The Newark journal., 1922-01-26
WARS HORRIBLE WASTE

w AN - E1ONN1bLE " AS 1 E.
 Mir R. C. LefingweH was the as- sistant secretary of the treasury in charge ef finances during the war. While he was in the treasury he be- came deeply impressed with the mag nitude of government expenditures and the l0ossness. inefliciency and waste that are part of government meth cd. All the secretaries of the treas ury since the outbreak of the war have shared this feeling CT apprehen- sion and concern with Mir Lefling- well. I quote here recent utterance of his on war expenditures
 "0f the $4,000, ,000. .000, exclusive of interest on the public debt, spent Tn the fiscal year 1921. S1.101. .615,013,32 was spent by the War department. S650, ,3T3 ,S35.5S by the Navy depart ment. $S08,000,OOO on the railroads, $230, 600 GOO by the bureau of war risk insurance, and S357, ,S14, ,S97.0f by the Interior department, mostly, I take 1t. for Civil war and Spanish war pen sions--a total of $3,0S0,0O0,O00 under these heads.
 ''In the fiscal year 1920 the War de- partment spent $1 ,610000,000. and the Navy department S740.0O0,O00. n total of S2. 350 000000. Secretary Mellon estimates that in the fiscal year, 1921, the War department will spend $l,025, o000oo and the Navy department S700. .000, ,000, total Of $1.725 900, ,000; and that Tn the fiscal year. 1922, the War department will spend S570000.= GOO, and the Navy department $545,- o00.O00, q total of S1.115,0 ,000 000 This makes a three-years' total of $5, 190,- e00.0 600.
 "Germsny went to war to realize on her investment In arms and armies. The burden of universal military serv- ice, expenditures en the army and navy, subsidies and doles, became in- toierable She thought she would re- peat the exploit of 1870 and make war so profitable In territory and indem- mites as to recOup herself for the outlay of 40 years preparation. The splendid resistance of the Belgians and the French and of the little British expeditionary force made the short war futile dream. The untrained manhood and unmortgaged resources of the Western World, of the British empire overseas, and finally of Amer lea, determined the issue. Germany suffered economic collapse, though her armies. beaten but not routed, were still on enemy soil So Germanys military preparedness was her cause for making war and was the cause Of her defeat. In the issue, 1t was eco homie preparedness that mattered most.
 "Today. men, women and little chil- dren are starving to death in Europe be cause of the wars horrible waste and because of the still more horrible waste of after the war. Two years and q half after armistice, nearly two years after peace was concluded between Germany and the allies, millions of men are under arms, eating and wear ing the produce of the fields and of the labor of civilian population which must bear the load of taxes and imitation necessary to maintain those armies in economic idleness. The pe0-
 
 gering under the load of armaments far too great before the war and in- tolerable now Their rulers hold them selves in power by subsidies and doles by playing, now on their fears, and again on their avariee, still again on nationaliStie ambitions or ancient ra cial hatreds The allies have under taken to insure Germany's economic recovery by insisting upon her disarm- ament and the payment of separations which means the development of a huge export balance; but for them selves they reserve the doubtful privi- iege of remaining armed to the teeth. -.
 "We have demonstrated our mill tary power. We have shown what may be done in few short months to make an army and transport it to wage foreign war. We have no need to be aggreSsors abroad, we are invul- nerahle at home. Let us accept the responsibilities of the position of lead ership which Is ours. show the world how to beat swords into plow-shares relieve the peoples of the world of ap- prehension and lead them back into the ways of peace and plenty. If we prepare for war we shall have it. If we lead the world Ill preparation for peace we may have that"