The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1922-05-16
President Harding
Uneasy About
Coming Election
BY WALLACE BASSFORD
Especial Correspondentl

NCpCCid1 CVfIcopOuOcI1t)
Washington, ID. c., May 10
The President who proudly rode
into office in March last year
with seven millions majority be-
hind him is now so uneasy as to
Tie result Of the coming Novem-
ber elections that he and his Di-
1ector of the Budget, General
Dawes, juggle appropriation fig
ures and boldly distort the facts
in their efforts to fool the peo-
lple into again voting for the
party of special privilege. The
President s claim to saving ST.
800, 100000 in the past year was
taken up in the House the other
day by Congressman Byrnes Of
South Carolina and shot full of
Ihoics. Mr.. Byrnes said:
''The President announced to
the country that we will this year
ireduce our expenditures $780,,
100000 below the expenditure
for the last fiscal year. Well,
the expenditures for the last fis-
Ical year which were authorized
by a Republican Congress were
The largest ever authorized IN
time of peace in the history Of the
country. If now, four years af-
1er the war, there was not a tre-
imendous reduction in eNpendl-
lures there would be little hope
for the preservation Of the gov
Iernment.
! MY regret is that the Presl-
Ient in issuing this statement
did not call attention to the fact
, that for the year 1916, the last
year prior to or entering the war
when we were engaged IN meas
ures Of preparedness, our eXpen-
; ditures did not amount to more
than $1,115. 900, 900, and that the
estimate he now makes as to ex-
lpenditures this year Isl SD ,922 Y.
f-:u $50 or .ss.as,,S0T,6S1, ,3aass 3ass mere than
was spent under the Democratic
administration for the last fiscal
! year prior to the war.
Il regret that he did not call
attention to the fact that while
the Budget Bureau claims these
! bogus savings of $136, ,O0O, 600,
| the fact is that the same depart
ments have to date secured from
the Congress deficiencies or sup
Elemental appropriations amount
ing to $374,691, ,04O.65.
1.-The Secretary Of the Treas
ury does not keep up with this
political game. He issued q
statement that we are facing q
deficit, and then along comes
General Dawes, who says thai
we have saved a billion and {
half dollars. The President, II.
he has any confidence in him a
all, ought to urge the Congress
to declare a dividend to the tax
PAYERS Of America, and we wouif
all be entitled to a share. | fav
order the Bureau Of the Budget
There was real work for ths
Director Of the Budget to do
but the Bureau Of the Budget ha'
never functioned as Congress IN
tended it should. The Bureau
Submitted estimates fo~ al
amount larger than the appro
!priations for the current yea:
and before the subcommittee o.
the Committee on Appropriation:
no one appeared to defend his
estimates. The director content
led himself with these base'es'
claims Of savings. It is nothing
Tut bunk--political bunk. GAP
plause-)'
Mr.. Byrnes then went on IL
show some Of the specific III
,stances where the President ant
General Dawes had made claim
OF saving-claims so easily dis
proved that the President aD
pears IN a -childlike and rldlcu
!ous attitude before the country
Il we assume that he was so easil.
l1nisled by Dawes political smoke
screen, Mr.. Byrnes said in part
"He says that 81 900 was sav
: ed out Of an appropriation TO
: the widow Of Senator Proctor
of Vermont. Away back in 1870
: when Senator Proctor died thl
: money was appropriated for hi
= widow. She declined to accep
4 it, and the good lady has lon
| since gone to her reward. 1t re
manned upon the books to he
t credit. but nobody else could ge