The New York herald., 1921-09-10
The Harding War Inheritance.

pings review of the achievements of
Congress and the new Administra.
ton in the first six months of Repub-
lican control of the Government our
neighbor the World falls into re-
grettable lapse of memory or error Of
fact as to the war obligations and
burdens still draining the Taxpayers
pocket. The World says in respect
Of this
Let us assume that all the money
that the Wilson Administration spent
in the war was wasted and worse
than wasted.
"The total expenditures of the
United States Government for the
year preceding the entrance of this
country into the war were $1.Q72.-
$4,000. The estimated expenditures
of the United States Government for
next year are s4.6O0, 900. 900. On
the Mellon estimates for next year
the Harding Administration will be
spending ss,5o0. 100000 more than
the Wilson Administration spent in
the year preceding the war. OF this
increase only $1,000. 100000 can be
charged to interest on the war debt.
and it is the war debt that measures
the Wilson Administrators welter
OF waste and prodigal spending.
"Mr. HARDING tells Senator Nc
CoRMIcK that Mr.. WILSON is to
blame, but Mr.. WILSON is not Presi-
dent and he is not Congress. and the
only permanent financial obligation
that the Harding Administration in
herited from his Administration is
the interest on the public debt. Can
Mr.. HARDING explain the inability of
Congress to save to the harassed tax
payers any part of this s2.500,000.-
600 which measures the difference
between the peace expenditures OF
the Government in 1915 and the
peace expenditures for 1922"
President HARDING was not happy
in seeming to attribute all the Gov
ernment's present financial trials
and tribulations to inheritance from
the Wilson Administrations incom
petence and squander. He might
better have attributed it as whole
to Providence, which plunged the
world into war.
The Wilson Administration was q
colossal business failure. 1t com
mitted many blunders Of inexperi
ence and ineptitude before, during
and after the war. But the Repub
lican party or any party in charg'
or the Government during the wal
would have built ships-all the ships
that could have been built-at any
cost; would have built fiocks of air
planes at any cost, would have op
Grated the railroads at any cost
would have done anything and
everything to win the war at any
cost. We were all for that very
thing, as we should have been, and
nobody need apologize for it now.
We can believe well balanced and
able Administratio would have built
ships to better purpose and would
have had more war use out of them;
would have put more and superior
airplanes in service, would have op'
Grated the railroads to a higher de-
gree of efficiency and done them less
damage from neglect of the physical
properties and Generalization Of
their. organizations. We can be-
lieve there would have been a less
ruinous handling of all these stupen-
dous affairs with their prodigious
expenditures. But we cannot fairly
question that anybody acting in be-
lalf OF the United States would have
1eaped into the winning OF the war
regardless Of cost, and 1t Is not pleas
ant to see anybody now trying to
make political capital out of such
prodigal war spendings.
But the World is no happier in
its comparisons of Wilson expendi-
lures before the war and Harding ex-
penditures after the war than the
President was in some of his illus
trations OF squander under his
predecessor.
1t Is not fact that the Govern
ment expects to spend $4,600,0 00,000
in the next year. Secretary MEL
Ions revised estimates are that the
amount will be nearer $4,000, ,000, 900
thanks to administrative and leg
islative chopping down with vigor-
Gus broadaxe.
II is not fact that the only finan'
cial obligation inherited from the
Wilson Administrator Is the inter
est on the war debt. II is not a
fact that the measure OF this inheri.
tance is a mere 81 ,00o. 100000. Dl.
rectly in the war debt service, for
example, there is a financial obliga.
tion as lasting and as sacred-the re-
Mobilization, care and support OF our
MANNED and helpless soldiers. These
items, which should be considered in.
geparably as the war debt, make the