Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-09-08
COUNTRY GETTING
BACK TO NORMAL
HARDING DECLARES NATION is
WORKING WAY OUT OF WELL
TER OF WASTE.

President Harding, in letter re-
viewing achievements of the repub-
lican administration, particularly
with reference TO congress, declares
that surveying the national stu
alton, it is plain we are working
our way out of the welter of waste
and prodigal spending at most inn
pressive rate"
The letter was written by the pres
ident under date or August 20, to
Senator Mccormick of Illinois and,
it is understood, will be used in the
campaign in New Mexico, where
Senator Bussum, appointed to fill
out the unexpired term of Secretary
of the Interior Fall, is a candidate
for election The letter, il also is
understood, is considered by repub-
lican leaders as reply to attacks on
the legislative record of the re-
publican congress by Chairman
White of the democratic national
committee and other leading demo-
Gratis.
I'VE have made much progress to-
wards retrenehmenr and greatly in
creased efficiency" the president
asserts. 81 cannot but account it a
monumental accomplishment which
has marked the work of the extraor-
binary session down to the time of
its recess"
Looking to the future, Mr.. Hard
ing expresses the confident hope
'that congress, after the recess and
before the end of Ine extraordinary
session, will adopt both the tariff
and taxation measures and that
along with these it will pass the bill
to permit funding sne debt owed us
by foreign governments"
This, l hope" he adds, will
shortly be followed by arrangements
under which the debtor countries
will begin paying interest on their
obligations. Likewise / am conf
dent that the bill facilitating the
funding of the debt of the railways
to the United States will become a
law during the extraordinary ses-
sion, insuring a large and immedi-
ate demand for employment of men
now idle"
The republican congress preced-
ing the present administration is
credited by Mr.. Harding with hav-
ing patiently and assiduously la
bored to reduce expenditures" with
results (which we can summarize in
the statement that the appropria-
lions for the current fiscal year will
aggregate four and a quarter bill
lion dollars and that this is three
quarters of billion less than the
expenditures for the previous fiscal
year"
The president, after recitipg as
"extravagances incident to the war"
the expenditure of three and half
billion dollars by the shipping
board; between five and six billion
dollars for aircraft, artillery and
ammunition, and between one and q
quarter and one and a half billion
dollars for the railroad administra-
ton, adds:
1T is gratifying to be able to
say, therefore, that probably no 9th
er government has, during a similar
period, so drastically reduced ex-
penditures as has the government OF
the United States the last two years
ON the insistence of the republican
congress. Moreover, / am happy to
assure you that the administrative
departments are now in full sympa-
thy with the program of rigorous
and unremitting economy, through
which, / believe, we will be able
during the next year to cover back
into the treasury so large a sum
that the aggregate of taxation may
be reduced to $3,500,OO0,O0 a
year.
''Half of the present total expen-
ditures of the government arises
from wars of the past. Similar bur-
dens are imposed upon the tax-pay-
ers of other countries and a we'll
nigh universal protest against a
possible repetition of gigantic con-
flict gives rise to the common hope
that the conference in November
may tighten the burdens of both
armament and taxation.
ALMOST without exception the
governments of other countries are
faced with great deficits. We must
not overestimate our good fortune
and the prudence of our congress,
which permits us 20 balance revenue
and expenditure, at a time when de-
ficits are the rule throughout the
world We shall be greatly aided
in a policy of progressively reducing
expenditure by the budget law, re-
publican in origin, design, enact
ment and execution. do not hest
tate to say that in ordinary times,
Il alone, would have been consider
ed a highly creditable chief product
of a years legislative program. Yet,
In a time OF such legislative activity
as the present. it is only one among
many measures of the first import
ance to be enacted"