The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-12-15
WARS EAT UP THE TAXES

bursements of ss. 10000 about 80 per
cent consisted of expenditures under the
following heads:
Purchase of obligations of for
eign governments .............S 421.oOo,0o0
War department ................. 1.6ll. 100000
Navy department ................ 736,00O.ooo
Shipping board ................. 53l. 600. 900
Federal control of transporta-
ton systems and payments
to the railroads under the
transportation act 1920 ....... 1,o37. 100000
Interest on the public debit. 1.020 10000
Pensions Observation-Disclosures. 100000
War-risk insurance ............. 1l7.Oo0.0o0
Purchase of federal farm-loan
bonds .......................... 100000
lOtal ......................-... ~, iloVVV,VVJ
Substantially all the expenditures
entering into this total, and n 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:
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
inefiiciency 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. 1t might
| well be possible to save as much as
100000 or GOO by careful and sci
| entitic reorganization of the government $
| business.
| The figures show that over 90 per
| cent of the total annual expenditures
| of the government are related to war.
| Out OF total expenditures during 1920 of
about Sc, 400, ,OO0, 600. about 81 billions rep
| resented expenditures directly traceable
| to the war. to past wars. or to prepared
ness for future wars. OF this, about
| $3.50 10000 went for the army and navy.
over S5O0.000.OO0 for the shipping board.
over 81. 900, COO COO for the railroads, another
81. 100000 for interest on the public debt
almost s50o.00o,0C0 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
similar results. The figures also show
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 1900. 900 even in the ab-
normal war years.
1 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 I 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 APP
preparations, mind you, but actual
money eXpended-of the War depart
ment, the Navy department and for
pensions. When l got all the figures
before me l couldn't add them up.
In the bureau of internal revenue
they loaned me machine and an
operator, and so / know and can tell
you that from 1884 to and through
1919 the War Department actually dis
bursed S23, ,002, 800, ,OOS65 In the same
period the Navy Department spent
S6,907, 1863, ,032.S4; and pensioners of
past wars got $5,634, ,079, ,694.23.
That is laundering total of $29,-
909, 759,041.49 for the army and navy
alone, leaving out of account the
S5,634, ,O79,694 for pensions.
l 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 l have enumerated
are only ribs of the skeleton of the
cost of war preparation and activity.
have not been able to excavate any
other detail figures. But 1t is known
that the war of 1912 cost about S133.-
7O3,SSO.
The cost of the Mexican war is esti-
mated to have been S63,6O5,62n
The total cost of the Civil war, TAX
ing the period from June 80, 1861, to
June 80, 1866, may be figured closely
at $3,500,00O,0OO.
The treasury in the winter of 1920
Il estimated in report sent to con-
gress through the secretary that the
cost of the World war to us to that
date had been $24, 100000,00O, exclu-
sive 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.