Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-24
WHAT is THE MATTER
WITH OUR CONGRESS?
Why the Present This Date Far Behind the Democratic
Congress 1912 All Reasons Point to Republican LFggad
ness and Lack Of Enterprise and Program.
From the Springfield Republican,

The severity Of the present busl-
ness depression In already being
compared with the hard tim,s fol-
lowing the civil war. While such a
comparison cannot bc fairly made
without important qualifications. one
can come quickly to the point 50 far
es Congress is concerned.
The Congress following the
Civil war came Immediately to the
assistance of business by making tre-
mendous reductions In the governs
ment's expenditures. In 1860, the.
last Civil war year, the United States
governments total net expenditures.
exclusive OF interest charges. were
st.217. .104, ipa-a sum H those days
deemed staggering beyond all con
ccption. but IL 1856. the first year
OF peace. total net expenditures. eN-
elusive of interest were reduced to
$685., ,95i,7Ji in 1867, they we're re-
duced To s2o2. .a4I .593, and in 1859
they were down to $3.50 .iag, ,35i. The
panic Of 1874 found the total net ex.
penditures at 3is0.4ss .63B, but In
1875 they were cut 10 Sill ,b2g.S4..
and In 1879 to s1stb35 .4a7. The
swift and extreme fall In govern
ment expenditures after the t'Ivil
war made possible the lifting from
tn country of the heavy burden OF
war taxation and by So much was
the business of the country benp-
tlted, although the added burden of
a deprecated paper currency and
the premium ON gold retarted the
nations return to normal economic.
conditions until the resumption of
specie payments IN 1879.
We are now i'm the third year after.
the armisticc wht Il ended the " orld
war. and government expenditures
continue 10 be "shockinnly'' high. tn
quote Secretary Mclions word. while
there is hopeless feeling In Wash
ington and the country concerning
any reduction of taxation. scnatpi,
Smoot Of the SENATE finance commit
tee even predicts that taxes will ht.
Increased. The comparison uf the
governments present failure Ia re-
duce expenditures 10 substantial
degree with the harp fnll IN pxt,pn-
ditures after tho civil war must
seem amazing tu most uf our people
While they may account for Il bv
noting the almost immediate piar-
ing Of the army and navy after lee 3
surrender on peace LASTS the
army's size fell eventually to a5 .0p0
men and the navy almtst oeaaed tu
exist the! are puzzled to under
stand IL.
CONGRESSES failure 10 perform a
fiscal service to-day similar 10 that
performed in 1s6o-ls7e Is due large
y 10 The insistence nf the ndminis-
trRtion upon .untinued heavy fnill-
lary expenditures after thp war has
been won. This policy il exrusttl
on the ground that world conditions
forbid reduction Of artnamtnts
especially on the sea Secretary
Weeks has said this week IN a public
address that We tthe adnitiistra-
tom have information which ~
cannot divulge, obtained la re-
liable and complete manner. which
makes ua the only competent
Judges This Information. however.
If not aiveu Ia the public. and the
puhlie cannot see where the awful
danger lies.
FYfty-five and so years ago con
gress was willing to risk something
for the sake of reduced expenditures
and lower taxes. For. after the
Civil war. ulir government had an
ugly controversy to settle with Great