The Washington times., 1922-07-13
EXPERTS
WIDE APART ON
j. ). ECONOMIES
G. o. p. Claim Of Treasury Sur.
plus Attacked by Democrats
As Fictitious.
BY WINDER r. HARRIS.
Universal Service.

Universal Service.
The proportion Of the American
electorate that casts it's ballots this
fall on the basis Of economy and q
return to normally, as exempllfied
in . reduction of the cost Of run.
ming the Government, has a job on
it's hands that even the proverbial
Philadelphia lawyer would shy at.
That great American journal, The
Congressional Record. today carries
as a special feature ostensibly for
the information Of Senators and
Congressman who haven't been able
to keep up with what the body
Of which they are psid members
has been doing. but obviously for
the education" II not delectation
Of the voters: three reports on the
financial record Of the fiscal year
just closed and the outlook for the
current year.
The contributors are those emf.
nent authorities, the chairman Of
the Senate and House Appropria-
tons Committees, Senator Warren.
Of Wyoming. and Congressman
Madden OF Illinois, and the ranking
Democratic member of the House
Committee, Congressman Byrns Of
Tennessee.
II the average voter can wade
through this myriad OF words and
figures and claim a definite conclu-
sion as to a saving or waste and
whether Government expenditures
have been put on q thoroughly bust.
nesslike basis under the budget sys-
TEN. the traditional legal luminary
OF the City of Brotherly Love will
lose his fame.
Hard for John Doe"
The milkman in Omaha, the mo-
torman in Oshkosh and the farmer
down on Slippery Creek, haven't q
chance in the world. Treasury actu.
aries, and the few who thrive on q
steady diet Of figures may barely
get by.
There are some parts Of the world.
figure barrage. however, that all Of
US can understand-then take our
own choice.
For example. Chairman Madden
AYERS that the Republican party has
made good in its policy OF retrench-
ment and financial reform" He
says his party promised q reduction
In the cost of government and lower
taxes, and both have been effected. ."
Further than that, the chairman
says the public debt also has been re-
duced.
Byrns comes right back with the
charge that the Republican Adminis-
tration and Congress have lament
ably failed to reduce and retrench the
expenditures Of the Government"
"Conceding the necessity OF pro-
viding for certain activities growing
out Of the war and the growth OF
Government activities in ordinary
course" the Tennessean alleges, "it
Is obvious that this Congress and the
Administration have not made that
progress toward pre.war expendi.
lures which the people were promised
and had the right to expect"
Believes II Fictitious.
Byrns even attacks the Republican
claim Of a s31s, 900, 900 surplus in the
Treasury on June 80, the end of the
fiscal year 1922. He calls II a paper
surplus. Here are his own words:
THE Republican party has not
kept the Government on a 'pay,as-
you-go' basis. It IL true that a
paper surplus was shown June 30,
the close of the fiscal year 1929, but
Secretary Of the Treasury Mellon
in his letter Of April II. 1929. made
1t very clear that this surplus would
only be made possible by the trans.
fer Of over 5000 ,000, 900 in govern
mental obligations from 1921 to 1899,
which, while enabling the Admin
istration to avoid a deficit on Juke
30, 1922. increased the overwhelming
deficit which faces the Treasury on
June 30, 1929"
On the other side again, Senator
Warren backs UP his House col.
league with the assertion that there
has been effected "a cut-to-the.
bone" economy.
Senator Warren says that much
Of the socalled reduction has been
brought about by the fact that the
estimates are arranged so far in
advance that conditions necessarily
change by the time actual considera-
ton is had"
Byrns states there were $50. 200
civil service employees OF the Gov.
ernment June 80, as compared with
43s, ,79s In 1915. Congress during the
past year, he adds, has put on the
in washinston. instead Of ducinr