The Ordway new era., 1921-12-16
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
WARS EAT UP THE TAXES
By EDWARD G.LowRY

striking fact that of the net ordinary dis
bursements of s6.403.OOO.0OO about 30 per
following heads:
Purchase of obligations of for
eign governments .............S 421, ,00O, 900
War department ................. 1.611 900 900
Navy department ................ 736.0o0. 900
Shipping board .................. 531, 100000
Federal control of transporta-
tion systems and payments
to the railroads under the
transportation act, 1920 ....... 1,o37 ,0OO0 900
Interest on the public debit. ,O20, ,000O 900
Pensions Observation-Disclosures. 213,000000
War-risl insurance ............. 100000
Purchase of federal farm-loan
bonds Observation-Disclosures. 100000
lotdl ........-................. 10, llb,tVVVou
Substantially all the expenditures
entering into this total and large
share of the expenditures on various
minor accounts, represent burdens di-
rectly traceable to the war, to past
wars or to preparedness for future
wars. These figures serve to indicate
the direction which sincere efforts to
reduce the cost of the government
must take.
Then found Mr.. Gilbert, the under
secretary of the treasury, saying:
There has been much idle talk to the
effect that the excessive cost of govern
ment is due to inefficiency and eXtrava
gance In the executive departments.
Without doubt there has been waste and
inefficiency in the various government de-
partments and establishments. and much
can be accomplished, and has already
| been accomplished, by the introduction
of efficient and economic methods of ad-
ministration and the elimination of du-
plicatiOn and UNNECESSARY work It might
well be possible to save as much as
| 100000 or S100000.000 by careful and sci
| entitic reorganization of the governments s
| business.
| The figures show that over 30 per
| cent of the total annual expenditures
| of the government are related to war.
| Out of total expenditures during 1920 of
| about $6.400.0O0,00O, about 51e billions rep
resented expenditures directly traceable
| to the war to past wars. or to prepared
| ness for future wars. OF this, about
| $500 100000 went for the army and navy,
| over s5000O0.00O for the shipping board,
over 81, 900, 100000 for the railroads, another
| 1000 10000 for interest on the public debt,
| almost $500. 100000 for purchase of obliga-
| tions of foreign governments on account
| of their war expenditures and the remain
| der for pensions, war risk allotments and
| miscellaneous items related to war. An
analysis of the expenditures of the first
| six months of the fiscal year 1921 gives
| that the total cost of running what may
| be termed the civil establishment proper
that is to say. the various government
| departments, boards and commissions and
| the legislative establishment, have not
much exceeded $250,C0oo0O even in the alb
| normal war years.
| l sought details. If more than 80
per cent of the entire disbursements
of 1920 went for past and prospective
wars, how much had we been spend
ing to keep the world safe for democ-
racy? We are all familiar with the
argument that the best way TO prevent
war is to be prepared for war.
thought 1 might find out whether that
was true. l went back into the rec
ords and found that year by year,
from 1884 to 1919 inclusive, the treas
ury department had kept an account
of the actual disbursements-not ap-
preparations, mind you, but actual
money expended-of the War depart
ment, the Navy department and for
pensions. When 1 got all the figures
| before me I couldn't add them up.
In the bureau of internal revenue
they loaned me a machine and an
operator, and so 1 know and can tell
| YOU IllhL lEUlu LOOT " anu lAlouSu
1919 the War Department actually dis
bursed $23, 3,Oo2, $4,000 In the same
period the Navy Department spent
SO, ,9O7, ,369, ,O32.S4; and pensioners of
past wars got $5,634, ,O79, ,694.23.
That is a laundering total Of $780,
| 9O9, ,759O4149 for the army and navy
alone, leaving out of account the
$5,634, ,O79 694.23 for pensions.
I, will let you decide whether any
part of the twenty-nine billion dollars
spent for preparedness and for war
prevented our going to war or found
us prepared when we went to war.
The three items 1 have enumerated
are only ribs of the skeleton of the
cost of war preparation and activity.
I have not been able to excavate any
other detail figures. But it is known
that the war of 1912 cost about $133,-
7O3, $50.
The cost of the Mexican war is esti-
mated to have been $63, ,6O5,621.
The total cost Of the Civil war, TAX
ing the period from June 80, 1861, to-
June 80, 1866, may be figured closely
at So, 800, 600 600.
The treasury in the winter Of 1920.
21 estimated in a report sent to con-
gress through the secretary that the
cost Of the World war to us to that
date had been $24, 100. 100000, exclu-
siye Of our loans to the allies and
other foreign nations.
So you see the cost of wars is go
| ing up, no matter how much money
| We spend by way Of preparation.