Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-05-14
BYRNES SHOATS DAWES
CLAIMS FULL OF HOLES

CLAIMS FULL OF HOLES
The President who proudly rode
into office in March of last year with
seven millions majority behind him
is now so uneasy, as 10 the result Of
the coming November elections that
he and his Director Of the Budget
General Dawes, juggle appropriation
figures and boldly distort the facts il
their efforts to fool the people into
again voting for the party of specia
privilege. The Presidents claim tc
saving 81 ,600,0O0,000 in the past yea,
was taken up in the House the othel
day by Congressman Byrnes of South
Carolina and shot full of holes. Mr.
Byrnes said:
"The President announced to the
country that we will this year reduce
our expenditures $1,600,000,0O0 be.
low the expenditure for the last fiscal
year. Well, the expenditures for the
last fiscal year which were authorized
by Republican Congress were the
largest ever authorized in time Of
peace in the history of the country
If now, four years after the war
there was not a tremendous reduc.
tion in expenditures there would be
little hope for the preservation OF
the government.
"My regret is that the President ir
issuing this statement did not cali at.
tention to the fact that for the year
1916, the last year prior to our en-.
tering the war when we We're engag.
ed in measures of preparedness, our
expenditures did not amount to more
than $1,115, 100000, and that the es.
innate he now makes as to expendi.
lures this year is $3,922,372, 900, OF
$2,807, 1881, 1926 more than was spent
under the Democratic administration
for the last fiscal year prior to the
war.
II regret that he did not call at.
tention to the fact that while the
Budget Bureau claims these bogus
savings of $136,OOO,00O, the fact is
that the same departments have tc
date secured from the Congress de.
ficiencies or supplemental appropria,
tons amounting to $374,691 ,O40.65.
"The Secretary of the Treasury
does not keep. up with this political
game. He issued statement that
we are facing a deficit, and then
along comes General Dawes, who
says that we have saved a billion and
a half dollars. The President, if he
has any confidence in him at all
ought to urge the Congress to de-
clare dividend to the taxpayers of
America, and we would all be enti-
tied to share. l favored the Bu-
reau of the Budget. There was real
work for the Director of the Budget
to do, but the Bureau of the Budget
has never functioned as Congress in
tended it should. The Bureau sub
mitted estimates for an amount lar
ger than the appropriations for the
current year and before the subcom-
mittees Of the Committee on Appro-
priations no one appeared to defend
his estimates. The director conten-
ted himself with these baseless
claims of savings. 1t is nothing but
bunk-political bunk. (applause)."
Mr.. Byrnes then went on to show
some of the specific instances where
the President and General Dawes had
made claims of saving-claims so
easily disproved that the President
appears in a childlike and ridiculous
attitude before the country, if we as
sumo that he was so easily misled
by Dawes political smoke-screen.
Mr., Byrnes said, in part:
He says that $500 was saved
out Of. an appropriation for the wild
ow Of Senator Proctor, Of Vermont.
Away back in 1908 when Senator
Proctor died this money was appro-
priated for his widow. She declined
to accept it, and the good lady has
long since gone to her reward. 1t re-
manned upon the books to her credit,
but nobody else could get it, and Cen
eral Dawes says he saved it this year
Who was trying to get it? Laugh
teri. e.
"There is 100000 saved in enlar-
ging the Capitol grounds. Do you
in the distant past that
appropriation was made for enlarg-
ing the Capitol grounds? 1t has
been on the books, and it stays there.
it is saved out of the cur
Il