US, and by the greatly
increased army and navy which VIC
are nJw maintaining. II civil govern
mcnt were completely abolished 1t
would have saved you hut Z per cent
on your federal taxes in 1920 and If
all scientific and engineering work had
been suspended IL would have saved
you but per cent. Disarmament is
the only thing that would cut federal
taxes heavily.
Dr. Rosa further shows that the cx-
penscs of government, as usually set
forth, arc not accurate because they
fail to show the earnings of the gov
ernmcnt. The land office, the rcolana-
ton service, the bureau OF navigation,
the forest service and the postonicc all
have receipts ms well as disbursements
But in summarizing the expenses OF
government. IL IS usual merely to add