Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-24
A E PORK BARREL.

nUR Washington advices inform
us that with the approval of
President Harding and Secretary
of the Treasury Mellon, and as a
stimulus to the republican cam
paign, a fine, big pork barrel" is
to be opened and its juicy contents
distributed at the next session of
congress, beginning in December.
The bill is now in process of
preparation by Representative
Langley (rep. Ky.), chairman of
the house committee or public
buildings and grounds and contem-
plates appropriations aggregating
500, 600, 600 for new post offices,
federal buildings and other struc-
lures in various parts Of the coun-
try.
While Chairman Langley is at
work on the BARREL" republican
candidates for the senate and the
house are quietly passing the word
that if they are reelected they
will get some of the pork" for
their states and districts. They
are simply trying to trade a few
tens of thousands of the public
money for enough votes to return
them to congress.
The first hint of this scheme to
use these proposed buildings as
brides for supporting republican
candidates in the November cleo
ton came several weeks ago when
the Washington Post, semi-official
organ Of the Harding adnlinistra-
ton, published a statement that
Postmaster General Work and other
members of the cabinet and the
president himself were persuaded
of the necessity and economy OF
the governments erecting and own
ing buildings for post offices,
courts and the like.
With that "tip" to guide them,
the republican candidates and their
workers began to whisper that the
way their districts could share in
the pork" was to insure major
tiles for the G. O. P. This propa-
ganda in behalf Of the pork" has
been conducted with a good deal
of secretiveness not SO much be-
cause the republicans regarded their
scheme as unethical and reprehensi-
BILE as because they feared its eff
feet on their claims of economy"
in the conduct of the government.
The deficit of $500, 0O0, 900 which
the treasury is now trying to ex-
punge will require either more care
full scrutiny of appropriations or
an increase in taxation. The gov
ernment's revenues are diminish
ing and the treasury is fearful of
recommending additional taxes,
although that method of wiping out
the deficit has been under serious
consideration.
Now the republican chairman Of
the public buildings and grounds
committee is advertising the adj
m~inistration's plan for spending at
least Sl0o, 900, 1000 when there is
no present necessity or excuse for
such a large outlay. 1t is believed
that the announcement of the
scheme ome as a sort of official
confirmation of the hints the re-
publican candidatse have been Civ
ing to some of their constituents in
many different republican states.
The plan could not have reached
its present stage if President Hard
ing had taken action that was IN
keeping with his professions in
favor of a conservation of the gov
ernment's income and d reduction
of it's expenditures, The truth is,
however, that President Harding
and Secretary Mellon are both
parties to the project of opening
the biggest pork barrel" that con-
gress has seen in many a year.
THE WASHINGTON PEACE
E