Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1921-12-30
WARS HORRIBLE WASTE

WAX = HORRIBLE WASTE
Mr.. Il. c. Lefingwell was the as
slstant secretary Of the treasury In
charge OF finances during the war.
WINE ne was in the treasury he be-
came deeply Impressed with the mag
nltude Of government Expenditures and
the looseness, tneficiency and waste
mat ara a part Of government meth
o. All the secretaries of the treas
ury siHee the outbreak of the war
have shared this feeling of apprehen-
sion and concern with Mr.. Letting
we'll. quote here a recent utterance
Of his on war expenditures:
"Of the $4,OOO0OO,OOO, exclusive of
Interest on the public debt, spent in
the fiscal year 1921, s1,1O1 ,e15,O13.32
was spent by the War department,
5O,373835.58 by the Navy depart
ment, SSOO,OO0OOO On the railroads,
S23O,00O000 by the bureau of war risk
insurance, and $S57 ,S14S97.O1 by the
Interior department, mostly, I take it,
for Civil war and Spanish war pen
siOns-a total of S3,O8O,OOO,OOO under
these heads.
''In the fiscal year 1920 the War de-
partment spent s1,61O,OOO 900, and the
Navy department $4,000 900, a total
Of $2.350O00,OO0. Secretary Mellon
estimates that in the fiscal year, 1921,
the War department will spend $1,O25,-
100000, and the Navy department
s70O,0O0,000, a total of S1,725.O0OO00;
and that in the fiscal year, 1922, the
War department will spend S570,000,-
600, and the Navy department S545,-
100000, a total of S1,115,0 100000. This
makes a 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
tolerable. She thought she would re-
peat the exploit of 1870 and make war
30 profitable in territory and indem-
mites as to recoup herself for the
outlay of 40 years preparation. The
splendid resistance of the Belgians and
the French and of the little British
expeditionary force made the short
war a 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, it was eco
nomic preparedness that mattereo
most.
"Todav. men. women and little chill
dren are starving to death in Europe be-
cause Of the wars horrible waste ana
because of the still more horrible waste
of after the war. Two years and a
half after armistice, nearly two years
after peace was concluded between
Germany and the allies, millions Oh
mon are under arms, eating and wear
ing the produce of the fields ana OF
tbe labor Of q civilian population
which must bear the load Of taxes ana
imitation necessary to maintain those
armies in economic idleness. The peo-
nIec of continental Europe are sreg-
roring under the load of ornaments
far too great before the war ana III
toIorsbIe now. Their rulers hold them
coIvas in mower by subsidies and doies,
=. nIavinq now on their fears anu
oroin IN their ayarice, still again on
rotionalistic ambitions or ancient IA
aIoI hatreds. The allies have under-
ta1-or +o insure Germany's economic
rocoverv by insisting upon her disarin-
ament and the payment Of reparationS
which means the development ol
huoa EXPORT balance; but FOR then,
n .J tbev reserve the doubtful priVi-
80, -, 81 remaining armed to the teeth. =
",vo have demonstrated our mill
..rv mower. We have shown "hal
70. "a. bo done in few short months
.n"y ,o,s an army and transport II TO
yace foreign war. We nave no NJ
20 Ie aggressors abroad we are lii. .s.
.t,o at home. Let us accept INC
le- 1D,s Of the position OF leau,
les 80 ,ybicb is ours, show the worm
so 1 70 beat swords into pio%,sn ~ 'a'
r nI the peoples of the world ' OK mp ~,
nrasension and lead them back :, INTO aro
pre- ~ays Of peace and plenty II we We
the %ays sor war we shall have IT, Il
Ute. lead the world in preparation i0'
neace we may have that